Electronic theses: their production, management and use.

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a research visit to
 the USA which was undertaken, in 1998, to assess the
 production, management and use of electronic theses at
 Virginia Polytechnic lnstitute and State University
 (Virgin ia Tech.).The activities there, and the achievements
 of the Networked Digital Library of Theses and
 Dissertations (NDLTD) project, are contrasted with the
 efforts of the UniversityTheses Online Group (UTOG)
 in the UK. A year on from the visit, the electronic theses
 at VirginiaTech. are being consulted more than before. ln
 contrast, in the UK, interest still appears to be limited.
 This article aims to demonstrate the value of producing
 theses in electronic format, to discuss what is required in
 order to achieve an acceptance of electronic theses,and
 to encourage further work in this area.