Featured databases: EThOS & BoB

Electronic Theses Online (EThOS)

Electronic Theses Online is a new service from the British Library providing access to UK doctoral theses from participating institutions.

EThOS allows you to search over 250,000 theses records and download the full text of electronic and digitised theses direct to the desktop. The final versions of doctoral theses from UK Higher Education Institutions are eligible for inclusion.

Search with EThOS

How do I download theses from EThOS?
To download theses from EThOS you will need to:
Register independently to use the service. There is no charge to register.
Search the EThOS database yourself for the material you require.
Theses available electronically will be delivered to your PC as a zip file. Other formats can be requested for a charge.
Where can I get help using EThOS?

Please contact us on library@uwl.ac.uk for any further information.
What should I do if a theses is not available?

Titles not already available electronically will be digitised to order (usually without charge) and should be available to download within a matter of days.
Some theses are not available electronically but can be requested using our Inter-Library Loan service (non-doctoral UK theses are still requested through Inter-Library Loan).
Is there a charge to order a particular theses?

In certain circumstances, the first researcher to order a particular thesis will be required to pay for its digitisation, but this is expected to be rare.

Box of Broadcasts (BoB)

Student working on a laptop with headphones in a cafe

What is BoB?

BoB is an off-air recording service with a massive archive of over 1 million television programmes, radio programmes, and films that have been aired on 60+ UK terrestrial channels since 2007.

To add to the shared archive, students and staff can schedule future recordings up to seven days in advance, or identify programmes that have been aired in the last 30 days that they would like to record. Everything recorded at any UK university is added to the archive for others to use.

Go to the BoB website

What are the key features and functions of BoB?
Watch programmes from the archive
Record programmes
Create clips to use in lectures and assignments
Create & share playlists
One-click citations
Embed videos into presentations
Over 10 foreign language channels, including French, German and Italian
30-day recording buffer to record missed programmes
Apple iOS compatibility – watch BoB on handheld devices
Searchable programme transcripts
Links to social media to share what you’re watching online
How do I access BoB?
All UWL students and staff in the UK have access to BoB. To log in simply:
Go to the site
Click ‘Login’
Search for and select your organisation: University of West London
Log in using your UWL network logon details
Confirm your UWL email address.
The ‘MyBoB’ section will collect together all of your recorded programmes, clips and playlists.
How long can I keep recordings for?

Unlike some individual TV streaming services, BoB will keep these recording indefinitely and you can search across all channels at once. You can also fast-forward past adverts and many programmes have subtitles and searchable transcripts.
Where can I get help using BoB?

For more help using BoB visit BoB Video Tutorials page.