IFLA Repository
The IFLA Repository was established to collect and disseminate works by the global IFLA community. Here you can explore IFLA Standards, key publications, core documents and much more. Items in the repository are integrated with our main website, IFLA.org, as “Resources” and displayed in a separate Resources page of the website, as well as in relevant unit or topic pages.
If you have questions about this site, please contact repository@ifla.org.
Recent Submissions
The EDI 100: Legal Deposit and Collecting from Under-Represented and Minoritised Communities
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2025-03-16) McPhail-Smith, Zoe; Hart, Patrick
In 2022/23 the National Library of Scotland ran a project to evaluate and improve its Legal Deposit collecting from organisations representing marginalised, underrepresented, and minority and minoritised communities across the country. Known internally as ‘EDI 100’, the project focused on a list of 100 organisations drawn up by curators. This consisted mostly of bodies we had hitherto struggled to collect from or that were no longer depositing regularly with us, and included charities, religious bodies, pressure groups, and umbrella organisations and federations, ranging from Age Scotland to YouthLink to the Poverty Alliance. The Acquisitions Team then investigated the deposit status of these organisations and made contact to set up or resume print and/or digital deposit where necessary and possible. The Team also looked to promote the importance of Legal Deposit and to create, maintain or strengthen working relationships with depositors. This presentation describes how and why the project was conceived, and the challenges and opportunities it raised. We discuss the project’s outcomes, successes and limitations, and recommendations for future work in this area.
Note about the authors:
Zoë McPhail-Smith, MA (Glas.), MSc (Strath.), is Senior Serials Librarian at the National Library of Scotland with over 16 years’ experience in Legal Deposit and collections management. She has successfully implemented the digital transition within her team after the 2013 UK Non-Print Legal Deposit legislation came into force. A particular area of interest and expertise is publisher engagement, and Zoe has aided the discussion with over 400 Scottish publishers to sign up to deposit their digital publications and to agree to enhanced access rights.
Dr. Patrick Hart is Curator for Scottish Communities and Organisations at the National Library of Scotland. He previously worked as an academic, a translator, a roadsweeper, and a Drug Action Team Manager with the National Health Service.
Weaving the net: developing selective digital collecting principles at the National Library of New Zealand
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2025-03-15) Grantham, Rhonda
In Aotearoa New Zealand, legislation authorises the National Library to make a copy of any electronic documents in scope for legal deposit or request assistance from publishers as required. Digital collecting under legal deposit was always intended to be selective. In reality, for almost 20 years, our operational practice was to collect what was available and what was offered. With the explosion of digital publications and formats this was neither sustainable nor an ideal use of resources. To build a digital collection which is representative of New Zealand’s published documentary heritage, we need to be intentional and transparent in where we focus our resources. To guide staff and publishers, we have developed principles to support the selection of digital content.
These principles respect our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) and focus on the priorities identified in our collecting plans. They limit extensive focus on certain topics and ensure diversity of voices and perspective especially those missing or under-represented in our collections.
Note about the author:
Rhonda Grantham is the Legal Deposit Specialist at the National Library of New Zealand. She has been working in the Legal Deposit and Acquisitions Team at the National Library since 2015. In her role she advises publishers and other stakeholders about Aotearoa New Zealand legal deposit requirements. Increasingly her focus has turned to collecting digital publications. Before her current role, Rhonda has extensive experience selecting, acquiring and describing published material in a variety of formats.
Proactive Legal Deposit Practices at the Sarawak State Library, Malaysia
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2025-03-14) Jamain, Jassalini; Haji Bolhassan, Rashidah; Awang Gani, Dayangku Horiah; Andrew Affendy, Shafinaz Afidia
The Sarawak State Library (SSL), established in 1999, has been designated as the official repository for all publications produced within Sarawak, a region in Malaysia. To fulfil this mandate, SSL has adopted various proactive measures to ensure publishers adhere to the regulations and meet their legal deposit obligations at both regional and national levels. This paper examines strategies designed to enhance compliance among authors and publishers and improve coordination with the National Library of Malaysia. It also addresses the challenges associated with dual mandates. Statistical data on SSL’s initiatives highlight the effectiveness of these efforts, while recommendations for future improvements are also proposed to strengthen the library's role further.
Note about the authors:
Jassalini Jamain is the Librarian and Head of the Legal Deposit Unit at Sarawak State Library, specializing in legal deposit. With 15 years of experience, she has been instrumental in enhancing legal deposit practices to safeguard Sarawak’s intellectual heritage. Jassalini holds a degree in Information Studies (2003) and a Master of Information Management (2021) from the University of Technology MARA (UiTM). She has led key projects such as Web Archiving, Legal Deposit Management System, and Online Sarawak State Bibliography. Passionate about preserving Sarawak’s publications, she collaborates closely with authors and publishers to ensure the region’s literary legacy is maintained.
Rashidah Hj Bolhassan, Ph.D
Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak, Malaysia
Dayangku Horiah Awang Gani
Archive Management Division, Sarawak State Library, Kuching, Malaysia
Shafinaz Afidia Andrew Affendy
Sarawakiana Division, Sarawak State Library, Kuching, Malaysia
IFLA News Media Section & IIPC Workshop: Browser-based Crawling of News Websites Behind Paywalls
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2025-03-13) Tóth, László; Reich, Antares; Nieminen, Joel; Sairanen, Samuli; Elkjær Smedebøl, Thomas Martin; Klindt Myrvoll, Anders
Crawling of News Websites Behind Paywalls (Browser-based and more) was the second IIPC-IFLA News Media Workshop presented virtually by Anders Klindt Myrvoll & Thomas Martin Elkjær Smedebøl (Royal Danish Library), Samuli Sairanen & Joel Nieminen (National Library of Finland), Antares Reich (Austrian National Library), and László Tóth (National Library of Luxembourg) on February 13, 2025. Topics included communication with site owners, web crawlers, accessing paywalled content, crawling content, and quality assurance of the harvested content.
Current challenges of Legal Deposit in Germany: a report for revising legislation to address issues in collecting books-on-demand, podcasts and digital music
(2025-03-14) Springer, Sabine; Wohlstein, Christoph
The German National Library has the right of legal deposit for the territory of Germany. A globalizing publishing market and changing trends in the field of digital publications present it with new challenges in terms of acquisition on the basis of current law. An internal working group is therefore currently evaluating the legal basis, isolating practical problem areas and developing proposals for changes where law and reality are increasingly diverging.
The lecture is intended as a workshop report from this working group, presenting examples of some particularly challenging case groups (book-on-demand, podcasts, digital music) and can provide input for the audience's own critical reflection as well as an opportunity for solution-oriented discussions with the plenary.
Note about the authors:
Sabine Springer completed her legal clerkship at the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers and Booksellers Association) after her first state examination in law and passed her second state examination specialising in media law. She has been a legal consultant at the German National Library since 2016 and is head of its legal department since 2021.
After his first state examination in law, Christoph Wohlstein was a research assistant at the University of Freiburg, where he was in charge of an edition project in the field of digital humanities. After his second state examination, he has been a legal consultant at the German National Library since 2020 and its data protection officer since 2021.After his first state examination in law, Christoph Wohlstein was a research assistant at the University of Freiburg, where he was in charge of an edition project in the field of digital humanities. After his second state examination, he has been a legal consultant at the German National Library since 2020 and its data protection officer since 2021.