Online digital thesis collections and national information policy

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to give an overview of ETD (electronic thesis and dissertation) collection development trends to date, with an emphasis on the comparative merits of different national models of digital thesis provision.Design/methodology/approachA brief historical narrative combined with commentary from the point of view of the library practitioner.FindingsThe paper finds that the case for the superior benefits of digital thesis services as opposed to print‐only thesis provision has undoubtedly been made. However, the relative merits of different levels of public versus private sector involvement in the national digital thesis system are open to debate, which means that ETD information systems can be structured very differently from one country to another. The US and UK systems are particularly different from each other and form a focus of discussion.Research limitations/implicationsA rich research area in future will lie in the comparison of the performance of the US and the UK systems. This research should elicit opinions from librarians engaged with thesis provision while also compiling objective evidence about which approach provides the better service to end users and which approach more successfully boosts the knowledge economy of each country.Practical implicationsEvidence cited about the strengths and weaknesses of the two digital thesis systems analysed demonstrates the benefits of open access at the immediate level of library service delivery.Originality/valueThis paper attempts to combine insights into national policy making with straightforward recommendations relevant to everyday library practice.