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]