Adopt a Real ETD Preservation Strategy

The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (http://www.ndltd.org) and the MetaArchive Cooperative (http://www.metaarchive.org) are collaborating to provide a low-cost distributed preservation strategy for institutions that have ETD initiatives. Because both organizations share the goal of enabling institutions to provide long-term, open access to electronic theses and dissertations, Virginia Tech brought the two together to establish the ETD Preservation Archive. PUC-Rio has the distinction of being the first university in Latin America to join the Cooperative.

Since 2004 the MetaArchive`s collaborative networks are comprised of institutions that cooperatively preserve each others digital materials--not by outsourcing to other organizations, but by actively participating in the preservation of their own content.

How it`s done: To preserve digital assets, the MetaArchive Cooperative uses a systemic, forward-looking technological approach called distributed digital preservation. Member institutions identify collections, like ETDs, that they want to preserve. Using a technical framework that is based on the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) software, these collections are ingested into a geographically distributed network where they are stored on secure file servers in multiple locations. These servers do not back up the materials; they provide a dynamic means of constantly checking each file and providing repairs whenever necessary.

Through May 2010 the pilot ETD program will

1. Study surveys and case studies that document the digital preservation readiness of ETD collections with regards to such issues as metadata practices, formats, file structures, and repository structures.
2. Develop standardized exchange mechanisms between leading ETD repository structures (such as CONTENTdm, ETD-db, DSpace, and Fedora) and LOCKSS.
3. Document best practices for ETD preservation readiness (e.g., NDLTD Preservation Strategy)
4. Establish and populate an ETD Archive within the MetaArchive Preservation Network.

For more information about the ETD Archive, please contact Gail McMillan (gailmac@vt.edu).

RBTD - Red Boliviana de Tesis Digitales

Gracias a la iniciativa de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marco, Lima-Perú, en el proyecto de la producción y difusión de tesis electrónicas en la web, Bolivia, desde el año 2007 también es parte del proyecto a través de la UMSA, que pone a disposición de la comunidad académica y científica local, nacional e internacional la Biblioteca digital de tesis electrónicas (www.cybertesis.umsa.bo), generadas a través de la metodología cybertesis, en el mes de agosto del año en curso se lleva a cabo el pirmer curso taller de la metodología cybertesis con la participación de las universidades publicas y privadas de Bolivia, para poder de esta manera organizar y levantar la Red Boliviana de Tesis Digitales.

Este es un esfuerzo compartido por diferentes instituciones como el Vice Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, la Comité Ejecutivo de la Universidad Boliviana y todas las universidades estatales como privadas que son parte de este sistema.

Novidades em gotas

* Anualmente, durante a ETD Conference, teses e dissertações inovadoras são premiadas. Visite a área do site da ETD 2009 http://www.library.pitt.edu/etd2009/awards.html
* A Red Peruana de Tesis Digitales (http://www.rptd.edu.pe/) completou, em agosto passado, o seu primeiro aniversário. Cinco universidades colaboram com seu catálogo coletivo de metadados que já disponibiliza 2.489 ETDs.
* A BDTD - Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações já conta com 90 instituições cooperantes.

Conheça um programa de ETDs

A cada boletim, será destacado um programa de ETDs. Visite o site da Universidad de las Américas, Puebla, no México: http://biblio.udlap.mx/tesis.