Text Digitization

Three types of text scanning services are available through Northwestern University Library: self-service text scanning in the Digital Collections-2E Lab, scanning for course reserves, and digital collections scanning using a Kirtas book scanner.

Self-Service Text Scanning

Scanning for Course Reserves

The Reserve Services department's electronic reserve service will digitize articles, book chapters and other text materials for university courses.

Kirtas Book Scanning

The Kirtas scanner is used to scan books in the NUL collection. A significant portion of the books scanned with the Kirtas are prospective scanning projects and brittle books identified at the point of circulation. Digital Collections also oversees the scanning of books requested by NU faculty and staff that are meant to become part of the NUL digital repository.

If you have a digitization project you would like to propose, please contact Claire Stewart.

Warning concerning copyright restrictions

The Northwestern University Library respects the intellectual property rights of others. The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish reproductions of copyrighted material. One of these specified conditions is that the reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research. Requests for services are evaluated on this basis, and additional information about the use may be requested in order to determine whether one of the exemptions (typically those described in sections 107 or 108 of the copyright law) will authorize fulfilling it.