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The Books Law

The Books Law – Legal Deposit

The law obligates anyone who publishes a book, newspaper, or any other printed item in Israel, to provide the National Library with two copies within a month of publication. As of June 2001, the law also includes publications which are not printed on paper, such as audio and video recordings.

Publications Required by Law to be Deposited

• Publications of which 50 or more copies were printed
• Publications either sold to the public or distributed freely
• Publication in every size, language, and format
• Publications distributed in any existing or future medium: books, journals,
newspapers, pamphlets, collections of pictures, music sheets, sketches,
photographs, maps, audio and video tapes, CDs, diskettes, films, microfilms,
slides and movies.
• Electronically published publication

- Editions, Updates, Reprints, Translations, Adaptations and Dubbings –
  The law requires the deposit of:
- · Any new edition which is in any way different from the previous editions in content
  or in shape: change in the text; change in the title page, for example – change in
  publisher, date or series from a previous edition; change in the physical shape,
  such as the type of binding, size or medium.
  
  · An update or a new version of a database.
  
  · A new printing which includes no changes – if more than 20 years have passed
  since the previous printing.
  
  · A translation or adaptation of a previous publication.
  
  · A movie which was re-dubbed.

Publications not Required to be Deposited:
· Price lists, commercial catalogues and advertisements.
· Publications provided solely to a closed group, such as to similar interest groups
or to one’s extended family. If the publication is distributed to the public at a later
date, it then has to be deposited.

Responsibility for Adhering to the Law:

The publisher, be it a commercial body, a public institute or a private person, is responsible for depositing its publications. If the publisher or producer has no valid address in Israel, the printer is then responsible for the deposit, unless he/she also doesn’t have a valid address in Israel, whereby the holder of the copyright becomes responsible – if he/she has a valid address in Israel.

Enforcement:

Failure to deposit copies constitutes a criminal offense. The law has declared a fine for whomever does not deposit copies as required by law.

Source:

What was written above was summarized for the purpose of informing the general public. The exact wording of the law (in Hebrew) can be found in law book number 1767, pp. 80-82, 2000. In addition it can be found on the Knesset website.

Purpose of the Law:

The National Library is home to the national collection of materials published in Israel. This collection is of social, historical, and academic value:
· The Library makes the publications available for viewing to anyone who wishes to
  do so, according to the principle of equal access to information in the state of
  Israel.

· Students, teachers and researchers from Israel and abroad rely on the Library’s
  collection for their academic and professional work.

· The library preserves the publications for future generations, as a documentation of
  the written Israeli culture, and ensures that the public will continue to  be able
  to  access the publications for many years after they become unavailable
  elsewhere.

The Legal Deposit Copies:

· Publications are recorded in the Library’s Online Catalogue and in several other
  bibliographic tools.

· One copy of every publication can be viewed in the Library’s reading room, and the
  other copy is kept as a back up.

· Some of the publications, such as daily newspapers, are stored as photo-copies
  (usually in the form of microfilm). The library allows the public to view them
  through the proper equipment.

· The copies are not available for checking out.

Advantage for the Publishers and Authors:
· A publisher depositing publications by law is included in the Israeli Publishers
Database.

· A publication deposited at the Library receives maximum exposure to readers and
potential buyers.

· Deposited publications are recorded in the Library’s Online Catalogue and in
  Israel’s national bibliography – Qiryat Sefer, which are updated constantly. Some
of the articles from deposited journals are recorded in the computerized
database Rambi (Index of Articles on Jewish Studies). Librarians in Israel and
abroad rely on these tools for choosing and purchasing publications.

· At least one copy of every publication is kept for posterity, long after the
publication goes out of print, and can be used for producing a new printing or
edition.

Additional Book Deposits:

The Israeli State Archive:

The Books Law requires the deposit of one copy of any publication at the Israel State Archive, if requested by the Archive.

Mailing address:

State Archive, Office of the Prime Minister

Kiryat-HaLeom, Jerusalem, 91919

Tel: 02-5680606

The Knesset Library
The law requires delivering one copy of any book or newspaper necessary for the functioning of the Knesset to the Knesset Library, according to a subject list compiled by the Speaker of the Knesset. The Knesset Library pays 25% of the publication's price, in addition to the cost of delivery by registered mail.
Mailing address:

Knesset Library, The Knesset

Kiryat Ben-Gurion, Jerusalem 91950

Tel: 02-6753333.

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The Books Law

The Books Law – Legal Deposit