British Library

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is the world's largest research library, holding over 150 million items and adding some 3 million every year. As of March 2004 the library holds 11.2 million monographs and receives more than 41,500 serials.

Legal deposit

An Act of Parliament in 1911 established the principle of the Legal Deposit, ensuring that the British Library, along with five other libraries in Britain and Ireland, is entitled to receive a free copy of every item published in Britain and The Republic of Ireland. The other five libraries are: the Bodleian Library at Oxford; the University Library at Cambridge; Trinity College Library in Dublin; and the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales. The British Library is the only one that is entitled to receive a copy of everything within one month of publication; the other five have to wait for up to one year.

Related Topics:
Act of Parliament - 1911 - Legal Deposit - Ireland - Bodleian Library - Oxford - University Library - Cambridge - Trinity College - Dublin - Scotland - Wales

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In 2003, a Private Member's Bill, the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, was passed which extended the Legal Deposit requirements to electronic documents such as CD-ROMs and selected websites.

Related Topics:
2003 - Private Member's Bill - Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 - CD-ROM - Websites

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See here, from the British Library's website, for more information about legal deposit.

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