What is Legal Deposit?
In the United Kingdom, legal deposit is a formal requirement on publishers to send a copy of every publication they produce to a number of designated legal deposit libraries. The aim is to ensure that published works are available for future generations to consult.
In the United Kingdom, the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 requires that a copy of every book published in the UK must be deposited with the British Library, as well as six other designated libraries. These libraries are the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales, the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford, and the Universities of Cambridge, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. In addition to books, the Act also requires the deposit of e-publications, maps, and sheet music.
The Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 went into effect on April 6, 2004 and replaced the previous law, which required the deposit of only printed books. The 2003 Act was necessary to accommodate the growing number of e-publications and to make sure that all published materials, regardless of format, were preserved.
Publishers are required to send a copy of every publication they produce to each of the Legal Deposit libraries, free of charge. This can be done either by physically sending a copy of the publication, or by providing the library with a digital file.
What is the Purpose of Legal Deposit?
The purpose of Legal Deposit is twofold: to preserve published works for posterity and to make them available to the public.
Legal Deposit is extremely important to books and publishing for a number of reasons. First, it helps to ensure that books are published in a timely and efficient manner. Second, it helps to ensure that books are available to the public in a timely and efficient manner. Third, it helps to ensure that books are protected from copyright infringement.