More often than requests for books or journal articles, however, they are not available. If you consider that most theses and dissertations are single copies of a typescript placed on deposit in the library of the institution granting the degree, you will see why this is so. Few libraries will lend their original copy.
Few institutions have the resources to copy a lengthy document, even for a price.
If your ILL request has not been filled, there may be other options for obtaining a copy. Enter UMI Dissertation Services , a company that microfilms dissertations and agrees to make and distribute copies. Infrequently, libraries purchase copies for their collections. More often, you will need to purchase a copy because there is none available to borrow. Masters level theses are particularly difficult to find.