Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) Metadata Policies, Workflows, and Practices: A Survey of the ETD Metadata Lifecycle at United States Academic Institutions

Abstract

Abstract Academic libraries and graduate schools have a variety of workflows and practices for creating and disseminating metadata for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). A survey of United States academic institutions in the fall of 2017 addressed the lifecycle of ETDs and their metadata, including policy setting, metadata creation, and access. Participants from 137 institutions, both public and private, were sent the 23-question survey that contained a combination of qualitative and open-ended questions. This survey helped to identify trends and will expand the ETD literature with its comparison of policies, workflows and practices of ETD metadata.