What is Legal Deposit

Legal deposit is the provision in law that enables the National Library of Cambodia to collect and preserve Cambodia’s documentary heritage since 1956, requiring print publishers to provide copies of their publications to the National Library. The Legal Deposit Office located in the National Library administers the system.

Purpose

The main purpose of Legal Deposit is to preserving and growing the nation’s literary and documentary heritage collections and make it accessible to present and future generations.

According to the Law on managing legal deposit, 1956, Cambodian publishers are required to deposit 5 copies of each new book and each new journal issue in the National Library of Cambodia.  In practice, 3 copies of journal issues will suffice.

The Library is in the process of updating the legislation.  In the meantime, publishers are requested to comply with the existing Law.  Publishers will benefit by:

• Publicising your published materials by listing them in the Cambodian National Bibliography
• Safeguard your published materials in a trusted archive
• Ensure your published materials are available for future generations
• Meet your legal obligations

Print and off-line documents

Publishers of print and off-line documents are legally required to:

• supplyfive copies of a published work to the National Library of Cambodia Legal Deposit, at their expense.
• provide copies within 20 working days from the date of first publication
• supply copies of only the hardback form if your printed work is published in both hardback and paperback
• supply two copies of every second or subsequent edition, including
• revised, corrected, enlarged or abridged editions
• editions where the name of the publisher has changed, even if the text has not been altered
• supply two copies of versions in different languages.

Exceptions to these rules include:

• If the price of one copy of a published work exceeds $1000, only one copy needs to be supplied.
• If the price of an annual subscription of a periodical exceeds $3000, only one copy of each issue needs to be supplied.
• In the case of printed publications, if the number of copies published is less than 100, only one copy needs to be supplied.

How to deposit printed and off-line publications

Five copies of printed and off line publications - An electronic document that is not an Internet document, and includes an electronic document that is stored or used by means such as magnetic media (e.g. floppy disk, hard drive, audiotape, videotape, vinyl record, cassette tape), optical media (e.g. CD, DVD) or an electronic storage device (e.g. a universal serial bus (USB) device or memory card) - are to be sent to the National Library of Cambodia within 20 working days of publication, accompanied by a completed legal deposit form.

Download a copy of the Publication for Legal Deposit Form

How to deposit internet documents

Internet publications will be collected by the National Library of Cambodia by​using web crawling software to automatically copy and collect internet content such as website pages. Publishers are not required to deposit their internet documents, but they are legally required to assist the National Library to make a copy of their internet documents upon request.

Printed publications covered by Legal Deposit include:

• almanacs, calendars and diaries that have text, not just dates
• annual reports
• books and booklets
• brochures, pamphlets and leaflets
• calendars of tertiary institutions
• company profiles
• conference papers and proceedings
• directories
• discussion documents
• guidebooks
• histories of families, groups, districts and organizations
• kits containing printed text
• loose-leaf publications and all updates
• magazines, journals and ongoing publications (serials)
• maps, charts, plans and tables
• microfiche and microfilm
• newsletters of all kinds
• newspapers
• prospectuses
• reports
• sheet music
• supplements
• working papers
• yearbooks

Electronic documents covered by Legal Deposit include:

• any off-line or Internet equivalent of any document covered by Legal Deposit for printed materials
• any off-line or Internet version of any document covered by Legal Deposit for printed materials
• multi-media CD ROMS
• resources on CD/DVD
• navigational maps
• music sound recordings
• talking books

Printed and electronic documents not covered by Legal Deposit include:

• blank forms or labels, programmes and timetables
• in-house materials such as training manuals, teaching or course notes, minutes of meetings
• offprints such as excerpts from publications, separately printed
• press releases
• reprinted or reissued publications with no alterations to text or illustrations
• trade advertising
   

Copyright
Copyright is a protection granted automatically from the time a work is created.
 

Contact us
Tan Somaly
National Library of Cambodia
Legal Deposit Office
Email: 
Phone:  023 430 609 / 012 718 259