HEDD - FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What does "HEDD" actually mean?

HEDD stands for Heidelberg Electronic Document Delivery.

Who is allowed to use HEDD?

All full-time academic staff at Heidelberg University and the Heidelberg and Mannheim University Hospitals are entitled to use our HEDD service. The prerequisite is possession of a University Library user card or the Service Card. You can obtain the library card or service card from our lending services in the main library or in the branch library Neuenheim. Members of the Klinikum Mannheim can obtain their library card at the Medical-Scientific Library Mannheim. Once you have been authorised, you can use HEDD with the help of your HEIDI number or UniID and your password. Please note that use of the service is restricted to full-time academic staff. It is not possible to authorise student assistants.

Which holdings are available?

You can order articles from journals and books (anthologies, article collections, commemorative publications) held by the University Library and articles from journals held by Mannheim Medical-Scientific Library. Holdings from departmental libraries are not available through HEDD, neither are permanent loans to institutes and hospitals. Please note: The University Library also offers journals in electronic form (e-journals) and e-books. These cannot be ordered via HEDD, but the full texts can be accessed directly via the online catalogue HEIDI.

What are the delivery times?

The delivery time on working days is usually 24 to 72 hours. Delivery times may be longer for items on loan and depending on the volume of orders. We will notify you by e-mail if we are unable to deliver.

Can I order whole issues of journals?

No, we only supply individual journal articles or articles from anthologies up to a maximum of 50 pages per volume.

How much can be ordered?

10 orders can be placed per day. The maximum volume limit is 50 pages per volume and article.

Which ways of delivery are available?

After we have scanned the requested article, you will receive an e-mail stating the retrieval directory on our server. If you have not provided an e-mail address, you will need to use the account enquiry function to access the retrieval directory.

In which formats will articles be delivered and how can I use the files supplied?

The essays are provided in a version prepared for viewing on screen in GIF graphics format and in a version optimised for printing.  You can use the files as follows:

• View the scans via a web browser or as a PDF file
• Download for later viewing or printing as a PDF file 
• Download for later post-processing (e.g. with OCR) in TIFF format (individual pages as TIFF files or as a ZIP archive containing all TIFF files in packed form)

How are the essays converted into electronic form?

We scan the essays you require page by page at 300 dpi in black and white mode using a modern high-speed scanner. Each scanned original page corresponds to a file. The scanned pages are delivered as an identical image of the original page so that, for example, citations can be made as from the original article.

Can colour scans be delivered?

No, as part of our HEDD service we can only supply black and white scans.

How can I open files on my workstation?

The scan files are specially prepared for viewing on screen. On the initial page of the delivered order directory, you can choose between different formats for the ordered item. Depending on the format, you only need either a web browser, a PDF viewer or a zip file unpacker.

Is text recognition software used?

No, we do not offer OCR (conversion of scanned image files into text). However, the scanned files can be copied to your own computer for further processing with OCR software.

How long are the scans available for collection?

For copyright reasons, we are not allowed to store the scanned data permanently. We therefore delete the documents two days after collection or six days after delivery. You should therefore collect your files as soon as possible after you have been notified of the delivery by e-mail and save them if necessary. If you only check your user account several days later, your essay may already have been deleted. If you have requested delivery by e-mail, your document will be permanently retained.

Can orders be cancelled?

Yes, as long as the order has not yet been processed. The cancellation function can be called up via the account display (menu item 'Account query').