Introduction to Legal Deposit

Legal Deposit is the term given to the legal obligation for publishers to supply copies of their publications to a specified institution in their country of publication. It is common throughout the world and allows a country to build national collections of print and non-print materials.

Legal Deposit provisions in New Zealand were established in 1903. They allow for the collection and preservation of New Zealand’s published documentary heritage for the benefit of all New Zealanders.

The National Library has been entrusted by government to carry out the functions involved in the legal deposit process. The legislation supporting these functions is in Part 4 of the National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) Act 2003 (the Act). The Act is supported by two Requirement Notices.

Download the National Library Act 2003

Download the National Library Requirement (Books and Periodicals) Notice 2004

Download the National Library Requirement (Electronic Documents) Notice 2006

Who does Legal Deposit apply to?

Legal Deposit applies to any person, group or organisation that publishes material and makes it available, for sale or free of charge, to any section of the public.

A publisher can be an individual, a club, church, incorporated society or organisation as well as a commercial publisher. Publications are to be supplied within 20 working days of publication at the publisher’s expense.

What publications does it cover?

Legal Deposit covers both print and electronic publications. It applies to materials such as books, magazines, newsletters, and many other types of publications that are released or made available to any section of the public. These are referred to as ‘public documents’ in the Act.

Public documents include:

• printed publications (for example, books and magazines)
• off-line documents (publications produced in a physical electronic format, such as DVDs, videos and CDs)
• internet publications (for example an online equivalent of any document covered by Legal Deposit for printed materials that is posted on a website)
• websites.

More about publications covered and excluded by Legal Deposit

Copyright

Copyright is a protection granted automatically in New Zealand from the time a work is created. It is separate from Legal Deposit. Information about copyright is available on the Ministry of Economic Development website.

Copyright information - Ministry of Economic Development website

What happens to the publications?

All publications are handled with care, and archived for the benefit and use of current and future generations of New Zealanders.

A copy of each print and off-line publication deposited is kept in perpetuity in the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library. The second copy is made available to the public through the Library’s General Collections.

Internet publications are permanently preserved in the National Digital Heritage Archive.

Access to these publications is through the National Library’s catalogues, products and services, in accordance with the Library’s Access Policy.

Publications are entered in the New Zealand National Bibliography and in the Te Puna National Bibliographic Database. These sources are used by libraries and booksellers in New Zealand and internationally to identify items they wish to purchase.

Publications are also listed on the National Library Catalogue.

Further information