Subject and Bibliographic Access to ETDs in the Sciences and Technology in Digital Repositories and Online Catalogues: Perspectives from US and UK Science Librarians

Main Authors Simon Bevan (Cranfield Univ., UK) Sophie Bogdanski (West Virginia Univ., USA) Anne Christie (Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks, USA) Bryna Coonin (East Carolina Univ., USA) Susan Copeland (The Robert Gordon Univ., UK)

Outline Project origins Research methodology Response profile The big picture Tools for accessing ETDs Metadata Searchability Observations

Project Origins Bursary for study tour Volunteer group little funding Professional Library Associations ALA/ACRL/STS CILIP

Research Methodology Targeted survey population – Science & Technology Librarians Different responses from normal respondents (eg IR managers) Specifically Science & Tech ETDs Focus on tools – bib record metadata, content, search mechanisms Institutions and respondents USTLG Carnegie list Omitted own institutions Survey instrument – Survey Monkey

Response Profile

How many postgraduates are enrolled at your institution?

The Big Picture

Are your institution's theses/dissertations available electronically?

Primary reasons for making your institution's theses/dissertations available electronically

Is your institution doing (or planning to do) any retrospective digitisation of theses or dissertations?

Factors of importance when deciding to digitise

Is ETD submission mandatory for students at your institution?

TOOLS FOR ACCESSING ETDs

Is there an institutional repository at your institution?

When was your IR established?

Which platform (software) is being used for your institution's IR?

How many ETDs are in your IR?

Which types of ETDs are included in your IR?

Which Integrated Library System (ILS) is being used at your institution?

Which types of theses and dissertations are included in your OPAC?

Comparison of ETDs in IR and OPACs

Metadata

Which metadata scheme is being used to catalogue ETDs in your IR?

Other than author and title, what other information is displayed in the bibliographic record in the IR?

Other than author and title, what other type of information is included in the bibliographic record in the OPAC?

Which is the archival (definitive) copy?

Searchability

Which access points are hyperlinked within the bibliographic record in the IR to find more of the same ?

Which access points are hyperlinked within the bibliographic record in the OPAC to find "more of the same"?

Can you search for your ETD collection as a separate group?

Effective resources for finding sci-tech ETDs at your own institution

Other resources for finding sci-tech ETDs at your own institution Federated search engine NDLTD union catalogue FirstSearch/WorldCat Amazon Scirus (Elsevier)

Effective resources for finding sci-tech ETDs from other institutions

Comparison of frequency of searching for sci-tech ETDs between own and other institutions

Satisfaction with current resources for finding ETDs

Observations

Observations (1) ETDs are still in the development stage in both countries US - theses and dissertations available electronically commercial database not necessarily available in IRs or available via open access room for IR growth in US UK - universities have plans for developing ETDs They will be available via open access Retrospective digitisation in both US and UK - will expand the amount of material available

Observations (2) Access to ETDs End-users seem to be finding ETDs by themselves – but are they searching for them efficiently? Electronic access raises the visibility of theses resulting in improved collaboration Front line librarians (subject specialists) are not serving as intermediaries in the search for ETDs; according to our survey public services librarians are seldom asked to search for ETDs

Observations (3) IRs vs OPACs for ETD access? Science & Technology Librarians not satisfied with current tools due to: Lack of appropriate bibliographic control (esp. in consistency, accuracy, granularity) Not enough ETDs available in one central location so have to search too many different databases High expectation for precision and recall -- Subject Specialists are more demanding of search results than end-users – They desire more flexibility in searching than do end-users Search differently from end-users; use more traditional methods?

Observations (4) Education and Training of Front-Line Librarians How informed are sci-tech librarians about their insitution's ETD program? Are front line librarians being kept in the loop as IRs are being developed and ETDs are being included? What is the role of public services librarians in the new world of ETDs? Is it searching? Is it training end-users to search effectively? Is searching for ETDs being included as searching for primary source material in information literacy tutorials?

Future Developments and Research Future Developments of ETDs In the survey, one US librarian expressed frustration at not being able to do a topical search for ETDs across institutions and also about not being able to search the IR and OPAC together. Federated searching for ETDs? Will centralized locations for ETDs, such as consortiums, help end-users and front line librarians search for ETDs efficiently and effectively?

Future Developments and Research Role for Sci-tech Librarians in ETD world Help IR Managers develop ETD collection IR managers need to communicate with librarians – sharing wisdom Sci-tech librarians will then recruit for content Train authors to deposit content Train end-users to be effective searchers Help to create better designed systems for end users so no intervention needed. Future work ETD development is moving fast – repeat survey to compare progress in other disciplines and different countries Further investigation of sci-tech librarians involvement in ETD programmes

Many Thanks For Helping To: Beth Blanton Kent (University of Virginia) Susan Braxton (Illinois Natural History Survey) Judith Emde (University of Kansas) Jin Ma (Baruch College, CUNY) Richard Sarcia (Yale University) Katherine Szigeti (Temple University) Kathy Wheeler (University of South Alabama) Linda Yamamoto (Stanford University) John Harrington (Cranfield University)