Scanning Service
What is scanning?
We can turn printed texts, manuscripts or pictures into electronic documents that you view on your computer. We can only do this for material that we hold in the SOAS library or Special Collections, and then only if copyright allows it to be scanned. We can supply the scans by e-mail, put them onto your own memory stick or send them to you on CD or DVD.
Is scanning covered by copyright?
Yes, the same law applies to scanning as photocopying (you can read more about what you can and cannot copy in our advice pages). For information on scanning for assisted users please see Copyright and Copying for Disabled People.
We can only scan for you what you would be allowed to copy legally. We also operate a CLA licence which allows items to be scanned and made available to taught courses, so if you teach a course you may be able to request texts to be scanned that you can then put on the BLE for your students. Please check the copyright before you send your request.
What is OCR?
OCR, or optical character recognition, is a computerised process for turning scans (that is, image files) into text that can be read by screen readers (useful for those with eyesight problems) and can be edited. OCR software works best on modern printed pages, that is, publications dating from the 1970s. Older books or handwritten manuscripts have low recognition accuracy and are generally not worth processing with OCR. OCR is an optional service we also provide to complement the scanning service. Although we use excellent OCR software, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the output as it is highly dependent on the quality of the original.
How much does it cost?
We charge £24 per hour with a minimum of £6 for the scanning service and we will give you an estimate when we receive your request. For SOAS Staff we will charge your department to cover the cost of the scanning. For Assisted users we will liaise with the disability officer and/or your department for any charges.
How do I request scans?
Please use one of the the following forms to request scans:
SOAS Assisted User Scanning Request Form
