Help with legal deposit
Got a question about legal deposit? This page may have the information you are after and if not get in touch.
Things you don’t need to deposit
You don’t need to deposit copies of items that aren't made publicly available. Also some specific works are not covered by legal deposit, including:
blank forms or labels, programmes and timetables
catalogues and trade advertising
in-house material such as training manuals, teaching or course notes and minutes of meetings
new editions of public domain texts not originally published in New Zealand, reproduced with no new supplementary material to which new copyright would apply
offprints such as excerpts from publications, separately printed
press releases
publications distributed only to immediate circle, that is friends and family
reprinted or reissued publications with no alterations to text or illustrations.
I have lots of items to deposit, what do I do?
If you have a large number of publications to deposit or deposit frequently get in touch. We can make arrangements to receive your publications and publications' information using bulk processing methods.
Email — legaldeposit@dia.govt.nz
What are the Library’s preferred formats?
Below are our preferred formats for our most common deposits.
Publication | Preferred format |
|---|---|
Publication is coming out in both hardback and paperback | Hardback |
Digital text material | Read-only files for textual material — EPUB, PDF |
Digital audiovisual material | Lossless files — FLAC, WAV |
New or complex format | If your publication is a new format or a complex, multi-media work, please get in touch, our research and development staff love the challenge of new formats. |
Email — legaldeposit@dia.govt.nz
How do I deposit when I use Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)?
To deposit a publication when you use Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) send us your publication as an EPUB or PDF. Your deposit should include everything in the final publication, such as the cover image, title page, content, images, and copyright information.
Don't use Amazon’s “Gift This Book” function. We cannot use this to obtain a copy of your publication for long-term archiving.
What about sending something with Digital Rights Management?
Digital Rights Management (or DRM) refers to any technical means used to restrict access to the publication. For us to preserve digital collections over the long term, we require that files are deposited without any of these measures in place.
Send your electronic publications to us without any Digital Rights Management (DRM) or other technical usage restrictions.
Contact us
Get in touch if you have more questions about legal deposit.
Phone — 04 474 3104
Email — legaldeposit@dia.govt.nz
Send your physical publications to:
Legal Deposit Office
National Library of New Zealand
PO Box 12340
Wellington 6144
Or courier them to:
Legal Deposit Office
National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa
Dockway
Guthrie Lane (off Aitken Street)
Wellington 6011
Drop your publication off in person
Want to save on postage? Complete the legal deposit process and drop your physical publication at the National Library in Wellington with your legal deposit submission number. When you get here ask our Kaiarahi to contact a legal deposit staff member, or leave it with Alexander Turnbull Library staff in the Reading Room.
National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa
Corner of Molesworth and Aitken Streets
Thorndon
Wellington
Deposit your publication
Use our online form to deposit your physical or digital publication.
Related content
What do I need to deposit?
Questions about legal deposit answered including do I need to deposit, when should I do it, and how many copies I need to send.