University Library

Electronic Delivery

Software required
You will need FileOpen software for electronic article delivery. Try the test document links below to confirm that you have the software you need to open and print documents.

Message for staff accessing electronic articles from MDS machines. CIS has updated Adobe Reader available via the Managed Desktop Service (MDS) network and as a result members of staff will need to update FileOpen in order to read electronic articles from British Library. To do this, simply go to the Start menu: click Start / Programs / CIS Utilities / Applications / FileOpen Initiator and FileOpen will be updated. If you are asked if you would like to import "trusted certificates from your previous version of Adobe Reader" then it is OK to agree to this.

The change has automatically been done on NPCS machines on campus so students should be unaffected.

Electronic delivery is the standard delivery method for articles requested through the Document Delivery Service. After making the request you will receive an email from the supplying library with a link to download the article you have requested. Electronic delivery is fast and because delivery is via email you can access the documents wherever you happen to be.

How it works:

  • Open and print the test document before making a request to ensure that you can print the article you pay for. Make sure the test document works on the machine where you will open your email. Download the plugin if required (Windows, other systems)
  • Make your DDS request using the online request forms.
  • Check your email regularly. Articles will only be stored on the server at British Library for 30 days, so you need to download them before this time runs out.
  • Open the document on a machine that is attached to a printer. (The link will only work on a single computer.)
  • We strongly recommend that you print the document as soon as you open it. You can only print a document once.
  • Save a copy of the article if you wish. You would need to do this manually. Electronic access to saved documents is temporary: you will only be able to open the stored file for 14 days. 
  • You will receive a confirmation email from the Document Delivery Service when we hear that British Library has shipped the document. (This email is for information only.) If you pay for your DDS request then the charge will be added to your library record at this point. Click here to see if your department pays for your DDS requests.

Points to note:

  • Paper copies. If you would prefer to receive a paper copy of an article then un-tick the box marked "Deliver direct to my desktop" on the request form and choose where you want the hardcopy delivering.
  • Availability. Electronic delivery is only available for articles supplied by the British Library, so not all articles can be delivered electronically.
  • Spam. Emails from British Library will come addressed from noreply@bldss.bl.uk and could be identified as junk mail by you email software. If you have not received the email from British Library by the time the confirmation email from DDS arrives, then check your junk and deleted items mail folders before contacting DDS staff.
  • Inbox size. If your email inbox is full then British Library will not be able to deliver the email to you.
  • Printing. Files are large, so print longer documents in sections.
  • File space. While downloaded files expire after 14 days and can no longer be viewed they still take up room on your computer: delete old expired files to free disc space.
  • Using FileOpen on a Mac 1) When opening pdfs through Firefox the plug-in does not seem to work. You will need to save the download when prompted, as opposed to opening it directly through the browser.
  • Using FileOpen on a Mac 2) If you are connecting your mac to the University network you will need to make sure that the network proxy settings are correct and applied for at least http and https. These settings are configured in systems preferences, the proxy server you'lll need to use is wwwcache.dur.ac.uk on port 8080. See step 6 here for instructions.

Problems?

  • If Adobe Reader opens, but there is no document then it is likely that you do not have the FileOpen plugin loaded onto your computer. Use the links above to download the plugin and try the test document before retrying the link in British Library's email. If you are a member of staff accessing the document via an MDS computer simply go to the Start menu: click Start / Programs / CIS Utilities / Applications / FileOpen Initiator and FileOpen will be updated. If you are asked if you would like to import “trusted certificates from your previous version of Adobe Reader” then it is generally OK to agree to this.
  • Web mail users. Emails from British Library may not display properly and the hypertext coding may be visible. If possible open the email in another browser which displays the links properly. If this is not possible then select the link at the bottom of the email. You will receive an error message because the address is copied twice. Go to the web address line at the top of your web browser and scroll through the address until you come to the second "http" in the middle of the web address. Delete out the duplicate information in front of the second "http". Press return and the document should open.
  • Printing problems. If the document does not print when you press the print icon then test your printer's set-up using the test document: you only have two chances to print the document and the software counts each time you send the document to the printer (even if the printout fails). Try to reprint your scanned document only when the test document prints properly.
  • Printing problems from Adobe Reader X. In order to print electronic delivery articles from British Library using Adobe Reader X then you will need to make a minor adjustment to the setup. Go to the Edit menu > Preferences > General and then uncheck "Enable protected mode at startup". Close the browser to refresh the software before opening the link to the article. If you do not do this then you will be unable to print the article.
  • Problems with Adobe Reader 11. If you experience problems opening documents after updating to Adobe Reader 11 then you will need to uninstall FileOpen and install the latest version of FileOpen from their website. (Staff on MDS computers should go to the Start menu: click Start / Programs / CIS Utilities / Applications / FileOpen Initiator and FileOpen will be updated.)