DSpace and ETD-db Comparative Evaluation

Abstract

We evaluated two open source packages with a view to using one for the creation of an online submission and archive system for Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) in the UK. These packages were the ETD-db written by Virginia Tech, and DSpace written in partnership between Hewlett-Packard (HP) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This evaluation is performed under the remit of the JISC funded Theses Alive! project.

A direct comparison of these packages is fairly difficult as they are driven by different motivations. ETD-db is specifically designed for ETDs, containing a workspace for continued authoring of documents, and thesis-specific metadata requirements. DSpace, on the other hand, has been developed to aid the creation of institutional archives, with the emphasis far more on flexible submission workflows and potential digital preservation.

This comparison, therefore, will look at the common elements between these packages and draw conclusions on which is the best in each field. In addition, it will look at how difficult it will be to modify each of the packages to do exactly what is required by the Theses Alive! project. This analysis will be considered alongside the medium-term future of each of the packages as they are developed as well as the scope for expansion that each package has within the library and also the university itself.