Instructional scanning

We support instructors by scanning materials for inclusion in course sites and similar platforms. 

The services of Instructional Scanning are intended to support learning, teaching, research, and scholarship and are offered only to University of Virginia graduate instructors, faculty, and staff. As is the case with all other Library services, patrons are expected to comply with copyright in their use of materials obtained through instructional scanning.

In addition to creating new scans, we also conduct PDF remediation to make older scans of Library materials accessible. 

Quick reference

• Instructional scans are course materials you plan to post on Canvas.
• Research scans are materials needed for your own personal research.
• PDF remediation requests update or improve accessibility of older scans from the Instructional Scanning department. 

Visit the request page in your Virgo account to make any of these requests, or learn how to make a request in Virgo. 

Criteria for requesting scans:

• Materials are for instructional or personal research use.
• Scan is less than 50 physical pages (1- or 2-sided, 8.5 x 11).
• Material qualifies as fair use under U.S. copyright law (Title 17, United States Code), or copyright permission has been obtained.

PDF remediation

The Title II digital accessibility mandate requires all course materials to be fully accessible on the first day of class. This means that adhering to the deadlines below for each semester is critical. 

Please note that we’re only able to remediate PDFs that were provided by the Library’s Instructional Scanning department. 

Deadlines for requesting PDF remediation

• Instructors are highly encouraged to submit their requests before the deadlines for each semester to ensure adequate time for PDF remediation.
  • For summer AND fall courses: Request remediation by May 1.
  • For spring courses: Request remediation by November 15.
• Anything submitted after the deadline will be remediated as soon as possible. Late submissions cannot be guaranteed for the first day of classes. 

Turnaround times

Once the PDF remediation process has begun, the turnaround time will vary. The estimated turnaround time is 3-5 working days for a simple document and 7-14 working days for a complex document. 

What makes a PDF simple or complex?

For remediation purposes, a “simple” PDF is predominantly text-based (i.e. little to no images, tables, charts, or scientific notation), simple structure (i.e. standard paragraphs, columns, etc.), and/or smaller number of pages. 

More “complex” documents contain multimedia content (i.e. graphics, tables, charts, scientific notation, videos, etc.), specialized format and layout (i.e. multiple columns, floating figures/tables, etc.), cleanup (i.e. de-skewing, fixing color contrast, cropping, etc.), and/or larger number of pages.

Turnaround time may be impacted by staffing limitations or by the volume of requests we receive. 

If you are placing multiple requests, feel free to indicate priority in terms of which document should be remediated first. 

Active request limits 

There are limits to how many requests can be in process at any given time.   

1. For Interlibrary Loans (scan requests from other libraries) and LEO scans (digital copies of UVA material):
   • Faculty are limited to 50 LEO and ILL requests at a time;
   • Other patrons are limited to 25 LEO and ILL requests at a time.
2. For PDF remediation:
   • PDF remediation is limited to 10 requests at a time. 

If you have met the limits above, you’ll be welcome to place additional requests once one or more of your ongoing requests are completed. 

Using links for Canvas  

• Under UVA’s suggested best practices, an in-copyright article can be distributed to students for non-commercial educational purposes under fair use. To better strengthen the fair use argument, we suggest that you link to a resource in the Library’s electronic collections, such as a journal article or e-book.
  • Providing stable links — whether through library-licensed resources, open-access platforms, or publisher websites — ensures that materials are accessible in formats compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies.
• More information on best practices can be found here. If you need help locating or adding links within Canvas, please use the Ask a Librarian chat box for immediate assistance or contact your Subject Liaison Librarian.
• Please note that these suggestions are for distribution in UVA classes and may not apply to tools or lesson plans outside of UVA.