Requests for reproductions of library materials
Imaging Services is an on-campus resource for the conversion of paper and image-based materials to digital formats. Place orders for digital copies of MIT Libraries Distinctive Collections materials through the Distinctive Collections Request System. For more information regarding placing orders using this system please visit, requesting materials.
Copyright restrictions may apply to certain materials. For information regarding publication and permissions relating to Distinctive Collections materials, please visit the MIT Libraries’ Copyright Permissions Policy.
Requests for theses, technical reports, and working papers typically take 2-3 weeks to complete. All other imaging requests, including AV orders, take 6-8 weeks to complete. Timelines are measured from order submittal.
Services offered
- Digital imaging and photography (including color balancing and processing)
- Special procedures for scanning fragile artifacts
- Optical character recognition (OCR)
- AV materials are sent to a trusted vendor.
File standards
Available digital file formats include TIFF, PDF or JPEG for paper materials and include MP3 for audio and MP4 for video for AV materials.
- Items larger than 5 x 7 — 400 ppi
- Photos and items smaller than 5 x 7 — 600 ppi
- Visual materials (negatives/slides) — 2000 – 3000 ppi
Should you require formats outside of our standard practices, please detail those specifications in the “Additional Information” field of your request.
MIT Theses
- Many MIT theses are available online from MIT’s DSpace thesis collection.
- You can also search for MIT Theses in Search Our Collections, which will link to the full-text when available.
- If full-text isn’t available, you can request a digital copy directly from the item record, which will connect to the Distinctive Collections Request System.
MIT technical reports and working papers
- Some MIT technical reports and working papers are available online in DSpace or on departmental websites. For more information and search tips, please see Technical Reports and Working Papers research guides.
- If the item you need isn’t available online, you can request a digital copy directly from the item record, which will connect to the Distinctive Collections Request System.