Legal Deposit
Legal deposit is the act of depositing published material in six designated libraries. Publishers and distributors in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland have a legal obligation to send one copy of each of their publications to the Legal Deposit Office of The British Library within one month of publication
Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 & Copyright and Related Act 2000.
The principle that a national printed archive should be maintained by a legal requirement to deposit has been established for almost four centuries. Legal Deposit creates many advantages for the author and publisher, including the preservation of their work for future generations, recording the publication by online catalogue and listing on the BNB (British National Bibliography) a system used by librarians and the book trade for stock selection.
Within the terms of the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, a 'Publisher' is to be understood as anyone who issues or distributes publications to the public. Items published in the United Kingdom and Ireland are liable for deposit, as are items published elsewhere but distributed in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The requirement for deposit remains, irrespective of the place of publication or printing, the nature and size of the imprint, or the extent of its distribution.
Publishers are not required to deposit the following categories of material unless a written demand for them is made by The British Library: Internal Reports, Examination Papers, Local Transport Timetables, Appointment Diaries, Wall & Desk Calendars and Posters.
Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries Web Site
Legal Deposit Libraries:
The British Library, Bodleian Library - Oxford, University Library - Cambridge, National Library of Scotland, Library of Trinity College - Dublin & National Library of Wales
Head of Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries
161 Causewayside
Edinburgh
EH9 1PH
0131 623 4680
Fax: 0131 623 4681
