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NDLTD, the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, supports and encourages the production and archiving of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). While many current NDLTD member institutions and consortia have individual collections accessible online, there has until recently been no single mechanism to aggregate all ETDs to provide NDLTD‐wide services (e.g. searching). With the emergence of the Open Archives Initiative (OAI), that has changed. The OAI’s Protocol for Metadata Harvesting is a robust interoperability solution that defines a standard method of exchanging metadata. While working with the OAI to develop and test the metadata harvesting standard, we have set up and actively maintain a central NDLTD metadata collection and multiple user portals. We discuss in this article our experiences in building this distributed digital library based upon the work of the OAI.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the multi-tiered framework supported by the NDLTD-Taiwan systems to achieve the collaboration and cooperation with universities and colleges in building electronic theses collection in Taiwan.

The paper describes the outcomes of multi-tiered framework, its user roles, tasks, and thesis-specific workflow, as well as the function for simulating user roles.

The framework is the result of supporting both the two-tiered and the three-tiered frameworks on the NDLTD-Taiwan systems platform. The design guidelines emerged out of the outcomes of task analysis.

The multi-tiered design not only accommodates graduation procedures for member universities and colleges, but also supports bibliographic control and collections building.

The paper shows that the multi-tiered design, which emerged out of the existing theses processes of member institutions, is inclusive. The framework allows member universities and colleges to choose an appropriate framework, either two-tiered or three-tiered, for managing their e-theses processes. In addition, role simulation allows the NCL administrator to reproduce problems encountered by the users to help troubleshooting.

The aim of this research is to define a data model of theses and dissertations that enables data exchange with CERIF‐compatible CRIS systems and data exchange according to OAI‐PMH protocol in different metadata formats (Dublin Core, EDT‐MS, etc.).

Various systems that contain metadata about theses and dissertations are analyzed. There are different standards and protocols that enable the interoperability of those systems: CERIF standard, AOI‐PMH protocol, etc. A physical data model that enables interoperability with almost all of those systems is created using the PowerDesigner CASE tool.

A set of metadata about theses and dissertations that contain all the metadata required by CERIF data model, Dublin Core format, EDT‐MS format and all the metadata prescribed by the University of Novi Sad is defined. Defined metadata can be stored in the CERIF‐compatible data model based on the MARC21 format.

CRIS‐UNS is a CRIS which has been developed at the University of Novi Sad since 2008. The system is based on the proposed data model, which enables the system's interoperability with other CERIF‐compatible CRIS systems. Also, the system based on the proposed model can become a member of NDLTD.

A system based on the proposed model increases the availability of theses and dissertations, and thus encourages the development of the knowledge‐based society.

A data model of theses and dissertations that enables interoperability with CERIF‐compatible CRIS systems is proposed. A software system based on the proposed model could become a member of NDLTD and exchange metadata with institutional repositories. The proposed model increases the availability of theses and dissertations.

The third and last in a series that describes Open Archives Initiative service providers. It profiles services that offer access to a variety of resources and recently initiated projects as well.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the electronic theses and dissertation (ETD) repository as a subset of local institutional digital repositories. The paper discusses the originating institutions and organizations including Virginia Tech Initiative, the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization and the United States Department of Education.

This paper is informational in nature and explores the topic of ETD repositories. It provides information relevant to academic and digital librarians interested in including an ETD repository in their institution's digital library. The paper discusses interoperability among repositories and the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting. The paper discusses issues related to ETD repositories including intellectual property rights, publishers' views of ETDs as prior publications, plagiarism issues, development costs, and long‐term preservation issues.

It was found that library administrators who implemented ETD repositories at various universities adapted their models to the needs of their institutions and their graduate students. ETD administrators made decisions about implementation models and software and hardware infrastructure in terms of human and technical resource allocation.

The paper argues that ETD repositories benefit students and universities by enhancing graduate education, expanding graduate research, increasing a university's visibility, and instructing students, faculty, administration, and librarians about digital technology.

The value of this paper for digital and academic librarians concerned with EDT repositories is in providing a historical overview, a discussion of the benefits, and a review of the issues involved with implementing an ETD repository at their institution.

Electronic theses and dissertation (ETD) symposium is one of the major international activities of Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD), and its objectives provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge and skills relevant to ETD students, professors and information professionals. This symposium offers an opportunity to put forward innovative plans, debate on ideas and promote closer cooperation internationally. This report is a summary of selected events held during ETD international symposium 2016 on the theme “Data and Dissertations”, with a focus on the handling of research data.

It is a concise review of selected presentations during 19th electronic theses and dissertation annual symposium in University of Lille, France.

ETD 2016 meeting held in Lille was attended by nearly 100 attendees from 28 countries. This report includes a summary of selected presentations on research data, open-access and embargo policies, augmented ETDs and French system for ETDs. It is useful to managers of organizations, teachers and educators, librarians, open-access protagonists and members of information provider communities. The personal interaction with the participants from different countries enriched the author’s ideas about the ETD development.

The author, who was also a speaker, provides an overview of the selected presentations on the initiatives, namely, research data development, copyright laws, augmented digital theses, plagiarism, etc. The important events such as sight-seeing tours to a national museum, informal get-together are covered which may be useful to the audience who are not able to attend but interested to know about ETD 2016.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss issues associated with open access (OA) to electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) and to describe the University of Waterloo E‐thesis Project and its partnerships with Theses Canada and the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.

UW E‐thesis Project decisions on issues associated with electronic submission and OA are presented. Partnerships with Theses Canada and the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations are described and the goals and activities of these organizations are outlined.

Author‐created metadata form the UW E‐theses searchable database of records that link to theses in full text. The metadata are OAI compliant and are harvested by Theses Canada and the ETD Union Catalog. The E‐theses Project supports authors' rights while minimizing access restrictions and encourages innovations while respecting the value of gradually evolving thesis standards and traditions. The success of the UW E‐thesis Project illustrates that progress can be made toward the OA paradigm for theses and dissertations while upholding perennial values. Collaborations with like‐minded organizations support and advance these goals.

Academic librarians and graduate studies officers will find this e‐thesis project description and this discussion of issues relevant to planning and maintaining electronic thesis submission and access systems at their own universities. The descriptions of the benefits of the partnerships may prompt readers to make similar connections themselves.

To report on the 9th International Symposium on Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) held at the Universite Laval in Quebec City.

A review of the main activities of the symposium.

Building on the successes of previous ETD symposia, the content presented at this one demonstrated how the ETD has matured and captured the attention of the higher education communities worldwide. With more organizational interest in the growing Institutional Repository movement, the links between ETDs and institutional repositories is not only natural but well positioned as open access and archival preservation techniques become common in electronic and scholarly publishing.

A piece that of value to all involved with information management.

To describe the key findings of the UK JISC‐funded Electronic Theses project that was led by The Robert Gordon University, as well as the results of associated projects that formed part of the JISC‐funded “FAIR” programme, and the way in which the recommendations will be taken forward.

The research involved: an assessment of existing best practice relating to the production, management and use of e‐theses; the use of questionnaires to obtain feedback from potential users; the identification and testing of potentially useful software; consideration of the elements required in a metadata core set, and discussions with representative bodies to ensure that the model recommended for use in the UK had support from the key stakeholders.

Information is provided about the value of the NDLTD web site, the suitability of DSpace and EPrints software for institutional e‐theses repositories, and the recommended infrastructure for the operation of an e‐theses service at national level. Details are included about the agreed metadata core set for UK e‐theses, and advice is provided about administrative, legal and cultural issues.

The JISC‐funded EThOS project is taking forward many of the recommendations from the Electronic Theses project.

The research results described in this paper will be of use to institutions, which are aiming to establish their own e‐theses collections. The details provided about the UK approach towards the management of e‐theses may be of use in countries, which have not yet made their theses available in electronic format.