Legal Deposit Program -
A partnership between the Library and Publishers in Manitoba

• What is legal deposit?
• What are the benefits?

What is legal deposit?

Legal deposit is the legislated means by which one copy of any material published here in Manitoba is sent gratis by the publisher to the Manitoba Legislative Library. The depository requirements are set out by the Legislative Library Act. The Act stipulates:

A copy of every book, newspaper, pamphlet, magazine, review, report, or publication of any kind, prepared, printed or published in Manitoba, shall be furnished to the Library where required by the librarian and requisitioned in writing. R.S.M. 1987, c.L120 s.7

Manitoba publishers and the Manitoba Legislative Library have co-operated since 1919 to assure the preservation of books, reports and all issues of every newspaper and periodical published in the province via legal deposit.

Our legal deposit collection includes Manitoba materials published in any language such as Cree, English, French, German, Michif, Polish, Tagalog, Ukrainian.

The legal deposit process makes it possible for the Library to collect, preserve and make these materials accessible to the public for current and future research.

What are the benefits?

Manitoba's published heritage remains in perpetuity in the province.

• The Library endeavours to maintain as complete a collection of Manitobiana as possible including works published in Manitoba, written by Manitobans, and those about Manitoba.
• Two lists included here, Prairie people and perspectives and A selected list of children's books published in Manitoba, reflect the range of titles received and the continuing co-operation of Manitoba publishers with the Library's legal deposit program.

Microfilming program of newspapers

• Where possible, commercially available microfilm of newspapers are purchased to replace originals. In addition, the Library microfilms other provincial newspapers. These two complementary activities ensure preservation of current and historical newspapers.
• Where the Library owns the microfilm negatives, organizations or individuals can arrange to have positive microfilms produced. Arrangements and cost information are available upon request contacting the Main Reading Room.

Access to the legal deposit collection

• Records are added to our online catalogue for all items received on legal deposit.