Taking the Plunge: Requiring the ETD

Taking the Plunge: Requiring the ETD

Kimberly Douglas

Eric Van de Velde

It made sense for Caltech, the California Institute of Technology (a private, technically focused, U.S. university, http://www.caltech.edu), to go electronic when it comes to theses. It took three years: From March 1999 when Prof. Ed Fox of the Virginia Technical University spoke at Caltech, to July 2002 for the Graduate Office at Caltech to stipulate that an ETDs was required of all PhD candidates. The library staff successfully addressed specific education and technical issues to smooth the transition in as short a time as possible. The impact and effect of the ETD repository reverberates through the community and positions the library for further digital library developments on campus.

2003