# /research/projects/etd/default.htm

originally: http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/etd/default.htm

# Electronic Theses and Dissertations

## Description

The Electronic Theses & Dissertations (ETDs) project focuses on thesis metadata via the Open Archives Initiative's Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH). This is a lightweight protocol for moving or sharing metadata that allows synchronization of loosely coupled databases and mandates XML Dublin Core as the default metadata format.

## Goals

The goals of this project are to:

- investigate OAI-PMH by participating in beta-tests
- promote the use of theses and dissertations
- investigate services that can be built with OAI-PMH
- understand OAI-PMH from both serving and harvesting viewpoints.

## Status

So far the project team has:

- written a harvester and OAI-PMH v2.0-compliant server in Java
- brought up XTCat, a database of 4.3 million thesis and dissertation records from WorldCat.
  - This is perhaps the largest OAI compliant database in existence.
  - Names in the database are linked to the Library of Congress Name Authority file.
  - The electronic thesis & dissertation (ETD) records are available as an OAI "set."
    - This allows them to be harvested as a distinct group.

Current activities include:

- merging in other sets of theses
- working on harvesting other OAI servers.

OAI-PMH is expected to be the major method of moving large amounts of metadata between systems. It can be useful for interoperability beyond simple metadata, and useful for repositories even without harvesting.

## Next steps

Current plans for the project include:

- Making a searchable version public via SRW/SRU.
- Creating tools to convert MARC and NDLTD ETD-ms formats.
- Creating services to enrich Metadata records (e.g. Name Authority Control).

## Related publication

- McMillan, Gail. 2002. "ETDs and Libraries." [White paper commissioned by OCLC Research.] Available online at http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/etd/mcmillan_etds_and_libraries.pdf (PDF:510K/34pp.)

  Gail McMillan is Director, Digital Library and Archives, Virginia Tech. OCLC Research commissioned this report to help OCLC members understand what is involved in beginning and sustaining an ETD initiative.

## Research team

- Thom Hickey (Lead researcher)
- Jeff Young
- Tom Dehn