Searching for Hoopes Prizes, Theses and Dissertations in HOLLIS

HOOPES PRIZES: The Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize is awarded annually to those seniors in Harvard College who
have produced outstanding research projects or scholarly writing. From the Student Prize Office website
[http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~secfas/PrizeOfficeHome.htm], you can browse lists of award-winning undergraduate
work (including Hoopes Prize theses) from the 1997-1998 academic year and forward.

Prize-winning essays can be searched in HOLLIS as far back as 1983. Because they’ve been catalogued differently at
different times, however, your success in discovering them will depend as much on HOW you choose search, as on
WHAT you go looking for.

¾ KEYWORD or KEYWORD COMBINATION SEARCHING:

Example 1:
1. Select KEYWORDS ANYWHERE from menu list
2. Type HOOPES or HOOPES PRIZE? in the “Search for” box.
[Some of the older catalog records read “Hoopes Prizes.” More recent ones use “Hoopes Prize.”
The ? ensures that you retrieve the most items.]
3. Click on “Search.” You’ll retrieve a list of Hoopes Prizes, arranged in reverse chronological
order.

Example 2:
1. Select KEYWORDS ANYWHERE from the menu list
2. Combine HOOPES PRIZE? with one or more other terms [e.g., a concentration, a topic]
hoopes prize? and psychology
hoopes prize? and shakespeare
hoopes prize? and (environment? or “environmental science”)
3. Click on Search.

You can also try keyword combination searches like these:

thesis and hoopes and psychology

thesis and hoopes and poet?
A B and hoopes and literature [A B or B A = Bachelor of Arts]

¾ BROWSING for recent Hoopes Prize winners:

1. Select OTHER CALL NUMBER from the main HOLLIS search screen
2. Enter HOOPES in the “Browse for” box. You’ll retrieve a list of Hoopes Prizes awarded in the
last two years.

Where to find Hoopes Prizes: Lamont keeps copies of the latest two years of Hoopes Prize-winning work on Level 3,
next to the New Books shelf. Hoopes Prizes from other years can be found in the Harvard Archives. Hoopes Prizes
can’t be checked out.

SENIOR THESES: While all Hoopes Prizes are senior theses, not every thesis earns a Hoopes Prize. In fact, not all
senior theses even get catalogued in HOLLIS. The Harvard Archives collects and retain ONLY theses that receive a
grade of magna or above.
 ¾ To find Senior Theses by TOPIC:
ex. A B thesis and (Irish or Ireland) and politics [A B or B A =Bachelor of Arts]
A B thesis Chaucer

¾ To find Senior Theses by CONCENTRATION:

ex. A B thesis sociology
honors thesis “history and literature”

MASTER’S THESES: Like senior theses and dissertations, these materials can be searched by author, keyword, or
title.

HARVARD DISSERTATIONS (Ph.D., Ed.D, or Th.D.) : Examples of some of the most common keyword
searching options are listed below:

¾ Find Doctoral Dissertations:

ph d harvard and [topic] --searches for dissertations across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences
th d harvard and [topic] --searches for dissertations from the Harvard Divinity School
ed d harvard and[topic] --searches for dissertations from the School of Education

ex. ed d harvard and (computer? or technology)

ph d and harvard and anthropology

NOTES:

¾ Limiting dissertations by date: HOLLIS defaults are set to display dissertations in reverse chronological
order. It’s possible to construct a search (as above) and then use the “Modify Search” button (right hand
side, above your search results) to specify a year or range of dates. You can also construct fairly elaborate
keyword searches to get the job done. Here’s one example:

ed d harvard and (2001 or 2002 or 2003) and (computer? or technology)

¾ Online availability: Harvard dissertations completed in the late 1980s and later are generally available for
reading and printing via ProQuest’s Dissertations and Theses Full-Text. Look for this database on the
Harvard Libraries Find E-Resources page (http://e-research.lib.harvard.edu?func=find-db-1). It’s listed
under the “Quick jumps to major resources” menu box. You can also get to the database directly this way:
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:dissabst

¾ Microfiche availability: In addition to the paper copies kept in Archives, Harvard dissertations dated
1982 or later are also available on microfiche and kept in the Research Services Reading Room on Level B
in Lamont. These can be scanned, saved/printed out using the workstations on Level B in Lamont.

¾ Need a copy of a thesis or dissertation from the Archives? If it’s been finished within the last five
years, you may need the written permission of the author. Fees may apply for copies; ask Archives staff
for details.

A word about SUBJECT HEADINGS: Despite their value almost everywhere else, subject headings have limited
utility when you search for theses and dissertations in HOLLIS. Subject headings were only added to Harvard
dissertations completed between 1982 and 2008. In 2008, subject headings were also dropped from the catalog records
for new senior theses (including Hoopes). Master’s theses (ALMs) listed in HOLLIS have not been given subject
headings since 1999.

Susan Gilroy, Research Services, Lamont Library 01.31.09

Copyright © 2009 President and Fellows of Harvard College