ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global is the world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses, covering materials back to the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, as well as to European dissertations from the 17th century. The database is the official dissertations repository for the Library of Congress, with 5.5 million bibliographic citations, 3 million full texts, 4,100 contributing institutions worldwide and 250,000 works added annually. Full-text coverage spans from 1743 to the present, with citation coverage dating back to 1637.

In addition to the 75.000 prints belonging to the basic content, VD16 comprises a supplement of more than 25.000 new titles. New titles are added continuously through acquisitions by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek for the Collection of German Prints, as well as through data provided by national and foreign libraries.