Purpose – The article describes the ANRT, its purpose and activity in the French national network for the dissemination and preservation of PhD theses. Design/methodology/approach – A historical study and an evaluation of current activities and future perspectives. Findings – The ANRT has played a significant role in the back office of the French network for the dissemination and preservation of PhD theses for over forty years. Its online catalogue contains more than 200,000 PhD theses that academic or other research institutions can order in print format or on microfiche. Complementary to this national mandate, the ANRT runs a print-on-demand service for more than 7,200 PhD theses called "Thèses à la carte". Today, the development of electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) and open access is challenging the future of the ANRT. Originality/value – The ANRT Lille is one of those institutions that are more or less unknown to the wider public and even to LIS professionals. This paper presents it for the first time to a larger and international readership.