Open Access to UK Theses and Dissertations

"From a JISC press release, today: 'Around 14,000 academic theses are produced in the UK each year, representing perhaps the richest resource of primary research in fields ranging from molecular chemistry to medieval history. Today, [UK] JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee), CURL (Consortium of Research Libraries in the British Isles) and the British Library announced the development of a new national framework for the provision, preservation and accession of theses – both printed and electronic – to help researchers in higher education, science and industry to tap this currently underused resource. Electronic Theses Online [PS: sometimes called EthOS, for Electronic Theses Online Service] aims to offer full text access via the web to all theses electronically stored on a central host at the British Library via the British Library’s developing access and delivery infrastructure. It will also offer access to information about other theses held in institutional and consortial repositories in the UK, while a single interface will enable cross-searching across both nationally- and institutionally-held theses. Procedures to address all aspects of intellectual property rights (IPR), royalties and permissions will be fully integrated into the service....Research in the US has shown that the use of theses increases spectacularly with electronic access. Electronic Theses Online will also pursue an advocacy programme, targeting academics, senior administrators and information professionals, helping to transform the use of theses in learning, teaching and research, and ensuring a far greater national and international visibility for UK research.' "

Source: Peter Suber. More on OA to UK theses and dissertations. Open Access News Blog (7 April 2005) [FullText]