See the slides below for instructions for scanning and creating searchable PDF documents for your source collection.
There are several places on campus you can scan pages for free—two in the Law Library and more at the USC Libraries.
The Law Library's scanners will save scanned items to your USB drive or transmit via e-mail. Doheny's scanner only e-mails the scanned pages.
Note: Scanning large files can be challenging. The scanners may crash or may not e-mail documents larger than 25MB (more than about 30–50 pages, depending on the resolution). Therefore, avoid scanning more than 50 pages at a time, unless you are saving them directly to a USB drive. To learn how to scan smaller numbers of pages and then combine them into a single PDF file afterward, see the next section on Combining and Editing PDF Files.
Sometimes you may need to scan documents in smaller parts and then combine them later—e.g., when you need to scan and email a document over 25MB, or if you need to step away from the scanner before you complete a large project.
Several options are available that allow you to scan and send documents in smaller files and then combine them into one large file afterward. We have outlined some of these options, below.
PDF Editing Software
If you have access to a PDF editor such as Adobe Acrobat or Foxit, you can combine PDF files and perform many other editing tasks. Use the Combine files feature to combine PDF files in Adobe Acrobat.
USC-Provided Software
The Law Library and other USC locations have Adobe Acrobat software available for free use to USC students.
Free Online PDF Editing Websites
If you do not have access to a premium PDF editor, we have found the following online PDF editors that will allow you to combine multiple PDF documents into a single file:
PDF Splitting and Editing
PDF editors, as well as some of the above websites, will also allow you to split a single PDF file into multiple files or perform some editing tasks. Some features on the websites are free, but some may require payment.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be aware that when you use free PDF editing websites, you are uploading data to them, which the owners of the websites might choose to keep and/or use. Although this is probably fine for law journal sources, please do not upload any personal or confidential information to third-party websites. For more information on concerns about free websites, as well as additional PDF editing options, check this article from How-to-Geek.
When copying and scanning materials, you should be mindful of copyright issues. The US Code sets out some situations in which the use of a copyrighted work may still constitute "Fair Use." 17 USC § 107 Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use. The USC Libraries have also created a helpful guide to help you understand Fair Use.