From: Sandy Thatcher <[log in to unmask]> Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2015 23:11:06 -0500 Only if you are talking about dissertations made available without embargo immediately through the NDLTD network, Rick. The fact is that ANYONE could purchase a UMI print version right upon its "publication" whereas the digital versions available through ProQuest require a subscription from a library, meaning that only patrons of those libraries have access. I don't believe that individual dissertations are sold as ebooks, are they? (ProQuest did have an agreement with Amazon for a while, but I think that is not in place anymore.) Of course, one can still purchase a POD version. Sandy > From: Rick Anderson <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2015 13:04:58 +0000 > >> What about UMI, Rick? Anyone could purchase a dissertation registered >> with UMI in a POD format (ugly as sin, but still legible), so >> dissertations with UMI were immediately available to anyone willing to >> pay the price. > > > Not during the print era. Immediate availability came with the digital > era. During the print era they were accessible, but nowhere near as easily > or immediately accessible as they became in the digital era. > > --- > Rick Anderson > Assoc. Dean for Collections & Scholarly Communication > Marriott Library, University of Utah > [log in to unmask]