PURCHASING BRITISH DISSERTATIONS AND THESES
A Mini-Workshop memo for Collection Managers
Effective: May 18, 2004
For years the Libraries were unable to purchase British theses and dissertations to add to our collections because of the requirement to sign the Thesis Declaration Form (TDF), which imposed restrictions unacceptable to the Libraries and the Office of Legal Affairs.
The good news is that it is now possible to get copies of theses and dissertations from selected British universities through the British Library's Document Supply Service that no longer require the TDF.
Exception: Oxford and Cambridge theses and dissertations cannot be purchased for the Libraries. Individual patrons can buy Oxford theses for their own use. The Libraries cannot accept donated copies of restricted theses purchased by individuals.
To view what is available, go to the British Library public catalogue:
http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/blpc.html
to see if they hold the thesis you want. If they do, copy the thesis number (begins with "D" or "DX"). Include that number in an Internal Note in your order request.
The pricing schedule is at:
http://www.bl.uk/services/document/pricesos.html#thesisnonreg
The Libraries can only purchase from universities that do not require the TDF form. To see whether the issuing university requires a TDF, check this page:
http://www.bl.uk/services/document/btsindex.html
If the university is listed as "A", (most universities), MOD can order the thesis. You will note that the two "biggies", Oxford and Cambridge, are not available. Oxford requires a TDF and Cambridge will only lend to U.K. users (no sales). Even so, this opens up a group of previously unobtainable theses.
There is one last possibility to acquire British theses from universities that require the signed TDF. The Libraries may be allow to purchase some TDF-requiring university theses if we obtain written permission from the author. The British Library's Document Supply Service recommends contacting the registrar's office at the university where the degree was granted to obtain contact information for the author. [Note: Also search the web, since some authors have websites that list contact data.] If a signed letter of permission from the author is submitted with our order to the British Library's Document Supply Service, they will in many cases supply the thesis or dissertation without a signed TDF form. However, this is at their discretion.
Please contact the Monographs Dept. if you have questions regarding purchase of theses from British universities.