Survey on the Thesis Legal Deposit and Authorization at University Libraries in Taiwan: Rethinking of Open Access and Industry Policy

Abstract

Owing to the price increases in article distributing and scientific publication, the academics have been demanding for “Open Access” resources in recent years. However, whether academic publications belong to public property or not remains undetermined. This article that begins with the discussion of the attributes of thesis & dissertation in terms of public information was to explore the Open Access policy impact of all the stakeholders who have involved in the scholarly database marketplace. Eleven university libraries in Taiwan and two main commercial and non-commercial university degree paper database providers including one national legal depository were interviewed. This study also aimed to demonstrate a virtual cooperation of industrygovernment-university under the rapid and various development of academic service and high international competition environment. Concerning the right interpretation about electronic thesis authorization, legal deposit policy and its management related issues, the finding showed that many university libraries were charged with managing the thesis deposit within their duties but lack of regulation consistency and sensitivity of academic ethic. We believed that it is a fundamental long-term solution for a virtuous cycle of industrial survival and academic development. University libraries’ thoughtful consideration for authorization policy and the government’s good timing for choosing OA, both will be of great importance to the success of the thesis deposit policy.

Keywords

• Theses and dissertation
• University library
• Legal deposit
• Authorization model
• Electronic thesis
• Open access