<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
mso-believe-normal-left:yes;}
h1
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
font-weight:bold;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.Heading1Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1";
font-family:"Cambria","serif";
color:#365F91;
font-weight:bold;}
p.documentdescription, li.documentdescription, div.documentdescription
{mso-style-name:documentdescription;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.link-external
{mso-style-name:link-external;}
span.link-mailto
{mso-style-name:link-mailto;}
span.EmailStyle23
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page Section1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<![if mso 9]>
<style>
p.MsoNormal
{margin-left:3.0pt;}
</style>
<![endif]><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-ZA link=blue vlink=purple style='margin-left:3.0pt;margin-top:
3.0pt;margin-right:3.0pt;margin-bottom:.75pt'>
<div class=Section1>
<div>
<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span lang=EN-US
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>This database is
very useful if you want to search for topics covered already/need to get hold
of a thesis/dissertation. You can also register the IR at your institution to
be harvested by NDLTD.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span lang=EN-US
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span lang=EN-US
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>With kind regards<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span lang=EN-US
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Ina<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><a
href="http://www.ndltd.org/"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0
width=160 height=75 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:QFSFLMXGXRZI.IMAGE_3.gif"></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<h1><span style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>NDLTD Union Catalog
Surpasses One Million Electronic Theses and Dissertations<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p class=documentdescription><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>April
29, 2010 Blacksburg, VA, USA<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>The
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) announced today
that there are now over one million readily available electronic theses and
dissertations (ETDs) online worldwide. The NDLTD (<a
href="http://www.ndltd.org/"><strong><span style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";
color:#738C9A'>www.ndltd.org</span></strong></a>), OCLC (Online Computer
Library Center, <span class=link-external><a href="http://www.oclc.org/"><strong><span
style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#0071B5'>www.oclc.org</span></strong></a></span>),
VTLS (<span class=link-external><a href="http://www.vtls.org/"><strong><span
style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#0071B5'>www.vtls.org</span></strong></a></span>),
and Scirus (<span class=link-external><a href="http://www.scirus.com/"><strong><span
style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#738C9A'>www.scirus.com</span></strong></a></span>)
maintain and provide access related to the NDLTD Union Catalog (<a
href="http://www.ndltd.org/find/"><strong><span style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";
color:#738C9A'>www.ndltd.org/find</span></strong></a>), of ETDs available in
institutional repositories around the globe. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>The
NDLTD is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the
creation, dissemination, use, adoption, and preservation of digital theses and
dissertations. The NDLTD assists students and universities in using electronic
publishing and digital libraries to more effectively share knowledge in order
to unlock potential benefits worldwide. The NDLTD also promotes student
efforts to transform the genre of the print dissertation through the use of
innovative software to create cutting edge hypertext/multimedia ETDs. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>The
NDLTD is comprised of many individual member institutions and consortia, each
of which has or plans to put in place a process for archiving and distributing
ETDs; others are welcome to join if they have similar interest. The Union
Catalog Project is an attempt to make these individual collections appear as
one seamless digital library of ETDs to students and researchers seeking out
theses and dissertations. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>In
1997 the first ETD program requirement was instituted at Virginia Tech.
Over the course of thirteen years ETD programs have now been implemented
in thousands of colleges and universities around the world. The one
millionth ETD milestone indicates that ETD implementation is beginning to reach
a critical mass. Indeed, in January, the count exceeded 800K records, while as
of April 19, the record count reached 1.6 million, though there may be some
duplicate records. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>In
the higher-GDP countries, institutions are rapidly adopting ETDs on a
per-institutional or state-wide basis. Many lower-GDP countries are
adopting ETDs at a national level as one means of jump-starting and
disseminating research and development activities. The NDLTD anticipates
that the number of ETDs worldwide will increase rapidly as more schools in
every region around the globe implement ETD programs. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>The
NDLTD's programs help universities improve graduate education through more
effective sharing of research; enhance the potential value of intellectual
property; increase the speed at which research methods and results are shared;
and participate in digital libraries, by collecting, cataloging, archiving, and
making accessible electronic theses and dissertations worldwide. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>The
NDLTD also directly assists graduate students by teaching the value of
electronic publishing and digital libraries. Through the actions of its
international Board of Directors, committees, and working groups, as well as an
annual international conference, NDLTD provides guidance, standards, and
technology supporting submission and other digital library services tailored to
electronic theses and dissertations. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Many
institutions around the world are represented in the NDLTD Union Catalog.
Universities can participate by implementing the Open Archives Initiative
Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) to contribute metadata records to
the union catalog. The NDLTD provides free resources (<a
href="http://www.ndltd.org/join/ndltd-union-catalog-project/?searchterm=union%20catalog"><strong><span
style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#738C9A'>www.ndltd.org/join/ndltd-union-catalog-project/?searchterm=union%20catalog</span></strong></a>)
to implement OAI-PMH in an institutional repository. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>We
are moving closer to achieving the vision first discussed in 1987 of a global
networked digital library of theses and dissertations. The ETD and open
access movements promoted by the NDLTD have enhanced scholarly communications,
making valuable information and knowledge available at the touch of a
button. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><br>
<strong><span style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Media contacts:</span></strong></span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Edward A.
Fox, Executive Director, NDLTD<br>
<span class=link-mailto><a href="mailto:fox@vt.edu"><strong><span
style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#0071B5'>fox@vt.edu</span></strong></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Thom
Hickey, Research Scientist, OCLC<br>
<span class=link-mailto><a href="mailto:hickey@OCLC.ORG"><strong><span
style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#0071B5'>hickey@oclc.org</span></strong></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Vinod
Chachra, President & CEO, VTLS<br>
<span class=link-mailto><a href="mailto:chachrav@vtls.com"><strong><span
style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#0071B5'>chachrav@vtls.com</span></strong></a></span> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Christine
Erb, Product Manager, Scirus<br>
<span class=link-mailto><a href="mailto:C.Erb@elsevier.com"><strong><span
style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#0071B5'>C.Erb@elsevier.com</span></strong></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span class=link-mailto><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Source:
<a
href="http://www.ndltd.org/find/ndltd-union-catalog-surpasses-one-million-electronic-theses-and-dissertations">http://www.ndltd.org/find/ndltd-union-catalog-surpasses-one-million-electronic-theses-and-dissertations</a></span></span><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>