Legal deposit

Legal deposit is a legal requirement that mandates individuals or organizations to submit copies of their publications to a designated repository, typically a national library. The number of copies required varies by country. In some jurisdictions, governments are also subject to legal deposit obligations and must provide copies of official documents to publicly accessible libraries. These requirements exist to preserve a nation's published heritage and ensure long-term access to information.

The legislation governing legal deposit requirements varies by country; in some cases, it is enshrined in copyright law, while in others, it is established through separate legal deposit or library-specific statutes. Until the late 20th century, legal deposit covered only printed and audiovisual materials. However, in the 21st century, most countries have extended their legislation to include digital documents. In 2000, UNESCO published a new and enlarged edition of Jean Lunn's 1981 Guidelines for Legal Deposit Legislation, which addresses the issue of electronic formats in its recommendations for the construction of legal deposit legislation.

The number of books deposited in national legal repositories increased from 2.4 million in 2018 to 2.7 million in 2019, mainly due to a substantial growth in digital deposits.

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