Joint Committee on Legal Deposit

The Joint Committee was inaugurated in January 2004 by representatives from the legal deposit libraries and publishing trade associations. It replaced an earlier Joint Committee on Voluntary Deposit.

Terms of Reference

JCLD brings together representatives of publishers and the deposit libraries to facilitate the effective implementation of legal deposit. Its functions are to:

• discuss, agree and pursue interpretation guidelines, policies and processes to bring about the effective implementation of Regulations made under the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, the successful and cost-effective deposit of material liable for legal deposit, and the secure and effective provision of access to deposited material;
• evaluate the effectiveness of non-print legal deposit arrangements, assess the application of the Regulations in practice and future needs, and gather evidence in preparation for Government's review of the Regulations, taking into account the views of specialist task and finish groups;
• establish an independent appeals procedure in cases of dispute about legal deposit, and agree on the membership of the appeals panel, including an independent Chair;
• receive the legal deposit libraries' annual legal deposit collecting policy and report;
• receive confidential reports from security audits of the libraries’ legal deposit infrastructure.

JCLD may establish “task and finish” groups from time to time to consider specific issues of mutual concern that fall within its remit, such as a “task and finish” group to promote joint work on technical solutions. The views of such groups will be formally considered by JCLD.

JCLD meetings will take place quarterly.

Each JCLD member may nominate an alternate to attend a meeting in their stead if necessary.

Agreements and approvals are by the consensus of those present, and recorded in the minutes, rather than by a formal voting procedure.

Secretariat support for JCLD (organising meetings, providing facilities, distributing papers, maintaining records, and recording minutes) is provided by the British Library, with the costs being shared between the deposit libraries.