Overview: This document outlines the processes that the Library Technical Services staff perform when handling Cornell theses, dissertations, and project reports. LTS staff process archival copies for the Annex, as well as circulating copies for the libraries which support the study of each discipline, with the exception of the Law library (See Thesis Classifications). In most cases, a link to an electronic edition will also be available in the online catalog. If a thesis includes an approval page with signatures of the author and their professor(s), the archival copy will be the one containing the original (non-photocopied) signatures. Most dissertations now arrive with electronically-generated approval pages, however, which lack printed names or signatures. In these cases, there’s no difference between the circulating and archival copies. If a misplaced dissertation agreement form is discovered with a thesis, it should be forwarded by Campus Mail to the appropriate Graduate School staff in Caldwell Hall. Additional notes in this procedure will address the general submission process, as well as how theses are received and sorted. The General Guidelines apply to theses and dissertations for libraries not named in the Special Cases section.
Contact: Cynthia Rich, Peter DelaCuadra
Unit: Acquisitions
Date last updated: 03/17/15
Date of next review: February 2016