The United States Electronic Theses and Dissertations Association (USETDA) held its fifth annual conference in Austin, Texas, September 29th-October 1st, 2015. It is a smaller conference, with about 100 attendees, which is great for connecting with other attendees and presenters, as well as continuing conversations beyond the sessions.
The conference sessions varied widely on topics: using open source tools to process ETDs, making metadata consistent and discoverable, incorporating ORCID identifiers, and discussions on creative works, embargoes and supplemental files. In addition to the sessions, several other topics were also covered in workshops, ranging from a beginner level to the more advanced.
This was my first time attending the USETDA Conference, and there were several other OhioLINK members there as well. Tim Watson (The Ohio State University) and I presented on the statewide collaboration efforts of the ETD Center and the ETD Center Advisory Council. Teresa Green (University of Toledo) presented as well, broaching a new and timely topic in a session titled Sudden Impact: The Changing Landscape of ETD Production and Dissemination under the American Disabilities Act (ADA). During the poster session, Stephen Flynn (College of Wooster) showcased three short student-created videos explaining submitted ETDs. These trailers convey the students’ topic in three minutes; this is a new option for undergraduate students at the College of Wooster and is supplemental to their ETDs.
Several states were represented at the conference, allowing for great sharing of information and experiences with managing ETDs. Even though all institutions have different processes and policies, they face the same issues and concerns. After the conference, it is clear OhioLINK’s ETD Center has many capabilities that allow for simplicity in the ETD submission and review process, and our members have worked through several of these topics for years. We are lucky to have a robust ETD Center that continues to be developed, along with active member institutions that make all of this possible.
Next year, the USETDA Conference comes to Columbus, Ohio. It is exciting to have the opportunity to share our expertise with ETDs on our home turf.
