Legal Deposit

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As a collecting center of all books and literature in Korea, the National Library of Korea collects national literature, contemporary knowledge products, as well as cultural heritage in a holistic and systematic way. Collecting resources is the most important basic function of the library. Books are collected through submission by publisher, purchase, donation or international exchange. The library collects an annual average of 530,000 volumes.
  • The National Library of Korea has established a national collection by receiving donations of library materials from organizations (government agencies, bodies of self-government, universities, research institutes, professional organizations, libraries, etc.) and individuals (members of the national academy of sciences and the national academy of arts, professors, researchers, individual collectors, etc.).
Legal Deposit
  • In accordance with Article 20 (Deposit of Library Materials) of the Library Act, “Anyone who publishes or produces library materials (excluding online materials, but as prescribed in Article 21, including the online materials with an international standard identifier) shall deposit the library materials in the National Library within 30 days from the date of publication or production. It is also the case for the revised version.
  • The governments, local governments, and other public agencies prescribed by Presidential Decree shall also submit digital files of library materials when making a legal deposit to the National Library of Korea.
  • The request to submit digital materials for conversion into or production for reading, education and instruction materials for the disabled shall be complied without any special reason.
  • The library has organized and operated the Library Resources Review Committee in order to review major issues related to selection, type, shape and compensation of the materials submitted and collected in the library.
  • All resources submitted are permanently preserved as national materials for the purpose of public use as well as passing them on to future generations.
Laws related to Legal Deposit

  • Any person who publishes or produces materials (not including online materials) must submit the aforementioned materials to the National Library of Korea within 30 days of their publications or production. This also applies for revised and enlarged editions of previously published work.
  • If considered necessary for the purpose of the fulfillment of the duty as prescribed in Article 45(2)(c) (Production and Distribution of Reading, Education and Instruction Materials for the Disabled), National Library of Korea may request the digital submission of such materials. Anyone who receives such request shall not fail to comply without any other reason.

Information on Legal Deposit
Table about Legal Deposit
Materials to be submitted Number of copies Submission
  • books, Serials
  • musical scores, maps and loose-leaf materials;
  • microforms
  • A/V materials such as dvds, blu-ray discs, videos, etc
  • tangible materials such as compact discs, digital video discs, etc., out of electronic publications according to Article 2 and 4 of the Promotion of the Publication and Cultural Industry Act
  • digital files that have been issued with an international standard identifier
  • digital files of library materials issued by government agencies, local government agencies and other public agencies prescribed by Presidential Decree
  • special materials for the disabled such as braille materials, recorded materials and large-letter materials
  • any material published in a new way due to the rapidly changing publication environment and recognized by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism
  • digital files which can be converted into and produced as special materials for the disabled, selected and announced after the review of the Library Resources Review Committee

2 copies
(Exceptions:
3 copies from the governments, local governments
and other public agencies)
  • Submission form, compensation request form: one copy of each form
    ※ Compensation: 50%
    ※ If not demanded compensation for submitting publication: Fill out submission form only.
  • Online Billing: Narabill (www.narabill.kr) Online billing on Narabill website Business Registration Certificate ※ Fill out invoice (for books) or tax invoice (for non-books) after website registration. ▶Information on the International Standard Book Number (ISBN/ISSN) for submission
Information on Legal Deposit
Table about Legal Deposit
Materials to be submitted
  • books, Serials
  • musical scores, maps and loose-leaf materials;
  • microforms
  • A/V materials such as dvds, blu-ray discs, videos, etc
  • tangible materials such as compact discs, digital video discs, etc., out of electronic publications according to Article 2 and 4 of the Promotion of the Publication and Cultural Industry Act
  • digital files that have been issued with an international standard identifier
  • digital files of library materials issued by government agencies, local government agencies and other public agencies prescribed by Presidential Decree
  • special materials for the disabled such as braille materials, recorded materials and large-letter materials
  • any material published in a new way due to the rapidly changing publication environment and recognized by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism
  • digital files which can be converted into and produced as special materials for the disabled, selected and announced after the review of the Library Resources Review Committee
Table about Legal Deposit
Number of copies
2 copies
(Exceptions:
3 copies from the governments, local governments
and other public agencies)
Table about Legal Deposit
Submission
  • Submission form, compensation request form: one copy of each form
    ※ Compensation: 50%
    ※ If not demanded compensation for submitting publication: Fill out submission form only.
  • Online Billing: Narabill (www.narabill.kr) Online billing on Narabill website Business Registration Certificate ※ Fill out invoice (for books) or tax invoice (for non-books) after website registration. ▶Information on the International Standard Book Number (ISBN/ISSN) for submission
Address for Submission
Table about Address for Submission
Material types Contact
Books
Non-books
Government publications
Theses/Dissertations 		Address: 201 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul 06579
Acquisitions Division
National Library of Korea
Tel: 02-590-0609 (for books), 0749 (for non-books), 6317 (for government publications), 6219 (for theses/dissertations)
Fax: 02-590-0620
Newspapers
Serials
Digital files 		Address: 201 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul 06579
Acquisitions Division
Tel: 02-590-0614 (for newspapers), 0615 (for serials),
02-3483-8813 (for academic journal), 02-590-0613 (for online books), 02-590-6387 (for online serials)
Fax: 02-590-6291
Digital files for the disabled Address: 201 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul 06579
National Library for the Disabled
Tel: 02-3483-8869 / Fax: 02-590-0655
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