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MIT Joins Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations

Ruth K. Seidman
Communications Coordinator, MIT Libraries
rks@mit.edu, 617-253-5686
February 17, 2000

Ann. J. Wolpert, Director of Libraries, announced on January 20, 2000 that MIT is joining the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD). Based at Virginia Tech, the NDLTD is an initiative to increase the availability of student research for scholars and to preserve it electronically. The organization has an international membership of 78 universities/libraries.

The MIT Libraries have been developing a collection of electronically accessible theses over the past several years, now numbering over 3,800 titles in every subject area, from the 1920’s to the present. These represent titles for which copies have been requested. The collection is constantly growing. In carrying out this development project, the Libraries worked with the Graduate Education Office and with Information Systems.

Isaac M. Colbert, Dean for Graduate Students, said: "We are now poised to move with all deliberate speed into the era of electronic theses. We have confidence that our approach is robust, and that it will provide broad access to these materials."

Keith Glavash, Head of Document Services in the Libraries, indicates that by joining NDLTD the Institute is confirming its commitment to advance electronic theses on an ongoing basis. Glavash said: "What began as an experiment has blossomed into an operational system which allowed us to create a substantial online base for our thesis collection. Joining the NDLTD helps us to build on this effort, and ultimately to increase the dissemination of MIT theses out into the world."

Participation in NDLTD will benefit MIT in two ways: the Institute will receive free access to electronic thesis submission/distribution software and the availability of the MIT online thesis collection will be publicized.

With Larry Stone, Systems Programmer at Information Systems, Glavash will be presenting two papers at the March 16-18, 2000 Third International Symposium on Electronic Theses and Dissertations, to be held in St. Petersburg, FL. The papers will describe MIT’s work in building a digital thesis library and in developing submission mechanisms for new digital theses.

Edward A Fox, MIT Class of 1972, founded the NDLTD in the late 1980’s. The goals include lowering the cost of submitting and handling theses and dissertations, empowering students to convey a richer message through the use of multimedia and hypermedia technologies, and advancing digital library technology. Further information can be found at: http://www.ndltd.org/.