Scan & Deliver Electronic Document Delivery Service
The purpose of this service is to provide electronically delivered scans of small portions of Columbia's general collections for private study, research, or scholarship. Please review the Scanning Terms of Service before placing a request.
Scan & Deliver enables all Columbia University students, staff, and faculty to request scans of small portions of a work for the purpose of private study, research, or scholarship. All requests are subject to the Terms of Service.
Requests are delivered via your ILL account in 3-5 business days. First time users will need to create an ILL account.
- Search CLIO, the Columbia Libraries catalog, to locate the book or journal from which you need a scan.
- Click on the "Scan" link under Request. Note: not all collections are eligible for Scan & Deliver.
- Log into your Interlibrary Loan account. If you don't have one it is simple & free to create.
- Include detailed citation information, e.g. pagination or chapter number
- Read and affirm the copyright restriction warning
- Click "Submit Request"
Requested items will be delivered electronically within 3-5 business days.
You will receive an email notifying you when the item is available. To download your PDF:
- Log in to your Interlibrary Loan (ILL) account
- Look under the section "ILL Request Details" for "View PDF."
- Your article/chapter will be listed there with options to View, Download or Delete.
- Scans will be available via your ILL account for 30 days.
- Please be sure to print or save a copy if you need ongoing access.
- Q: How many articles/chapters can I request from a book/journal? A: The Terms of Service allow only a small portion of a work to be scanned, such as a chapter or article. Requests for entire works will be cancelled.
- Q: How many requests can I make a day? A: There is no limit on the number of requests you can make. Depending on staffing and request volume, the Scan & Deliver service reserves the right to process one request per person per day.
- Q: How long will it take to get the item delivered to me? A: The requested item will be delivered to your ILL account within 3-5 business days. There is no rush service.
- Q: I need access to the entire text. Can I request delivery of a book or journal volume? A: Yes, please use the Pick-Up Service by clicking on the "Pick-Up" link in CLIO.
- Q: Can I make a Scan & Deliver request for a book chapter or journal article from books and journals shelved Offsite? A: Yes, you can place a request by clicking the "Scan" link in the CLIO record for the book or journal and filling in the citation. For more information, please see Offsite Library Shelving Facility (ReCAP) under "Electronic Document Delivery."
- Q: What if I need a scan from a resource that isn't owned by Columbia University Libraries? A: You can use Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to request things that are not available in CLIO or owned by CUL.
- Q: I have a question that isn't answered above. A: Please contact Delivery Services staff with any questions: scananddeliver@library.columbia.edu or 212-854-7535.
E-mail: scananddeliver@library.columbia.edu
Phone: 212-854-7535