Items in the University Library's modern collections, including open and closed stacks, Main reading room, West Room and the Library Storage Facility can be requested; this includes reference items. Where possible, items from Faculty and Department Libraries can also be requested. Tripos papers are not available through this service, please contact your Faculty and/ or Departmental Library.
To request a scan, simply click on the request scan button below. This will take you to the login page, where you need to input your Raven username and password. You will then be directed to the Scan and Deliver page where you can enter the relevant information. A maximum of 5 requests can be made per day.
Please think carefully about what you need before placing your order - our staff are working really hard to meet the high demand for material.
How does the service work?
First, check iDiscover for the details of the item you wish to request. Please note that items which are on loan or otherwise not available in the University Library are excluded from this service. Please see below for more information on items excluded from this service.
Fill out this request form with as many details as you can of the item. If you do not know specific page references, you may wish to check Google Books for a contents page . At this point, you will be asked to complete a copyright declaration (see below for more details).
If a scan cannot be supplied, we will let you know via email as soon as possible.
Once a scan is ready, it will be uploaded to Google Drive, and you will be emailed a link to G-Suite@Cambridge to access the scan. The link will expire within 14 days.
What copyright restrictions are in place?
Scan requests are made for non-commercial research and private study as per s.29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Library staff are authorised to make scanned copies under s.42A and s.43. There are stipulations regarding the amount that can be scanned, the use of copyright declaration forms and conditions of supply.
When you request a scan, you will be asked to confirm that you acknowledge a copyright declaration, which states that you have not already been supplied with a copy of the same material, that you will use the copy only for non-commercial research or private study, nor supply the copy to another person. Copyright forms will be retained by the University Library in perpetuity. Further information on the UL’s privacy policy can be found here.
Scans are provided with certain conditions of supply:
- Not pass on, or upload, the electronic copy or make it available to any other person
- Not make further printed or electronic copies
Further information on copyright is available on the Legal Services Office Copyright Compliance pages.
How quickly will I receive my scan?
We aim to produce scans, subject to conservation approval and appropriate copyright permissions, within 48 hours, excluding weekends and University holidays.
How will my scan be delivered?
Scans will be delivered via G-Suite@Cambridge, which is very similar to Google Drive. You will be emailed a link to G-Suite@Cambridge when your scan is ready. You will be able to access the scan via this link. Please be aware that you will need to log in to G-Suite@Cambridge with your Cambridge email address, and not any other personal Google account. To do this, you may need to log out of your personal Google account, and log back in with your Cambridge email address and password.
Can I request scans of items from Special Collections?
Yes, staff and students at the University can request free digital scans of Special Collections items for personal research use. The request process is different.
This service is available if:
- you are a member of staff or a student at the University;
- the material you need is suitable for scanning (some material may be too fragile, too large, or may have copyright restrictions applied);
- the volume of your request is reasonable.
Can I request a high resolution or colour scan?
Scan & Deliver provides scans in black and white PDF at 300 dpi, although we will use greyscale/colour where appropriate to improve quality.
Can I use Scan & Deliver to request scans for my teaching (e.g. for Moodle)?
Scan & Deliver is designed for individual research for personal use, and as such is not appropriate for scans required for teaching.
You are encouraged to contact your Faculty and Departmental library in the first instance to request scans for teaching.
If you have further questions about Scan & Deliver, please email library@lib.cam.ac.uk.