Q. What is Scan & Deliver and when would I use it?

Harvard students and researchers, whether they're across town, across the country, or on the other side of the world, can order scans of more than 10 million items collected in Harvard libraries.

The service allows faculty, students and staff to submit 2 requests a day for book excerpts and journal articles. Items which are eligible for the service will include a new "Scan & Deliver" option on search results pages. Requests made through the system are received by library staff members, who locate and scan the material. Patrons then receive an e-mail containing an Internet link to a file containing the scanned pages. Requests will be filled within 4 days.

Examples of typical Scan & Deliver requests include:

• A chapter of a scholarly monograph, with accompanying endnotes or bibliography
• An article from a periodical, with accompanying images/graphics
• A short excerpt from a work a fiction
• A poem from an anthology
• The table of contents or index of a scholarly monograph
• A chapter from a textbook

Other kinds of Scan & Deliver requests may be appropriate, subject to final determination by library staff.  The Scan & Deliver service cannot fulfill requests to scan material for posting on course websites.   Course readings, which are held on reserve, are also excluded from the service.