• Index of this issue

No. 56, July 2006 Special topic: Legal deposit system

The concept of legal deposit system is tuned with history of National Library establishment. Bibliothic National, the first National Library of the world got its separate entity when it was authorized to exercise the acquisition power attributed by the Royal ordinance in France. Legal deposit indeed is an important factor to attain the custodial aims and objectives of a National Library. In Bangladesh, Legal Deposit System is the backbone of National Library for the development of National Collection. It greatly helps stockpiling the country's creative and intellectual printed works.

Legal Deposit system of Bangladesh is governed by legal deposit regulations which is incorporated in country's Copy Right Law. Legal Deposit regulation 2005 is at present in operation in Bangladesh. The present regulation has been the blessing for country's deposit system. It has made the National Library of Bangladesh the country's single depository for the first time. Before this amendment a publisher/author had to deposit 10 copies of new publications to the Government agencies as follows:

Legal Deposit Regulation of Bangladesh was introduced for the first time in 1974 immediate after the installation of the government of newborn nation. Bangladesh came into being in 1971 from the then eastern part of Pakistan. In fact, Bangladesh inherited the legal deposit system of Pakistan to meet the need of time, the amendment 2005 was made by the National Assembly under the auspice of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs on the request of NLB.

Legal Deposit System-Under the present regulation the National Library of Bangladesh is considered as the single depository of the country. The NLB is authorized as the single entity for repository. The systems of collecting new publications under Legal Depository are as follows:

Traditional-

1. Permanent Deposit Desk- the NLB has been maintaining a Permanent Deposit Desk in its central acquisition section. Since the Journey in 1972, the desk used to receive new publications from writers/publishers hand to hand, sent by couriers /special messengers /post office etc.
2. The NLB collection team use to travel different regions of country to collect and fetch new publications from the publishers/writers. In this case publicity is made in the regional newspapers about the arrival/stay of NLB's collection team in the concerned region.

New Strategies-

The National Library has diversified its collection techniques in the recent years in the following ways:

1. The National Library has been participating in country's largest Book Fair, "The Amar Ekushey Granthamela" (National Book Fair organized on occasion of the International Mother Language Day) since 2004 with a collection booth. The NLB is in plan to continue to participate in every year in view of pave the way of publishers/writers to deposit their publications to the NLB's collection booth without any trouble. Around 500 publishers having average 2000 new titles every year, use to participate in the Book Fair. NLB collected 800 new titles from the Fair last year.
2. To create awareness about the importance and utilities of legal deposit system among the publishes/writers, occasional announcement is made in National Broad Cast the Bangladesh Beter. For the same purpose the NLB use to publish notice in the important daily newspaper time to time.
3. The NLB is planning to engage non profit making organizations in different regions of the country as Legal deposit-ISBN liaison center. If implemented those organizations will bridge and liaise/coordinate NLB with regional publishers-authors both in connection with gathering new publications as well as allotting ISBN.

Coverage- The present system of legal deposit of Bangladesh covers only the printed publications as per the following:-

1. One Copy of each new title of published book in the best form and condition required to be deposited to the National Library within 30 days of publication.
2. Each issue of periodicals and newspapers, immediate after publication must be deposited at publishers at this own responsibility to the NLB.

In case of any breaches of this regulation, a writer/publisher will have to face a fine of TK. 1000/- (as well as equal price in case of book and periodical) to the accounts of National Library.

The legal deposit system of Bangladesh still does not include the digital duplication in its jurisdiction. Digital publication arena in Bangladesh still in is infancy level. However NLB is in plan to include the digital publication available in its legal deposit system.