Scanning and CLA requests

The Library offers a digitisation service for academic staff, under the terms of the CLA Licence. This makes articles or book chapters owned by the University available to students through Blackboard.

To use this service:

Please check and supply the information below:

  • full bibliographic details of the items to digitise
  • the module code/s
  • number of students on module

You can enter the request here or contact your Liaison Librarian or Liaison Assistant with the details.

Please allow plenty of time before the item is required as we might need to source it, or at certain times of the year demand for this service could be high.

What can be scanned?

Under the terms of the CLA licence, the following must apply:

  • the original text must be owned by the University (this could be the Library or your School, but please note personal copies are not included). The Library can also sometimes obtain articles or book chapters not owned by the University from the British Library, which are copyright cleared.
  • publisher is not on the CLA excluded works list
  • item is not already available electronically
  • item is only made available to the students on a specific module via Blackboard or the Medical VLE. You will be given a URL link to the pdf file which is held on a Library server. This should be added to your Blackboard page for that particular module or displayed via the Reading Lists Online service.
  • textbook substitution must be avoided - this would occur if a particular combination of photocopies and/or digital copies made available through a course pack had an adverse impact on a student's decision to buy one or more textbooks for their course. This would be in conflict with the principles of non-substitution set out in the Licence.
  • to ensure you are meeting the requirements of the CLA licence, see the CLA Good Practice Guide

Limits

The same limits apply to scanning as for photocopying:

  • up to 10% or one chapter of a book (whichever is greater)
  • up to 10% or one article of a single journal issue (whichever is greater)
  • up to 10% or one paper from a conference proceeding (whichever is greater)

Blackboard

You must use Blackboard or the Medical VLE as under the terms of this licence access to the pdf file is restricted to only those students on a specific module. You will be given a URL link to the pdf file (which is held on a Library server) which you can add to your Blackboard page for that particular module or display via the Reading Lists Online service.

How long will this process take?

Requests should be submitted at least 2 weeks before the item is required for teaching. The Library will process each request as soon as possible but this can take longer at the start of each semester due to the increased demand. If there is a problem with your request you will be sent an email.

Contact details

If you have any questions about the service or a particular request please contact: lib-scan.admins@ncl.ac.uk