Please note that dissertations and theses are not borrowable and cannot be copied.

Next to the iDiscover search box, select ‘Advanced Search’

You should now have arrived at the ‘Search Criteria’ box.  Here, under ‘Search Filters’:

• leave the first search filter at ‘Any field’ and put in a keyword where it says ‘Enter a search term’ (if you’d like to keep your search and results broad* you can just put in a very general term, e.g. ‘Architecture’ as I have done on the example below) [1].
• Then, under ‘Material Type’ select ‘Theses’ in the drop down menu [2].
• Limit to our library (just above ‘Material Type’) [3].
• Press ‘Search’.

 

Your results should be similar to the following search results.

If you see a title that interests you, you can find out more about it by clicking on the title. 

Please send a request to the library by email in advance of visiting (one day in advance, if possible) so that we have time to find and prepare the dissertations for you, with the following information:

• Title and author [1]
• The classmark which should look something like this: Architecture Tripos PtII Dis HAA 2014 [2]

They cannot be copied, photographed or taken from the library. You will be asked to log the details of the dissertations you have requested to view in our Dissertations Book so that we have a record of who has viewed which dissertation. They are the intellectual property of the author and often our copy is the only copy existing in Cambridge Libraries, therefore we treat dissertations just as we treat a manuscripts. We ask that you take special care when viewing and using a dissertation.

All materials in the AHA Library are labeled by classmark, which is a combination of numbers and letters, often separated by a space (for example, 92.92 MUC, 473 BAR, etc.). The three letters after a number stand for the first three letters of the author's or the editor's last name, so if the letters after the number are missing, just add the first letters of the author's last name, and you'll find the book!

When you search for an item in iDiscover, it will display the item location (the library / libraries it is in) and its classmark.

 

When you click on the link showing availability ("Available at..."), you will access more information about the item.

Useful tips:

• If the item classmark starts GEN REF, it is a referencing item, and it cannot be borrowed.
• Look out for the "R" or "Overnight Loan" stickers on the books - "R" means "Reference only", and for "Overnight Loan" you will need to return the book the next working day.
• Book classmarks in the Technical Library start with letters (A - M)