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Legal deposit has existed in English law since 1662. It helps to ensure that the nation’s published output (and thereby its intellectual record and future published heritage) is collected systematically, to preserve the material for the use of future generations and to make it available for readers within the designated legal deposit libraries.
The Joint Committee on Legal Deposit (JCLD) is a body composed of representatives from the deposit libraries and publishing trade associations. Its main purpose is to facilitate cooperation between publishers and deposit libraries for the effective implementation of statutory and voluntary deposit arrangements. Its work includes discussing non-print collecting policies, reaching mutual agreement on questions of interpretation, jointly assessing new developments, and establishing technical pilots or voluntary schemes where appropriate.
JCLD terms of reference
JCLD brings together representatives of publishers and the deposit libraries to facilitate the effective implementation of legal deposit. Its functions are to:
- discuss, agree and pursue interpretation guidelines, policies and processes to bring about the effective implementation of Regulations made under the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, the successful and cost-effective deposit of material liable for legal deposit, and the secure and effective provision of access to deposited material;
- evaluate the effectiveness of non-print legal deposit arrangements, assess the application of the Regulations in practice and future needs, and gather evidence in preparation for Government's review of the Regulations, taking into account the views of specialist task and finish groups;
- establish an independent appeals procedure in cases of dispute about legal deposit, and agree on the membership of the appeals panel, including an independent Chair;
- receive the legal deposit libraries' annual legal deposit collecting policy and report;
- receive confidential reports from security audits of the libraries’ legal deposit infrastructure.