Coming soon: improved electronic document delivery from the British Library

The British Library have recently launched a new improved service for delivering journal articles and book chapters electronically. We’ll be adopting it from January 27th this year.

We’re already used to fulfilling your Inter-library loan (Document Supply) requests electronically as much as possible. Electronic supply allows for much faster delivery, which we know is important when it comes to getting you the materials you need for your research. Currently, in order to download inter-library loans you need to install the File Open plugin on your computer. This software ensures all requests are compliant with copyright law and locks the article so it can only be viewed on one machine.  Although it serves its purpose, the process of installing this software can be fiddly, especially on shared machines, so – like many other institutions -we’ve been asking for an easier and less restrictive option for some time. And now The British Library have unveiled one.

From 27th January 2016 we will be delivering article and chapter requests supplied by the British Library to you via their new service, DRM-lite.

Benefits of DRM-Lite:

  • No need to install plugins or special software, access documents on any device with Adobe Reader
  • PC, laptop, tablet: open your document as many times and on as many different devices as you need to
  • Saving is permitted and each document may also be printed and a copy retained
  • The same speedy delivery as the old service

How do I get articles via DRM Lite?

  • The process of requesting an inter-library loan is exactly the same as before. Requests should be made via our online order form.   
  • Before you can view your article you will need to have registered for On Demand with The British Library. Registering is free, just takes a few minutes and will only need to be done the first time. Once you have registered, you can use your username and password to access articles that have been supplied to you
  • If you are likely to be making use of our Document Supply service in the coming months why not register now so that you are all set up ready to start receiving documents? Click here to register now

Article requests fulfilled before 27th January will continue to use the File Open system but we’re looking forward to saying goodbye to plugins and hello to this new, simplified, copyright compliant service.

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