Library Assist: Answers

Most Inter-Library Loans supplied by the British Library no longer use encrypted delivery, so this FAQ only applies if you've been sent a document that is protected.

Some journal articles and book chapters requested using our Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service will be made available for you to download via the British Library, using Secure Electronic Delivery. Items are encrypted to ensure only the person who requested them can have access. Please be aware of the following to minimise problems opening your items:

• If you are downloading an item from the BL for the first time, it is essential that you wait enough time between registering / verifying your On Demand BL account and attempting to download your item. We recommend waiting several hours between creating the On Demand account and clicking to download your item. Failure to do so will corrupt the file and you will have to contact the University Library to get the download link re-sent by the BL.

• You need to have Adobe Reader software installed on your machine. Items will not open via internet browser PDF viewers because of the encryption on the files. If you do not have Adobe Reader already there is a link at the bottom of the download web page or see the FAQs on the Adobe site for more information.

Downloading your document when you already have an On Demand account

1. When your item is ready, you will receive an email from the BL with the subject line "British Library Order: [reference number], Ready for download". Click on the link in the email to go to their 'Download your encrypted document' webpage.
2. The screen will direct you to 'Download your document'. You will need to enter the email address or username you registered with for the On Demand account. Remember that your username is not necessarily your email, it depends what you chose when you registered.
3. When it prompts you, SAVE the PDF file to your machine. Please do not try to open it in your browser window as it will not display.
4. Open your Adobe Reader software and then find and open the PDF file from where you saved it.
5. You will be prompted to login, again, with your On Demand username and password. The box will say "Log In To Restricted Document".
6. Your item will open. It is possible to print 1 paper copy. You cannot print multiple copies, nor forward or attach the PDF file to anyone else. It is locked to your account and you will be able to view it on the same machine you downloaded it to for up to 3 years.

Common errors / problems and what to do about them

Most problems are caused by your device or machine trying using a document viewer other than Adobe Reader to open the file. It is NOT possible to read the PDF within an internet browser window, you have to download the PDF, open Adobe Reader itself and THEN find the PDF in your saved files. We highly recommend that you try downloading and opening the PDF TEST document option on the download page before attempting to download your requested item.

• "Failed to load PDF" message - this happens when your machine tries to open the PDF in the Chrome browser rather than Adobe. You may need to disable or bypass the built-in document viewer to open the file.
• "We can't open this file" message - this happens when your machine tries to open the PDF in the Microsoft Edge browser rather than Adobe. Change the properties so that PDF files open in Adobe Reader rather than in a new MS Edge browser window. Or, if presented with the option to ‘open in folder’, do so and then right-click over the file name and click ‘open with’ in order to see the Adobe Reader option.
• Blank pages - this happens with Apple devices and Macs; your machine is trying to open the PDF in your browser instead of Adobe. You need to force the Mac to open the file with Adobe Reader and not the ‘preview’ feature. Please see the current advice on the Apple website for how to do this.
• "Access to this document is restricted. Your account does not have permission to open it" message - this indicates the PDF file is corrupted. It happens when you download the PDF file too soon after registering for the BL On Demand account; the BL servers need time to sync so they can link the PDF to your account. Unfortunately there is no way to open files with this message as it has corrupted. Please contact the University Library asap so that we can ask the BL to re-send you the 'Ready for download' email.
• 'End user supplied in order not found' - if this shows at the top of the BL download page it indicates that the email address/username you have signed in with is not known by the BL. It might be that you have tried to download the PDF too soon after registering for your On Demand account. Wait at least 2 hours and try again.
• Can't remember your On Demand username or password? - please use the 'forgotten...' links on the BL website to re-set your details. The University Library does not have access to them.
• Using a University laptop or desktop PC and can't find Adobe? - use the search function to check for 'Adobe'; if it is a Library or other general-access PC please try a different machine. If it is a staff machine, please speak to Digital Services for advice on installing it.

Downloading your document when you don't already have an On Demand account

1. If this is your first delivery of an item from the BL, please click on the Register For On Demand option page on the 'Download your encrypted document' page to create an account.
2. This Online Account is totally separate to your University of Wolverhampton account. You may use your University email address or a personal one to register with.
3. Once the registration page opens, scroll down to the Register now section.
4. Fill in the required details and wait for the verification email; remember to check your junk or spam folders in Outlook (not your mailbox in Canvas, which is something different) if it does not appear in your inbox.
5. If you don't receive the email, or see an error message, please contact BL Customer Service. The setting up of your On Demand account is not something the University Library can help you with.
6. Once you have access to your On Demand account, please DO NOT attempt to download your PDF right away. At the time of writing, the BL quoted a wait of 5 minutes for their system to sync with the PDF items on their servers, but in practice it takes several hours. If you do not wait long enough, the file will corrupt.