electronic theses: the story so far theo andrew edinburgh university library
TRANSCRIPT
Electronic theses:
The story so far
Theo Andrew
Edinburgh University Library
ETD?
• Electronic Thesis OR Dissertation
• Idea first openly discussed in 1987
• Initial pilot study in 1996
ETD!
• The ETD is similar to its paper predecessor, but..
• It provides a technologically advanced medium for expressing your ideas
Theses management at EUL
• EUL opted out of the British Theses Service in 1992
• ~ 600 PhD theses submitted a year
• Access to theses via:
- special collections reading room
- ILL request
Reading room statistics
ILL requests
• 2002- 155 estimates, 58 copies sent
• 2003 (to date) - 110 estimates, 47 copies sent
• High cost
- 300 pages £60 +VAT/P&P
- 300-600 pages £100 +VAT/P&P
…so why ETDs?
• current demand for access inhibited by physical restrictions and cost
• most theses are ‘born digital’• better presentation of research not available in paper
format (multimedia files, dynamic data presentation, programmes and code, hyperlinks)
• and in the longer term, less expense to authors and libraries? (less printing/binding/paper/cataloguing/ storage costs)
International ETD programmes
• NDLTD (Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations)
• 185 members worldwide
• To date 49 universities worldwide require electronic submission, but many more have or are acquiring ETD capability.
The UK and ETDs
• Reasons for sluggishness
• How we are tackling the problem
• What might work in the UK
• The Theses Alive! project
Why is the UK so slow?
ZZZZzzzzz
A centralised environment for distribution?
A distribution system that (sort of) works?
Tools which can’t be bettered?
Tools which can’t be bettered?
A fondness for hard copy?
A fondness for hard copy?
Heterogeneity?
The fact is, the UK is slow
• Non-assertive library-academic relationships
• Highly devolved structures in research universities
• Heterogeneous model of postgraduate administration
Are ETDs a solution in search of a problem?
• We cannot use the journals pricing crisis argument
• So if it ain’t broke …• Research value of theses not appreciated• Could publisher lag be partly to blame?• But in the digital age we are learning the
importance of impatience
And yet …
• 100% of recent and new theses are ETDs-in-waiting
• The demand is there– Much preferable to conventional interlibrary
loan– Visibility increases demand
• Theses authors want it
The proof?
But there is a fear of dragons
• Theses will be considered as ‘prior publication’ (‘Ingelfinger thinking’)
• Too risky
• “The valuable research will eventually be published anyway”
In other words …
• A combination of (understandable) academic self-interest and the relatively small size of the perceived problem is denying access to a rich world of research literature
• But the cavalry is here! (JISC FAIR, OAI-PMH, NDLTD)
How do we do it?• Make submission easy
– DSpace
• Make ETDs complementary– Don’t build a door with a brick wall behind it
• Permit restriction– Win/win
• Work community by community– Informatics first?
Theses Alive!
• lead site Edinburgh• pilot partners
– Cambridge, Cranfield, Leeds, Manchester Metropolitan
• funding: JISC (FAIR programme) and UoE
• duration: 2 years, November 2002 – October 2004
Broad aims
• to develop an infrastructure which enables e-theses to be ‘published’ on the web
• to produce a ‘checklist approach’ for universities to use as they develop e-theses capability
A solution at hand?
Why DSpace?
• Rich functionality (available or planned)
• Solution-efficiency (ETDs, eprints, learning objects)
• Standards-aware
• Digital preservation
• DSpace@Cambridge
• Support
Theses Alive!
• Pilot project
• Repository publication
• Source customisation for UK
• FAQ
• Technical and dialogue help
Conclusion: we need to show how …
• We contribute to the research corpus• And at the same time …• We provide research impact data to our
own institution• Requires a new role for the
Library/Information Services – not simply a replacement for traditional interlibrary loan
