Digital Legal Deposit : An IPA Special Report, 24th July 2014

Legal deposit schemes, which require publishers to submit copies of books and journals to a national library, is considered a vital part in preserving a country’s cultural heritage. While national approaches to legal deposit developed over centuries, the digital age has meant that countries suddenly need to adapt legal deposit schemes so that they work securely and effectively for electronic publications.

A new IPA report reveals how policies and processes are being developed and implemented which allow digital content, whether in the form of e-books, journals, blogs or website content, to be collected and archived. It contains in-depth analysis of schemes in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, France and Italy, as well as details from Japan, China, Brazil, the United States, Australia and Canada.