Press release: 2.7.2014

This week the German National Library is introducing a new, automatic reminder procedure for statutory deposit publications. An e-mail will first be issued to remind organisations of any outstanding deposits before the library initiates its formal reminders procedure. The e-mail reminders for books are based on the new publications announcements of the publishers in the VLB, or on the sequential designation provided by the publisher for individual periodicals issues.

The Law regarding the German National Library (DNBG) and the legal deposit regulation (PflAV) stipulate the mandatory legal deposit of all works published in Germany, be they in printed, sound recording or electronic form. In order to reduce the number of formal reminders (a labour-intensive process for both parties), the initial communication regarding the outstanding deposit is now to be sent out in the form of an e-mail reminder. The library issued notification of the planned procedure back in November 2013 and began to coordinate e-mail addresses with the publishers.

Background

For over a century now the German National Library has been collecting, documenting, archiving and making publicly available all written, graphic and sound recording publications issued in Germany, or in German, since 1913. The amendment of the Law regarding the German National Library (DNBG), introduced in 2006, expanded the collection mandate to include non-physical media publications (online publications).

The holdings can be used in the reading rooms of the German National Library in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main. In addition the German National Library also houses valuable and extensive special collections in the German Exile Archive 1933-1945 and the German Museum of Books and Writing.

The library's website contains services aimed at different user groups. These include the catalogue and virtual exhibitions dedicated to different topics plus data services designed to meet the needs of professional users.