The National Library of Wales is one of 6 libraries in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland which have a right according to the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 to claim a copy, free of charge, of all books, serials and other printed material published.

 

Before 2003 the libraries had this right because of a clause in the Copyright Act of 1911.

 

As well as printed material the 2003 Act provides for the introduction of additional regulations to extend legal deposit to include non-print material. The current Code of Practice - which has existed since 2000 – allows libraries to claim some categories of non-print publications.

 

While 5 legal deposit Libraries:

 

•    The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth 
•    The National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh 
•    The Bodleian Library, University of Oxford 
•    Cambridge University Library 
•    The Library of Trinity College, Dublin 

 

share an agency, which since March 1st 2009, is in Edinburgh.

 

Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries

161 Causewayside

Edinburgh

EH9 1PH

 

The British Library has its own Legal Deposit Unit

 

Legal Deposit Office

The British Library

Boston Spa

Wetherby

West Yorkshire

LS23 7BY

 

01937 546268 (books)

01937 546267 (serials)

 

legal-deposit-books@bl.uk or legal-deposit-serials@bl.uk

 

The Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries used to be known as the  Copyright Libraries Agency, and used to be in London.

 

Publishers can send their material or make direct enquiries to:

 

The Legal Deposit Unit

The National Library of Wales

ABERYSTWYTH

Ceredigion

SY23 3BU

Tel: 01970 632 811

Fax: (01970) 632852

Email: unedadcyf@llgc.org.uk

 

Or to the Agency in Edinburgh