Reducing Paper Consumption with “Scan First”

Logo for “Let’s Scan”
Image Credit: Universitätsbibliothek / Frank Beier

This winter semester, Freie Universität Berlin’s libraries will be reorganizing their printing and copying services. This change will prioritize digital reproduction services over paper-based ones. These services will be free for all users. Below is an overview of the planned changes.

News from Sep 23, 2022

In its 2019 statement declaring a climate emergency, Freie Universität Berlin set itself the goal of attaining climate neutrality by 2025. The university library is also committed to achieving this goal, adopting the university’s Sustainability Mission Statement and Environmental Mission Statement, and helping to support sustainable research, teaching, and studying. The 2020–2025 Strategy for the University Library of Freie Universität Berlin defines “sustainability and responsibility” as one of the seven core values that guide our work across all Freie Universität libraries.

As such, the University Library and the directors of the departmental libraries have made the decision to follow what has become a national trend: replacing printing and copying services with digital options – i.e., scanning services – and phasing out paper printing in the medium term.

Free “DIY” scanning services for library users already exist in many libraries across Germany. Following suit, we will slowly, but surely be reducing the number of printing and copying services offered at Freie Universität.

This coincides with the expiration of our external service agreement with Ricoh, the company responsible for operating the numerous fee-based printers and photocopiers across Freie Universität’s libraries. We are taking this as an opportunity to reorganize our services in the upcoming winter semester.

What Can I Expect?

DIY book scanners in all Freie Universität libraries

In the fourth quarter of 2022, we are hoping to introduce modern book scanners across all University Library locations. These will be available to use free of charge. Acting as a supplement to our existing digitization services, these scanners will enable users to create their own digital copies of texts in a wide range of formats.

Compared with typical printing and photocopying services, this new approach provides a number of advantages:

Free – Unlike with the multipurpose copy machines, all library users will be able to use the new book scanners for free. This means that calculating costs per page and having to pay for poor-quality copies will soon be a thing of the past. Nor will you be required to have your copier card (Campuscard / Mensacard) on hand and topped up with sufficient credit.
Environmentally friendly – Scanning rather than photocopying is a simple way of reducing your carbon footprint. By creating digital rather than paper copies of your documents, you can contribute toward creating a more resource-friendly study, research, and teaching environment – thus also playing a role in striving toward the climate goals of Freie Universität.
Sustainable – in both senses of the word! Creating digital copies ensures that documents are made permanently available to all. Optical character recognition (OCR) means that digital PDF copies are fully searchable; furthermore, users can edit, comment, and share the files with others in a completely digital manner.

The new book scanners will allow users to easily export digital copies to a USB stick (“scan to stick”). In a further development stage, we are also looking into providing the opportunity to export digital copies to the cloud (“scan to box”).

Our expanded services will comprise a total of twenty-seven scanners, spread across thirteen locations. All scanners will be able to generate scans in up to A3 format; selected machines will also be able to provide scans in A2 format.

What Is Staying the Same?

Scan tents for smartphone users

One way in which we are continuing to provide users with the opportunity to digitize printed media in a quick and resource-friendly manner is through our scan tents. They were introduced in selected Freie University libraries in fall 2021 as part of a pilot project.

Scan tents enable users to scan media under ideal lighting conditions using a smartphone. They are free to use and simple to operate: Download and open your preferred scan app – place your smartphone on the tent – place the book or document inside the tent – follow the scan instructions in the app – done. You can use the scan tents to scan media formats of up to A3 in size.

Scan tents are currently available in the Campus Library, the Philological Library, the Law Library, and the Library of Social Sciences and East European Studies.

Printing using your ZEDAT print account

However, some library users still make use of classic printing services – as demonstrated by the results of a survey that was carried out in the 2021 summer semester via the university library’s social media channels regarding how users reproduce media.

Thus, to accommodate the needs of all our users, our future motto will be “Scan first!” and not “Scan only!” While Freie Universität libraries will be focusing more strongly on digital reproduction services, we will continue to offer reduced (fee-based!) printing services in collaboration with ZEDAT for an interim period in order to make the gradual transition as smooth as possible for our users as we switch to primarily “paper-free” working habits.

With reference to Freie Universität’s Environmental Mission Statement, we will soon cease to offer any paper copying services within our libraries. Should individuals wish to make use of such services in the future, they will be able to find their needs met by various commercial providers based in the vicinity.

What’s Next?

The university library is currently working together with the scanning machine operating company to prepare for the changeover. The scanners should be up and running by the end of 2022.

+++ UPDATE from 12/20/2022: Unfortunately, the new book scanners are also affected by the currently widespread and much-discussed supply chain difficulties. To our regret, the start of the new offer has therefore been delayed. The scanners in all libraries are expected to be operational in the course of the first quarter of 2023. +++

We will provide you with more information regarding when exactly this will take place, where the machines can be found, and all relevant information concerning their use in due course – here on the Biblioblog, on the University Library website, and on the individual departmental library websites.

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