Requesting a Thesis from another Institution.

To request the loan of a dissertation or a thesis from another Institution or Library, search the Firstsearch database: WorldCat for the thesis title.

In the thesis record click on the following link:

"External Resources: Midd full-text, print, or ILL"

Check first to see if any of the NExpress schools have an available copy, if not place an ILL request.

If you are unable to find the thesis in WorldCat you can submit the request in ILLiad manually, but our chances of borrowing a thesis not cataloged in WorldCat are slim.

Theses & Dissertations From Other Institutions

The Middlebury College Libraries have very few PhD dissertations / Masters theses from other colleges and universities.  Check Midcat by author or title to see if we have a specific one.  Tip: Middlebury may have a book by the author with similar content but a different title since dissertation material often makes its way into later publications by the author.

Finding Citations

If you do not have a citation, use Dissertation Abstracts to identify dissertations by author, title, subject, institution, etc. Some specialized journal databases also index dissertations. Keep the full citation information to aid you in requesting a copy.

Requesting or Purchasing Dissertations

In most cases, only the institution for which the dissertation or thesis was written will have a copy. However, you can request theses/dissertations through Interlibrary Loan. If a copy is not available for lending from the institution (or if you simply want your own copy), you may purchase a PDF (~$37), an unbound paper copy (~$44) or softcover paper copy (~$59) to keep from UMI/Proquest Dissertation Express. To get a cheaper rate for an unbound paper copy, you may place a personal order at the Circulation Desk in the Main Library for $30.00, PREPAID, by check or cash. Your personal copy should arrive in five business days.

*Purchases by the library: If you feel that a particular thesis or dissertation would be of use to a number of other students besides yourself, you may request that Middlebury purchase a copy (for the Library) that you may then check out. Keep in mind that your request may be denied because the Library does not routinely purchase dissertations because of their specialized nature and because they often are revised for later publication in books or journal articles, which are more appropriate for undergraduate libraries to acquire. Also, allow more time since it usually takes longer to get a dissertation approved and ordered for addition to the library collection than borrowing it through Interlibrary Loan.

To request that the library purchase a dissertation for the library collection (read qualifications above), first consult with your advisor to get his/her approval.  You should provide your advisor with an abstract.  Your advisor should then submit a purchase request. Your advisor should put a note that the dissertation is to be held for you (name and email) in the remarks field.

The Librarian for the subject area will review the request(s) and may discuss it with you or your faculty advisor before advising you of a decision.