Library collections contribute to doctoral studies: citation analysis of dissertations in the field of economics and administration

Purpose: The impact of university libraries was analyzed by investigating the availability of the references of dissertations in the university s own library. A special attention was given to the electronic availability of cited works. Methodology: Citation analysis was used. Ten dissertations of economics and administration from two Finnish universities were analyzed. The dissertations were completed in 2005-2006. The comparison of the availability of references in two different universities, a large, multidisciplinary university and a small, specialized university, was carried out.  Findings: The availability of the references of dissertations was good in both universities. A large part of references, especially journal articles, were already available electronically. The university libraries have a significant role in contributing to the doctoral studies, because they offer the access to adequate information resources.   Research limitations: The sample is quite limited: only two Finnish universities and ten dissertations were included in the data. The good availability of references might result from doctoral students unwillingness to search sources outside.  However, doctoral students do not cite all sources that they read. The impact of the library on the doctoral studies can be even bigger than we can show by citation analysis.  Practical implications: The paper indicates that the citation analysis is a good tool in promoting the library s impact. Originality/value: The paper emphasizes that the impact of libraries can be demonstrated by presenting the visibility of their collections in dissertations. Because of the rapid change of information environment, the study considered the availability of electronic sources of dissertations. The interesting comparison between two different universities was carried out.  Keywords: Library collections, Doctoral dissertations, Citation analysis, References, Electronic sources, Availabilit