FAQs

Can I make digital copies myself to upload to my Resource list, upload to Learn, or distribute to students?

No. Copyright law does not permit unregulated scanning of articles or book chapters from items still in copyright. The University has a licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency which allows scanned extracts to be made available for courses of study. In order to comply with this licence, all scanning must be processed and administered by the E-reserve team.

 

The code / name of my course has changed. Do I need to tell you?

Yes, please keep us up to date with any changes to your course, as we need to supply this information to the CLA. We will update our records but your existing links will not need to be changed. Remember to let us know if the teaching staff changes or if the course ceases to run.

 

Do I have to make a new E-reserve submission if I want to use the same readings again on my course next year?

No, file links are persistent. Once a link is supplied it can continue to be used for that course without needing to contact us again. However, we will contact you about any readings where direct permission of the rights holder was obtained and may need to be renewed.

 

I’d like to include two or three chapters, or several short extracts, from the same book on one of my courses. Is this possible?

We would only be able to scan more than one chapter for a course if together they constitute 10% or less of the book. If the amount to be scanned is greater than 10% then you should indicate the chapter you would like us to prioritise. In some circumstances, we may be able to get permission for a second extract but this cannot be guaranteed.

Scanning several short extracts from a book is OK if the total number of pages constitutes no more than 10% of the whole book.

 

The Library doesn’t hold the source book for the reading I’m requesting, but I have my own copy. Can you scan from it?

No. Under the CLA HE Licence the Library can only make and supply digital versions of articles and chapters if it owns or subscribes to the source copy. Personal copies owned by academic staff can only be used in exceptional circumstances. The Library will normally order an e-book where available, or a print copy, which we would use for scanning.

 

How long will the process take once I’ve submitted my requests?

We aim to process requests as quickly as possible, and have all requests received by the published deadlines ready for the course start date.

Requests received after the deadline will still be processed. Depending on demand, we may need to prioritise them, focussing initially on essential items.

You will be notified should any delays be anticipated.

 

What happens if a reading cannot be scanned for me under the licence?

We first check to see if a suitable e-book is available and arrange for it to be purchased. If no suitable e-book is available and the extract is essential reading we will look into obtaining clearance from the copyright holder. The E-reserve team only carries out limited copyright clearance and there is no guarantee that permission can be obtained. Publishers often take several weeks to respond and the fees quoted can be prohibitive, particularly for large courses. 

If no e-book is available and permission is not obtained then we will not be able to fulfil your request.

Additional print copies will be purchased (if our existing holdings do not meet the essential/recommended reading quota for the item) and/or copies will be moved to Reserve.

You will, of course, be notified if this happens and we may be able to accept an alternative reading.

 

I wish to use an extract which you had previously supplied to me on another of my courses. Can I use the same file link? 

No, scanned extracts are made available for download by students on a specified course only and are not transferrable. A copyright notice explaining this appears at the front of each PDF file. Using the same links on other courses can raise a number of issues:

• As indicated on the coversheet for each scan, students on other courses can legally only browse scans made under the CLA HE Licence, not download or print.
• Where we have obtained the direct permission of the rights holder, the agreement with them covers ONLY the course for which it is requested.
• If the original course ceases to run, or is not delivered in a particular year, the link is archived and will no longer connect to the reading.

If you would like to use the same reading for another Resource List, you will need to make a separate digitisation request and submit the list for review. If you are not using a Resource List, please contact the E-reserve team who will be happy to provide you with a separate link.

 

Can I get usage data on my scans?

Yes, please contact us with details of the course and reading(s) concerned and we can supply information on the number of times the scan has been viewed/downloaded/printed.

Further information and help

For further information or help using the service please contact either the E-reserve team or the Academic Support Librarian for your School.

Related Links

Academic Support Librarians

Resource Lists