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EThOS opens access to UK theses
EThOS is going live on 14th October 2008 at http://ethos.bl.uk
Is your institution signed up yet?
Researchers will be able to find theses via EThOS and download any of the 12,000 full text theses that are already stored there. These will include theses harvested from your Institutional Repository (IR) – if you have one, and other IRs.
Any researcher from your institution who wishes to read a thesis from another UK HEI may use the system and download one of these 12,000 full text theses, or make a request for a thesis that is not yet digitised. Please ensure that your library's document supply/inter-library loan and acquisitions staff are aware of this.
Benefits for Your Institution and Researchers
EThOS revolutionises access to UK research by providing the full text of UK Theses in a single online database for the first time. This ensures a sustainable service for the future. EThOS will not only improve postgraduate knowledge transfer and enrich the UK and global knowledge pool but also create an international showcase for the best of UK research.
For thesis authors, EThOS provides an electronic global platform for their research , making it easily accessible to the scholarly community. Institutions gain higher research profiles. Usage statistics will give a greater understanding of who is using an institution’s research output and this in turn helps demonstrate how research information is being disseminated to the wider community.
For researchers worldwide, EThOS provides access to e-theses at any time regardless of the remoteness of the location. Numerous researchers can use a thesis at the same time and it will be much easier to find relevant research content using search options that people are familiar with thus reducing the time required to access relevant research.
The EThOS Project is funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and Research Libraries UK (RLUK) and organised in partnership between the British Library and Higher Education Institutes across the UK.
How can your institution support EThOS?
If your HEI has not already signed up as a participant, now is the time to
- Become an Open Access Sponsor
OR
- Become an Associate member
How to sign up
Sign and complete the Memorandum of Understanding.
Please note that a MoU is required for all levels of participation, including Associate Members, so please return it as soon as you can.
The Memorandum can be downloaded from here. If there are any queries arising from the Memorandum, the sooner we hear about them the sooner we can help, so please do not hesitate to contact Tracy Kent on 0121 414 3918 or email info@ethos.ac.uk and we will provide you with further help and assistance.
UK Thesis Digitisation Project
The digitisation project is nearly completed. This is scanning the most popular theses from the British Library back catalogue. As well as delivering high quality scans, the contracted company is now running at the promised throughput. We expect the vast majority of the theses (if not all) to be digitised and available on the system on day 1.
If you have any queries or if we can help in any way, please get in touch.
Please contact info@ethos.ac.uk or telephone Tracy on 0121 414 3918.
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