It is now clear that, eventually, graduate education will shift from more traditional forms to electronic theses or dissertations. Various related projects have emerged (NDLTD, 1998e) and it is hoped will all fit into the broad umbrella of NDLTD. More and more institutions are a part of this federation, and as each develops its own local program, the collection size will grow rapidly. Issues regarding widespread access and harmonizing with the practices of publishers will remain, since NDLTD aims to effect both change and to extend understanding of policies and practices. Other social concerns will be dealt with by local institutions, the NDLTD Steering Committee, and the implementation team at Virginia Tech as they continue to arise in the normal course of the evolution of this expanding digital library initiative. On the technical side, ensuring interoperability and preservation, handling a large multilingual collection, and expanding services are key goals. Several proposals for research support have been submitted, and work will continue to deal with the challenges of this model digital library project. In conclusion, NDLTD has had considerable growth throughout its short history, has dealt with many diverse problems, and has ambitious plans for future activity. It is hoped that new universities will join and contribute not only their ETDs but also share their findings, information, and developments so all can benefit from this broad university collaboration.
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