WVU Libraries

The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) consortium will honor a WVU staff member and two former students for their achievements with Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs).

John Hagen, Program Coordinator for ETDs, will receive the ETD Leadership Award, which recognizes members of the university community whose leadership and vision has helped raise awareness of the benefits of ETDs, and whose efforts have improved graduate education through the use of ETDs.

“Over the past decade, John’s commitment to ETDs at WVU has resulted in a program that serves as a model for many other universities,” said Christine Jewell, NDLTD Board Member and Awards Committee Chair. “John has led regional and international workshops for the NDLTD, and he has hosted many visitors who come to WVU to learn about the ETD program. John has become recognized internationally for his ETD implementation and open access advocacy.”

Dr. Shirley Stewart Burns, who earned her Ph.D. in history from WVU, won the Innovative Learning Through ETDs award, which recognizes a student whose professional life has been enhanced by the ETD process.

“Shirley’s ETD, ‘Bringing Down the Mountains: The Impact of Mountaintop Removal on Southern West Virginia Communities’, has allowed her to accomplish her goal of raising the public consciousness and discourse about mountain top removal,” Jewell said.

Burns’ dissertation, published in book form, went on to be a bestseller for the WVU Press.

Kelly C. Barkhurst, who earned her Masters of Fine Arts from the College of Creative Arts, won the Innovative ETD Award for her work titled “Design Taking Action: A holistic approach to design problem solving applied to disease education.”

The NDLTD will present the awards at the ETD 2009 Symposium to be held June 10-13 at the University of Pittsburgh. For more information about the conference, visit http://www.library.pitt.edu/etd2009/.