Where an interlibrary loan involves the supply of:

  • A photocopy of a publication held in an external library, for a SOAS library user; or
  • A photocopy of a publication held in the SOAS Library, for an external customer;

...and the item is protected by copyright, the photocopying is subject to restrictions which stem from the copyright regulations which allow librarians to copy certain copyright-protected works for their users. In particular:

  • Only literary , dramatic and musical works may be photocopied (for explanations of these terms, see What is copyright - and why it matters ). Artistic works (e.g. photographs, maps, drawings) and films and sound recordings which are "in copyright" cannot be copied without the permission of the copyright owner. Illustrations may be copied if they are intrinsic to the text which is being copied.
  • Only one article may be copied from an issue of a periodical (e.g. a journal or newspaper). Where photocopies are made by SOAS, other published works will be copied within the limits recommended for photocopying under fair dealing for private study or research (see Photocopying Library material ).
  • Only one copy of an item may be supplied to the user. The user must certify (on a statutory copyright declaration) that they have not previously received a copy of the item, and that to the best of their knowledge, someone with whom they work or study does not intend to request a copy of substantially the same material for substantially the same purpose.
  • The user must not supply a copy of the copy to any other person, and must only use the copy for non-commercial research or private study (this has the same meaning as in "fair dealing for private study or research": see Photocopying Library material ).
  • A fee must be charged.
  • A statutory copyright declaration must be completed by the user receiving the photocopy. Where photocopies are ordered by an external library on behalf of a user, it is the external library's responsibility to ensure that the declaration is completed.

For further information on interlibrary loans, including procedures and charges, see the Library's interlibrary loan web pages.

Last updated November 2017