Direct Delivery Service FAQs
- Pricing, payment and time
- Logging into your account
- Changing your account details
- Images and your digital files
- Tracking your order
- Changing your order
- Contact us
- Terms and conditions
Pricing, payment and time
How much does it cost?
| Item | Standard-quality price | High-quality price (TIFF) |
|---|---|---|
| Books, journals and newspapers | $21.10 for the first 1 to 25 pages $4.90 for each additional 25 pages | $33.90 per page |
| Manuscripts (text only) | $21.10 for every 25 pages | $33.90 per page |
| Manuscripts (pictures, photographs, maps, architectural drawings) | N/A | $33.90 per image |
| Pictures, photographs, maps and architectural drawings | N/A | $33.90 per image |
| Microfiche maps | N/A | $21.10 for every 25 pages |
How do I pay for my order?
You can pay with the following credit cards:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express.
When you place your order, you will be quoted the approximate total cost for supplying the items.
You will be charged the lesser cost if the final cost is less than quoted.
If the cost is more than quoted, we will contact you with an adjusted price.
We will not supply or charge until you have agreed to the adjusted price.
Your credit card details are automatically encrypted and retained by your financial institution until payment is required.
The Library does not receive or hold your credit card details.
How long will it take to complete my order?
We will attempt to complete your order as soon as possible. You should allow up to 30 working days to process your order. This does not include the time spent for:
- copyright and cultural clearances to be completed
- you to respond to any queries we have about your request.
If you have placed a large order, we may contact you to advise that your request will take more than 30 working days.
The Direct Delivery service is highly customised. All orders are unique, and each file is created for that specific order. Factors that may affect turnaround include:
- fragility of the collection material
- retrieval from onsite and offsite stores
- copyright and cultural permissions
- preparation of physical material
- request for a non-standard digital file
- large or complex orders.
How much does delivery cost?
Our delivery charges are:
- file download – free
- standard post in Australia (including Victoria) – $11.30
- express post in Australia (including Victoria) – $17.10
- standard international post – $28.50
Logging into your account
Why do I need to register?
You must be a State Library Victoria registered member to place a Direct Delivery order. This will allow you to access your Direct Delivery account.
Your account will allow you to track and download your orders.
When placing orders, you must provide contact details to comply with copyright legislation and to supply your order. We will not use your personal information for any other purpose.
How do I find lost membership details?
If you don't know your membership details, retrieve your lost membership details or send us an online membership inquiry.
You can also ask staff at the Redmond Barry Reading Room desk for help or phone 03 8664 7002 (10 am to 6 pm daily).
Changing your account details
How do I change my address and contact details?
You can change your details by sending us an online membership inquiry.
If you have already submitted your order, message us by logging in to your Direct Delivery account and using the message function.
You can also ask staff at the Redmond Barry Reading Room desk for help or phone 03 8664 7002 (10 am to 6 pm daily).
How do I order on behalf of a company or organisation?
If you have not already registered, enter the name of your company or organisation into the 'Address Line 2' field when completing your registration.
If you are already registered, add the name of your company or organisation during the order process.
Images and your digital files
What is a TIFF?
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a standard image format for saving high-quality images. It is used for most commercial and professional printing needs.
State Library Victoria's TIFFs are saved without compression, meaning no image data is lost after image capture. TIFF is a great choice for archival images when all details must be preserved, and file size is not a consideration. Because no compression is used, TIFF files are larger in size than JPEGs.
What is the minimum standard for a TIFF?
Our TIFFs are:
- quality: approximately A3 at 300ppi, suitable for print publication
- colour space: RGB or greyscale
- file size: 20 to 60 MB or larger, depending on the type and size of the original material.
Can I get a digital file bigger than your standard A3 size at 300ppi?
If you need a size larger than standard, specify the image's intended use in the 'further instructions' box.
Be aware that we can only produce sizes supported by our photographic equipment. We do not upscale files using editing software. The sensor size of our largest capturing device is 14,204 x 10,652 pixels.
What if I only need part of the material copied?
If you request a newspaper or serial, our TIFF will be a digital copy of the whole page unless otherwise instructed.
For photographic images, the same applies.
Let us know in the ‘further instructions’ box if more specific instructions are needed.
For example, these instructions could be:
- 'I only need the image of the dog on this newspaper page.'
- 'I don’t need the full page of the newspaper; I just need the cartoon and caption.'
Can I get my digital image retouched?
We limit the processing of our images after capture to maintain their original appearance. We don't remove scratches, increase contrast, change colour or retouch.
How do I download my digital file?
If you have requested 'file download' as the delivery method, you will receive an email with a link to download your file.
You can also download your file via your Direct Delivery account.
- Log in to your account.
- Select 'Track my orders'.
- Select 'Supplied orders'.
- Select 'View file’.
- In the pop-up window, select ‘download’.
Allow a few minutes for your file to download.
You may be asked where to save your file. If not, your file will now be available in your 'Downloads' folder.
If you receive an email with a Dropbox link to download your file, this link will also be available in your 'Direct Delivery account.
- Select 'Order History'.
- Select your request.
- In the request details, there will be a link to the item called 'External URL'. This will take you to the Dropbox folder.
Why won’t my file download?
For large files, when you select the ‘View File’ link, you will get the message, ‘This file cannot be rendered in the browser. Please click the button below to download the file.'
When you select 'Download', it may seem like nothing is happening. However, the file will be downloaded in the background.
It can take several minutes before you receive confirmation that your file has been downloaded.
If you close the ‘Download’ window and re-select 'View File' and 'Download', the download process will reset, cancelling the previous download attempt.
Repetitively selecting 'View File' will eventually cancel the link, as there is a limit of five downloads per request. If you experience this issue, please contact [email protected]
How long will my digital files be available for download?
Digital files will be available for 21 days.
Access to your files will be removed after 21 days. You will be prompted to contact library staff to reactivate the files.
Tracking your order
How do I check the progress of my orders?
To track your order, log in to your Direct Delivery account.
How do I view incomplete and unpaid orders?
You can review and submit incomplete or unpaid orders in' My Saved Selections'.
If your order is marked as 'Ready to go', you can proceed to checkout by selecting the order and then selecting 'Proceed to checkout'.
Any incomplete selections or steps need to be completed before submitting the order.
What are the different order statuses?
You can view the status of your orders in the 'Status' column.
- Submitted: the request has been submitted.
- In process: we are locating the item you want copied and working on your request.
- Unfilled: we are unable to supply the item you have requested.
- Cancelled: your request has been cancelled.
- Article sent: your order has been supplied.
Changing your order
Can I change my order?
Changes to an order will not be accepted if the Library has commenced work. A new order must be placed and paid for.
Can I cancel my order?
Once your order has been submitted, no refunds, credits, or alterations are given if you change your mind, make the wrong selection, or fail to verify or accurately provide information when placing an order.
We will only cancel an order if we cannot supply the item requested. In this case, your credit card will not be charged.
Can I ask for a refund?
The cost of your order may be refunded under the following circumstances:
- the copy we have provided is not what you ordered
- we are unable to supply the copy that you require
- we charge you more than our advertised prices without contacting you beforehand (we will refund the difference).
If you believe that you are eligible for a refund, email [email protected] with the following information:
- your name
- the order number
- the transaction date
- the transaction amount
- a contact phone number (business hours)
- the reason you are requesting a refund.
Please do not send any credit card information via email.
We will contact you if we need any information and to organise a refund if eligible.
Can I change my address?
You can change your email or street address during the order process. Any changes to these addresses will not be recorded for future orders.
You can change your email or street address by logging into your Direct Delivery account and using the message function or by contacting us.
Otherwise, contact us via phone on 03 8664 7159 or email at [email protected]
Contact us
If you have any suggestions or comments or want to report a technical problem, contact us via phone on 03 8664 7159 or email at [email protected]
If your problem is urgent and outside business hours (Monday to Friday, 10 am to 6 pm), contact 03 8664 7000.