USAGE OF COLOR IN DISSERTATIONS AND THESES

The use of color images in dissertations and theses has grown in recent years with the advent of less expensive color printing and high quality image creation and modification programs. Unfortunately, when theses are submitted in paper format to UMI and are microfilmed then subsequently scanned for Digital Dissertations, the color is lost and with it, many times, the purpose and meaning of the image. When the purpose and meaning of an image is lost, portions of the thesis or dissertation may not make sense. In meteorology, for example, images of temperature or wind speed variations are often shown using elaborate color graphs. Without color these graphs become meaningless. This example is just one of many that demonstrate that there is a critical loss of data in UMI's microfilming and scanning process that librarians, administrators and thesis and dissertation advisors need to address. The fact that color images are presented as black and white images is likely unbeknownst to most students since many universities do not specifically state in the official guidelines anything about use of color. Some universities have noticed the problem and are warning students to use only black and white images. Other universities are going to Electronic Theses and Dissertations only (ETD's) because it eliminates this and other related problems with various multi-media. We undertook a thorough study of the extent of the problem, making note of patterns and the significance of the data loss. We examined the change in the number of theses and dissertations over time using color. We found that the use of color in these and dissertations increased by approximately 300% from 1995 to 2004, so in many cases critical information contained in those theses and dissertations is lost. Librarians should identify items with color and devlop plans to preserve essential color illsutrations.