Digitisation

Digitisation for material on reading lists

Aberystwyth University holds a licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), which allows library staff to digitise, or scan material for the purposes of academic teaching subject to copyright clearance, licence restrictions and cost centre funds. A summary of the licence can be found by visiting the CLA Licence webpage.

The Library provides the digitisation service through the online reading list system, Aspire. Working within copyright regulations, chapters from books and articles from journals can be scanned and the digitised version linked directly to the relevant Aspire reading list. The digitisation service uses the CLA’s Digital Content Store to check copyright compliancy and deliver digitised extracts as links for students to access as a PDF document.

Library staff ensure compliance by:

• checking for any copyright restrictions
• creating professional and high quality scanned extracts
• uploading links directly to the module reading list on Aspire
• keeping records and reports as stipulated by the licence

Under the Copyright Licensing Agency's Higher Education Licence (CLA HE), the following extent limits apply for digitising material for a module:

• one whole chapter from a book
• one whole article from a magazine/journal issue
• one whole scene from a play
• one whole paper from a set of conference proceedings
• one whole report of a single case from a volume of judicial proceedings
• one short story, poem or play (not exceeding 10 pages in length) from an anthology

or 10% of the total publication (whichever is greater)

Benefits for students - why digitise material for reading lists?

• 24/7 access for all students, including distance learners and off-campus users.
• Reduces pressure on loan stock and issues with missing or mislaid items.
• Improves resource availability, ensuring materials meet student needs.
• Supports copyright compliance under the CLA licence, avoiding penalties.
• Encourages wider reading by making print-only resources accessible to more students.

Any member of academic teaching staff within Aberystwyth University with a module and a published reading list on Aspire (if a reading list is required for a module) can use this service. The service is free to all academic staff.

To request a chapter or article to be digitised:

• Add the resource type as chapter or article with all the relevant bibliographic details to your Aspire reading list
• Click the Request Digitisation option from the menu next to the reading
• Complete and submit a short online form

Library staff will create or obtain a copyright-cleared, digitised copy of the chapter/article and link it directly to the item in the Aspire Reading List. If there are any copyright restrictions, library staff will be in touch to advise. 

Further information: How do I request material to be digitised for a reading list?

If you are a student or member of staff at the University, you can request a scanned copy of a journal article, book chapter, or thesis extract from our print collections, as long as the request complies with copyright regulations and up to the following copyright limits:

• One chapter from a book, or 10% of the total number of pages (whichever is the greater) 
• One article from a journal issue

These scans cannot be shared with others and this service is not suitable for providing teaching materials. Scans for teaching purposes are to be requested via Aspire reading lists.

Requests must adhere to copyright restrictions and should be submitted via the forms provided below, where full guidance and instructions are available.