“All universities in Canada had to get on board and build something so they could electronically pull them from our library,” says Hildebrandt.
The result is a new system called Electronic Thesis and Dissertation, which was first conceptualized in 2001.
Testing of ETD began in the summer of 2013 with a small group of student volunteers, and the system was made available as an option for students during the fall semester of 2013.
Hildebrandt says the overall sense she is receiving from students is that they are open to the idea of using the ETD.
“It will be easier for students, and will mean students can access each other’s work, and find and out about the kind of research happening at York,” says Hildebrandt.
Hildebrandt had the task of making final preparations to launch ETD, including finalizing procedures and preparing it for student use.
“We are moving online,” she says. “Most schools have something like this, but they differ in a number of ways. But this is what’s happening in graduate schools across the country.”
Yasar Bukan, president of York’s Graduate Students’ Association says students applaud the university’s efforts to go paperless and move towards environmentally sustainable practices through initiatives such as the ETD.
Michael Burton
Executive Editor (Online)
