Reginald Clarke

Introduction

The University of the West Indies is a regional university serving the English–speaking Caribbean with campuses at Mona, Jamaica; St. Augustine, Trinidad and Cave Hill, Barbados. The oldest of the three campuses is Mona, Jamaica. It was established in 1948 essentially to train West Indian Medics and Medicine remained its main focus for a good while after its establishment. In 1960 the second campus was established at St. Augustine, Trinidad. This campus succeeded the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA) founded in 1922 to train Agriculturists throughout the tropical climes of the then British Empire. It is no surprise then that St. Augustine's main focus in its formative years was on Agriculture. The Cave Hill, Barbados, campus was established in 1963 having Law as its main focus.

Each campus is funded by its respective home government. Thus the Mona Campus is funded by the government of Jamaica, the Cave Hill Campus by the government of Barbados and the St. Augustine Campus by the government of Trinidad and Tobago.

The University of the West Indies was constituted and founded by a Charter issued by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (the countries covered by the university were part of the then British Empire) in August 1972. It sets out the raison d'être of the university. The statutes deal with the university's modus operandi. The University Council is the governing body of the university as a whole and sets out directional guidance and guidelines for the general running of the university. In addition each campus has a Campus Council that deals specifically with the business of the particular campus subject to the approval of the university council. Each campus library has its own Campus Librarian responsible for the running of the library of that campus. The University Council appoints as University Librarian one of the Librarians responsible for the administration of the library services of a campus. Working under the aegis of the University Library Committee, the University Librarian is responsible for the co–ordination of library services of the university; the incumbent plays a co–ordination role, looking and seeing what could be done in unison and trying to do it. The undermentioned are statistics of theses submitted at the St. Augustine Campus for the three–year period 1998 to 2001.

The University of the West Indies (UWI) has a simple mission: the pursuit of knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Aided by this powerful weapon UWI seeks:

To unlock West Indian potential for economic and cultural growth by high quality teaching and research aimed at meeting critical regional needs, by providing West Indian society with an active intellectual centre and by linking the West Indian community with distinguished centres of research and teaching in the Caribbean and overseas. —UWI Mission Statement

There are several gradations to knowledge—creation, synthesis and interpretation, dispensation. Perhaps the most significant of these is the creation of new knowledge. It involves enquiry, investigation and original thought; in other words, research. Theses are the end product of research. They gain considerable prominence with the passage of time and end up becoming important source materials in the teaching and learning process.

UWI offers research programmes leading to Doctoral degrees (PhD, MD) and Masters' Degrees (DM, MPhil), as well as taught advanced programmes leading to Masters' Degrees (MSc., MA, MBA, Med) or Diplomas. This article deals with the practice at St. Augustine in relation to theses submitted at all levels (masters and doctorate) of postgraduate work. The procedures and methodology are the same. The Department of Library Studies at the Mona Campus also produces theses at the postgraduate level. All matters relating to research programmes and thesis presentation come under the purview of the Graduate Studies Section of the Registrar's Office. The regulations stipulate that "the thesis must form a distinct contribution to the knowledge of the subject and afford evidence of originality shown either by the discovery of new facts or by the exercise of independent critical power. It must be of a satisfactory literary standard and must be suitable for publication as a thesis of the University of the West Indies."

Theses are deposited in the University Libraries under the University's Ordinance No. 7.

Up to the end of April, 1966, the respective ordinance required the deposit of a single copy of a thesis in the University Library and this copy was deposited in the Library of the Mona campus, except for theses in subjects belonging to the Faculties of Agriculture and Engineering, which were deposited in the Library of the St. Augustine campus, where those faculties are located.

In April 1966, on the recommendation of the Academic Board, St. Augustine, Ordinance 7 was amended to provide for the deposit of two copies of each thesis accepted.

Authority for three copies to be deposited was granted by Senate in November 1968 when it approved the General Regulations for Higher Degrees, but the Ordinance was not amended to reflect this requirement until the 1971/72 academic year.

By a convention established shortly after the authorization for the deposit of three copies in 1968, one of these copies was deposited in the Library at St. Augustine. At that time, because postgraduate programmes were not being offered on the Cave Hill campus, and subsequently, because of the lack of space in the Library there, it was decided to retain the third copy of any deposited thesis in the Library of whichever of the other two campuses the thesis had been submitted. Since 1970, however, some theses had been deposited in the Cave Hill Library, the Librarian of that campus having then suggested that selection might be according to need, from theses submitted by candidates who did their research in subjects which were taught on that campus.

University of the West Indies theses are available for public reference, inter–library loan and copying in accordance with relevant copyright legislation. The copyright of a University of the West Indies thesis belongs to the author. A deposited thesis may not therefore be copied without the permission of the author and of the Library in which the copy is deposited.

Each of the three campuses has its own programme and methodology in relation to thesis checking and preservation. This article will dwell on the model that obtains at the St. Augustine, Trinidad, campus.

The Evolution of Librarian Involvement

Forthwith, the Library administration commenced a review of the University's policies and practice in handling theses and dissertations. Some leading British universities were approached for descriptive literature in this connection and especially as it relates to authorisation for microfilming and instructions on format including binding.

The University of London quickly responded outlining their policies and practices for handling academic theses and enclosing a copy of their leaflet entitled: "Theses for Higher Internal Degrees—Instructions and notes on submission, format and binding of theses." Thesis Guide

In 1985, the vigilance and professionalism of Librarians at the St. Augustine campus paid off. A Thesis Guide was produced by the Admissions Office in collaboration with the Library incorporating inputs from the Universities of London and Edinburgh with wide–ranging local modifications. This first Thesis Guide was quite clear in its intention: "A thesis must be in a form that can be reproduced in a clear and usable format, and since a thesis will be stored for many years, it must also be in a form that is durable. Durability depends on the choice of binding and quality of the paper used. The thesis' author and advisor are responsible for ensuring that the submitted thesis satisfies accepted standards of usage for scholarly writing…" [Thesis Guide February 1985]. The Guide gave detailed specifications with respect to the presentation of a thesis. It included:

• Paper—quality, weight, size, width of top, left, right and bottom margins
• Typing—evenness, typeface, spacing, pagination.
• Layout—the correct sequencing of the title page, abstract, acknowledgements (if any), table of contents, lists of figures, tables, illustrations, charts, appendices etc., text of thesis, bibliography or references.
• Abstracts—length, presentation etc.
• Table of Contents—purpose and nature, arrangement.
• Length of thesis—variation by Faculty and level of degree.
• Submission of thesis—procedures to be followed.
• Examination of thesis—regulations governing the appointment of Examiners; oral examination.
• Binding—materials to be used; lettering on front cover and spine; colour; size of lettering.
• Microfilming—declaration permitting reproduction of thesis in microform.

Theses accepted by UWI for the award of higher degrees are placed in the University Libraries. The copyright of a thesis is retained by the author. On application to the Librarian–in–charge of the West Indiana and Special Collections Division at the Main Library at St. Augustine, print as well as microfilm copies can be made available for public reference and inter–library loan. However, before any individual or institution is permitted to read, borrow or copy any part of a thesis, that person or institution must sign a declaration which states: "I recognize that the copyright in the above–mentioned thesis rests with the author. I understand that copying this thesis may constitute an infringement of the author's rights, unless done with the written consent of the author or in accordance with provisions of the Copyright Act which expressly permit copying without the author's consent. I further understand that no information derived from the thesis may be published without acknowledgement."

Sample entries of all of the above are produced in the Appendices accompanying the Guide.

Following its approval the University Academic Committee endorsed a recommendation from the Board for Higher Degrees mandating the Library to scrutinise all approved theses and report appropriately on their preliminaries (title page, abstracts, table of contents etc.) and subsidiaries (bibliographies, references, appendices).

To assist the process the Main Library changed the focus of the existing postgraduate seminars to reflect on techniques of literature search; report writing; note taking; bibliographic references. A co–ordinator of theses was identified to watchman these areas.

This Co–ordinator of Theses is responsible for all matters relating to thesis checking by Librarians. Up to December 1996 responsibility for these checking was shared between the Technical Services Section and the Users' Services Section. With effect from January 1997 it was felt that in the interest of promptness, and given the close links between Users' Services Librarians and the Faculties, Users' Services Librarians should be solely responsible for thesis checking.

Softbound copies of theses submitted are sent from the Office of Graduate Studies to the Co–ordinator of theses.

A record is made of each thesis received and the thesis channelled to the appropriate subject divisional Librarian (there are four subject divisions in the Users' Services Section—Engineering and Physical Sciences; Agriculture and Life Sciences; Humanities; Social Sciences). A separate in–house thesis data base is maintained by the Indexing Unit at the Main Library and has been so since 1982. Checking is done in accordance with a structured Thesis Approval Check List which comprises the following:

• Technical Services:
  • Title Page
  • Microfilming Declaration
  • Paper (size, quality, margins)
  • Computer output (quality, type)
  • Pagination
  • Collation
  • Tables, figures
  • Illustrative material
  • Appendices
  • Table of Contents
  • Oversize
  • Quotations
• Users' Services:
  • Abstract (heading, length, style)
  • Footnotes
  • Bibliography

At the end of the checking (the turnaround time is a week), the Co–ordinator determines whether or not the thesis is acceptable in its present form and reports appropriately to the Office of Graduate Studies indicating, in the case of a rejected thesis, the corrections that need to be done. The thesis, whatever the case, is returned with the Co–ordinator's report.

Preservation and Dissemination

At a meeting sponsored by the Organisation of American States (OAS) at the Mona (Jamaica) campus of the UWI in November 1982, several possible Library–related project proposals were discussed as part of the University's on–going programme for Library development and the highest priority was accorded a proposal for a UWI (Microfilming and Indexing) project.

The rationale for this project stemmed from the university's desire to preserve the many theses and dissertations which have been held in typescript for several years, some of which date as far back as 1923, long before the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA) and the University College of the West Indies were merged and the University of the West Indies became an independent institution. These theses contain the results of extensive research in a wide range of disciplines, most of which strongly reflect a Caribbean bias and definitely needed to be preserved.

The project became a reality when the OAS provided funds in the amount of US $93,000 to finance the cost of staff and equipment for a period of one year from July 1984 to June 1985. Thereafter, the Main Library at St. Augustine has sustained its routine methodology for microfilming theses. A microfilm master of each thesis received in the Library is prepared and kept at the Bindery and Conservation Unit of the Main Library. At present there are some 500 reels of microfilm masters which could be duplicated for use on request.

Dissemination of information about theses is vitally important. Theses, primary source materials, are all about original knowledge. They are the end product of long, laborious and invariably expensive research. Thus, to avoid duplication of research endeavours, retrieval tools must be put in place which could then be searched to ascertain whether a particular aspect of knowledge has been researched or not! For many years a most famous retrieval tool has been the index to theses.

In the early 1980s the St. Augustine Library took over responsibility for the former ACURIL Indexing programme and started a new indexing programme with the assistance of UNESCO under the Integrated Library and Information Services (ILIS) Project resulting in the following products:

• CARINDEX: Science and Technology (covering Engineering, Physical and Life Sciences literature of the Caribbean region).
• CAGRINDEX: Abstracts of the Agricultural literature of the Caribbean. (Now discontinued and appearing as Vol. 2 of Carindex: Science and Technology.)
• CARINDEX: Social Sciences and Humanities (a semi–annual guide to the social sciences and humanities literature published in the English–speaking Caribbean).

The indexing programme aims to bring the published output of the region's journal and report literature under full bibliographical control. It covers journal articles, conference proceedings, reports of selected bodies and theses presented to the University of the West Indies.

With the dawn of the electronic age it is now fashionable, in the interest of speed, efficiency, and cost effectiveness, to create databases for theses and mount them on networked computers.

Quite recently, the Indexing Unit at the St. Augustine Library created an electronic on–line database for University of the West Indies theses. This is presently on a trial basis under the heading CARINDEX and it is hoped that it will shortly be ready for access by the international community of scholars.

The Valence of Thesis Checking

A closer look at the major components of preliminary and subsidiary matters underscores the intellectualism of the Librarian's in–put in thesis writing.

1. Contents Page:

   The Librarians' Glossary defined a contents page as "a list of 'preliminaries' and chapter headings of a book in their correct order, or of articles in a periodical, with the numbers of the pages on which they begin." Technically correct as this definition may be, yet it cloaks the pivotal role that the Contents page ought ideally to play in thesis checking by an Academic Librarian. The Contents page gives the Academic Librarian the initial entry into a content analysis of the thesis. At this point of entry the Academic Librarian gets a glimpse of the cognitive processes and research methods deployed. This will enable the Academic Librarian, at least initially, to determine whether the thesis is for instance, grounded in theory only and the degree to which it reflects interdisciplinarity. At this point also, the Librarian gets his first dose of the jargon of the topic researched. These are all enabling factors that guide the Librarian in fashioning out paradigms responsive to and consistent with the information needs alike of Faculty and students.

2. Abstract:

   The Abstract could be likened unto an extended version of the Contents Page condensing the intellectual contents of the thesis in a limited number of words (not in excess of 300 words). It summarizes the principal arguments, giving the principal data and covering all the essential points of the text of the thesis. The Abstract is the perfect navigating tool to the Academic Librarian. It facilitates bibliographical control and services. It enriches the core aspect of user education and collection exploitation. In other words, it is a significant adjunct to teaching and research culminating in the creation of such research tools as on–line databases, annotated bibliographies, thematic reading lists and Literature Reviews.

3. Bibliography:

   A crucial aspect of thesis checking by Librarians is bibliographic citation and it is imbued with utmost intellectualism. While ensuring that all entries in the bibliography conform to the Style Manual appropriate to the discipline under review, the bibliography ought to be regarded by Librarians as a significant source of academic scholarship. A good Academic Librarian must see beyond a bibliography as an inventory of publications pertinent to a particular discipline. A bibliography is a compelling narrative that mirrors the growth, the vicissitudes, the efficacy of a discipline in time and space. It should represent a perfect platform to conduct bibliometric analysis of citations. Such analysis could determine the use pattern of the literature by researchers including journal impact factor which is considered by some universities as part of academic staff assessment. It could establish geographical, cultural and ethnographical preferences. It could prompt rankings both in terms of sources and authorship. Authorship study might indicate an increasing trend toward multiple authorship. It could establish intrinsic values and life spans of publications. The permutations are endless. In short the bibliography is a great tool for scholarly endeavours on the part of Academic Librarians.

4. Appendices:

   Appendices are raw data illustrative of textual analysis. They illuminate a story that may be cloaked in the text. They further instruct on research methodology and calculations that are not obvious in the text. Checking this gives the Academic Librarian a much more heightened perspective of the structural breakdown of the topic researched. This in turn helps the Academic Librarian to cope more adequately with reference enquiries that arise out of the discipline and makes it easier to fashion out a more amenable landscape in reference enquiries which are so vitally important in the pursuit of knowledge.

Conclusion

Subsumed in this narrative are two salient questions which have profound implications for the career paths of Librarians working in a university environment. The first is how do you define, describe and quantify the kind of scholarship performed by academic librarians? The second is what are the activities recognised as scholarly for Librarians?

The polemic stems out of the angst of academics who believe that they should not have parity in terms of status and conditions of service with Librarians. They open the Teaching versus Research debate. This debate is tilted on the four types of scholarship—inquiry, integration, teaching and application. Out of this quadrangle flow 'advancing knowledge', 'integrating knowledge', 'transforming knowledge'—all challenging intellectual work which forms no part of a Librarian's remit. False. Librarians are involved in numerous activities that are steeped in scholarship and intellectualism. One such, as evolved at the Main Library of the St. Augustine campus of The University of the West Indies for some two decades, is thesis checking.

As outlined earlier in this article, Librarians at St. Augustine have been mandated by the Academic Board to scrutinise and if need be correct the preliminaries and subsidiaries of postgraduate theses. The University will not approve for binding any thesis without the following certification to the Assistant Registrar, Student Affairs, signed by the Library's Thesis Co–ordinator on behalf of the Campus Librarian:

I certify that the above thesis is acceptable in its present form. Please advise student that three copies of the thesis should now be submitted to the Main Library for binding in accordance with the University's regulations.

As a final word, it is hoped that new and other dimensions in the debate on the status of Academic Librarians will continue to be explored and a more worthwhile partnership evolve between Academics and Librarians as the 21st century runs its course.

References

Administrative Files E905. Student Theses. Vol. 1, 1966–Vol. V (the present). St. Augustine (T&T): UWI Main Library, 1966 to present.

Association of College and Research Libraries. Academic Librarianship and the Re–defining Scholarship Project. A Report from the Association of College and Research Libraries Task Force on Institutional Priorities and Faculty Rewords. Chicago: ACRL, March 1998.

Campbell, Carl. "The Dual Mandate of the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, 1922–1960." The Jamaican Historical Review. XVI (1988):. 1–16.

Campbell, Carl. "The St. Augustine Campus of UWI: success and excess." The Jamaican Historical Review. XVI (1998): 54–63.

Carpenter, K.E. "The Librarian Scholar." Journal of Academic Librarianship 23–5 (September 1997): 398–401.

Deo, V.N. et. al. "Bibliometric study of doctoral dissertations on English Language and Literature." Annals of Library Science and Documentation 42–3 (September 1995): 81–95.

Hartley, J. et. al. "Obtaining Information Accurately and Quickly: are structured abstracts more efficient?" Journal of Information Science 22–5 (1996): 349–356.

Harrod, Leonard Montague (ed.). The Librarians' Glossary. Aldershot: Gower, 1982.

Lanier, P. "What Keeps Academic Librarians in the Books." Journal of Academic Librarianship 23–3 (May 1997): 191–197.

Lehner, J.A. "Reconsidering the Personal Selection Practice of Academic Librarians." Journal of Academic Librarianship 23–3 (May 1997): 205–209.

McMillan, G. "Electronic Theses and Dissertations: merging perspectives." Cataloging and Classification Quarterly 22–314 (1996): 105–25.

Payne, Anthony. "One University, Many Governments: Regional integration, politics and the University of the West Indies, 1943–44." The Jamaican Historical Review. XVI, (1988): 33–53.

Phillips, Anthony DeV. "From Harbour to the Hill: the Cave Hill Campus at work." The Jamaican Historical Review. XVI (1988): 64–73.

About the Author

Reginald Clarke is Senior Librarian, Humanities Division. He is also the Library's Thesis Co–ordinator.
Email: RClarke [at] library [dot] uwi [dot] tt