Legal deposit

The Danish newspapers and local papers constitute a cornerstone of the Danish cultural heritage and are documentation of the Danish history of recent centuries.

Denmark has collected printed material through legal deposit since 1697. Books are deposited in two copies to Royal Danish Library as part of the our preservation of Danish cultural heritage.

Royal Danish Library's collection of computer games contains more than 4,000 computer games connected to Denmark. We regularly collect the games as part of the Legal Deposit Act.

Digital material is also covered by the Legal Deposit Act. If you produce music, games, e-books, local radio, audiobooks, podcasts or similar in a digital format, we will preserve it for posterity.

All Danish-produced feature films, commercials, short and documentary films, as well as films that are otherwise related to Denmark, are covered by legal deposit.

Royal Danish Library handles the collection and preservation of the Danish part of the Internet as part of the Legal Deposit Act.

Maps, postcards and posters are collected via legal deposit. The oldest materials date back to the 16th century. We collect through legal deposit as well as through donations and purchases.

We have collected all commercially published music in Denmark as part of the preservation of the Danish audiovisual cultural heritage since 1997. Learn how to deposit released music on physical media.

Royal Danish Library has a large collection of sheet music consisting of Danish and foreign works, some of which have been collected via legal deposit. Find out how to deposit sheet music.

Pamphlets, booklets and leaflets are legally deposited and included in Royal Danish Library's pamphlet collection.

Magazines and journals must be submitted in duplicate to Royal Danish Library. They are part of the library's work with the collection and preservation of Danish cultural heritage.