Who and What is Subject to Mandatory Submission?
Why do we collect?
Since 1995, the Berlin Central and Regional Library (ZLB) has been tasked with collecting and archiving publications from and about Berlin as evidence of the intellectual and cultural creativity of the region, and making them accessible to the public.
The legal basis for this is the Submission of Mandatory Copies Act (amended in 2021). All persons required to submit a copy of a work published in Berlin have a period of two weeks after publication to submit a copy to the ZLB free of charge as a deposit copy.
Today, however, culture is not only an analogue experience, but largely a digital one.
For this reason, the Berlin House of Representatives amended and extended the Mandatory Copies Act (PflExG) in 2021 to also cover digital media works. It enables producers of digital publications to become part of the city's cultural legacy.
Which publication date is relevant?
The obligation to submit digital publications from Berlin to the Berlin Central and Regional Library (ZLB) came into force upon enactment of the ordinance of 22nd March 2024 relating to the Mandatory Copies Act.
All digital publications published in Berlin after 22nd March 2024 are subject to mandatory submission.
Who is subject to mandatory submission?
The place of publication has to be Berlin. Mandatory electronic publications (non-physical media publications) are deemed to be published in Berlin if the person or body corporate authorised to publish them "has their registered office, place of business or principal place of residence in Berlin".
If you wish to submit physical media publications, you can contact the Mandatory Copies Department. There you will find further information about the conventional submission obligation.
Contact
Referat Pflichtexemplare
Fon +49 30 90226-430
Mail pflichtexemplarstelle@zlb.de
Postal and Delivery Address
Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin
Referat Pflichtexemplare
Breite Str. 30 - 36
10178 Berlin
What can be submitted?
Formats
At present, the file formats PDF (PDF/A if possible) and EPUB can be submitted via our Portal for Archiving Digital Publications. An expansion to include other formats is planned.
Note: The files must not have any technical protection measures (digital rights management).
Publication Types
We collect publications that are intended for a wider audience.
The following types of publication are available:
🕮 monographs
🕮 publication series
🕮 periodical publications (including journals, annual reports and statistical reports)
Not subject to mandatory submission are, e. g. publications that are primarily for commercial purposes, sample forms, individual sheets and press releases.
Official (Governmental) Publications
It is important for publishers of electronic official publications to know that, since the new regulation came into force, the submission must be made actively. Use our Portal for Archiving Digital Publications to upload official publications.
The "granting of free access to the respective storage media" (see Regulation on the Submission of Official Publications to Libraries, 2007) is no longer sufficient.
Submission via the German National Library (DNB)
Have you already submitted publications to the German National Library (DNB)? In this case, you can contact us to arrange access to your publications via the DNB. This allows you to fulfil your delivery obligation to us without any additional expenses. Please contact us at e-pflicht@zlb.de.