Questions?
- Email us: annex-docs@mit.edu
- Call us: 617.253.7040
[Public web]
[Staff web]
Library Storage Annex: Staff FAQ for PDF delivery
- Who can use the service?
- How is the service restricted to MIT-only users?
- How much does it cost?
- What types of material are included?
- What's the turn-around time for delivery?
- What's the request limit?
- How does the service work?
- What happens after users place their requests?
- What if there is already an online e-journal available?
- What if a user requests an entire monograph as a PDF?
- What if the Annex doesn't have the material requested?
- What is an Annex "placeholder" item in Barton?
- Can non-MIT patrons get electronic delivery?
- Can the Annex scan and deliver color PDFs?
Members of the MIT community—faculty, staff and students—are eligible for the service.
How is the service restricted to MIT-only users?
Users need to log on to ILLiad to request Annex articles. The ILLiad username must be an email address ending in @mit.edu.
PDF delivery of Annex materials via ILLiad is free to members of the MIT community.
What types of material are included?
Any article-length material—50 pages or less—from print-only collections in both the Annex and Off Campus Collection. Examples of material types are journal articles, conference proceedings, technical reports and book chapters.
What's the turn-around time for delivery?
Materials in the Annex stacks will be delivered within 24 hours; materials in the Off Campus Collection may take up to 2 working days to be delivered.
6 items per patron, per day.
The service uses SFX in Barton to route users from Barton to ILLiad to place their article requests. For an explanation, see all the request steps at e-delivery from the Annex via ILLiad.
What happens after users place their requests?
When their article is ready to download, users will recieve an email instructing them to log on to ILLiad. Once they log on, they'll see the "download PDF articles" section in their ILLiad account. Any documents that are ready for them, whether ILB or LSA, will display here.
What if there is already an online e-journal available?
If a title has online coverage in Barton and a user clicks on the "Request PDF" button, they will be directed to an SFX menu that lists the online e-journal holdings. The "full text" link from the SFX menu will take users to the web site of the e-journal. If there is no coverage online, then users can click on the ILLiad link from the SFX menu.
If the Annex recieves requests for articles that have full-text equivalents online, then the patron will be notified that they can get the PDF immediately at the e-journal web site.
What user requests an entire monograph as a PDF?
Due to copyright restrictions, in most cases the Annex will not scan and send entire monographs. There is also a 50-page delivery limit for PDFs, so most monographs will exceed this limit. In these cases, Annex staff will cancel the ILLiad request, then place a hold in the patron's Barton account and deliver the monograph to a campus library for pick up at a circulation desk.
What if the Annex doesn't have the material requested?
In cases where items are lost, missing, or where there are incomplete holdings, the Annex will route ILLiad requests to ILB. This can be done behind the scenes within the ILLiad client, so the user does not have to be notified.
What is an Annex "placeholder" item in Barton?
Placeholder items stand in for unbarcoded items in Barton. For a full explanation, see our placeholder items page.
Can non-MIT patrons get electronic delivery?
Yes. Non-MIT patrons can use the Web-Docs service via Document Services to get electronic delivery of journal articles and conference papers from the MIT Libraries collections. This is a fee-based service and articles cost ~$12.
Can the Annex scan and deliver color PDFs?
Yes. The majority of articles are scanned in black and white, but if there is color content, then the Annex can provide color in PDFs.
This page was last updated on Thursday, 21-Aug-2008 11:38:07 EDT