The Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries acts on behalf of five libraries to ensure that they receive legal deposit copies of British and Irish publications.
What is legal deposit?
Legal deposit is the act of depositing published material in designated libraries or archives. Publishers and distributors in the United Kingdom and Ireland have legal obligation to deposit published material in the six legal deposit libraries which collectively maintain the national published archive of the British Isles.
The five Libraries which support the Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries are :-
Bodleian Library, Oxford
Cambridge University Library
National Library of Scotland
Library of Trinity College Dublin
National Library of Wales
These Libraries are often referred to as copyright libraries or the Legal Deposit Libraries, and are entitled to receive, free of charge, and inclusive of postage and packing, a copy of every work published in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The sixth library is the British Library which has its own Legal Deposit Office.
The Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries is maintained by the five libraries named above to make requests and accept publications on their behalf. The Agent must claim copies on behalf of the five Libraries within twelve months of the date of publication. On receipt of such a request from the Agent, a publisher must supply a copy for each of the requesting Libraries under the terms of the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, which supersedes the Copyright Act 1911, and the Irish Copyright Act 1963. The copies must be supplied free of charge, and inclusive of postage, and are distributed by the Agent to the five Libraries. Many publishers choose to send five copies of their new publications in anticipation of a claim and the Agent is happy to agree to such arrangements.
Publishers must also supply a copy of each of their publications to the British Library, within a month of the date of publication.
The Agent is happy to advise publishers on any aspect of the legal deposit requirement.
Legal Deposit
How to contact the Agency:
Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries
100 Euston Street
LONDON
NW1 2HQ
Telephone Number: 020 7388 5061
Fax Number: 020 7383 3540
Euston Street runs parallel to Euston Road to the immediate west of Euston Station. There is easy access for vehicles delivering to the main entrance of the Agency. Most small deliveries are sent by post but the Agent and her staff are always pleased to welcome any publishers who deliver personally.
Hours of opening
The Agency is open for deliveries between 8.30am and 4.00pm, Mondays to Fridays, excluding Bank Holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year.
What is required when depositing material?
Publishers do not have to complete any form or register with the Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries. Merely submit material to the Agency together with a delivery note indicating publisher address details to which the Agent can send an acknowledgement of receipt.
Will it cost anything to deposit material?
No - legal deposit material is supplied gratis by the publisher and there is no registration fee to be paid.
Who is regarded as a publisher?
Within the terms of the Copyright Acts, 'publisher' is to be understood as anyone who issues or distributes publications to the public.
What are publishers required to deposit?
Printed items published and distributed in the United Kingdom and in Ireland are liable for deposit, as are items originally published elsewhere but distributed in the United Kingdom and Ireland. These items are publications which are deemed available for sale or are freely available. The requirement for deposit remains, irrespective of the place of publication or printing, the nature and size of the imprint or the extent of distribution.
What happens to the material deposited?
Publications are recorded in the online catalogues of the legal deposit libraries, all of which are accessible on the World Wide Web and will remain essential research tools for generations to come. Most of the books and new periodical titles are listed in the British National Bibliography (BNB) which is used by librarians and the book trade for stock selection. BNB is available in printed, CD-ROM and online formats and has a world-wide distribution.
What should be deposited?
All printed publications come within the scope of legal deposit and are therefore liable to deposit. Categories of materials not covered by previous legislation, including offline (i.e. hand-held items such as CD-ROM) and online electronic publications will also come within the scope of legal deposit as Regulations are passed to implement the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, which received Royal Assent 30 October 2003. As an interim arrangement, the deposit of offline (hand-held) publications will continue under the terms of the Voluntary Code of Practice 2000. In Ireland, the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 proposes to extend legal deposit to electronic formats.
The Agency is currently reviewing its processes for acquiring works in electronic format. If you are interested in the deposit of electronic content by email please contact the Agent.
