Digital legal deposit
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.
Photo: Thomas Søndergaard
About legal deposit
As a cultural heritage institution under the Ministry of Culture, the Royal Danish Library handles the collection and preservation of both physical and digital cultural heritage. We collect some digital materials automatically, but there is a lot of content that we do not receive.
We therefore encourage record companies, publishers, local radio stations, authors, musicians and others associated with digital publications and e-books to hand over the publications to us to help us preserve the cultural heritage. You do this by uploading here on the page.
Currently you can upload music, e-books, local radio and digitised theatre scripts.
Once we have received your material, we preserve the content for posterity in accordance with the rules and guidelines in force at any given time. To the extent possible, we provide access to the content in accordance with applicable legislation, including the Copyright Act.
If you have material for submission that cannot be uploaded here, for example magazines, audiobooks or podcasts, please contact us.
How to upload music
Before you upload, please ensure that you have the music files available in the correct format, as well as information about the publication (contributors, titles, release year, etc.). You must log in with MitID in order to upload.
What file types do we need?
The music files must be in one of the following formats: wav, aiff, flac, m4a, aac, mp3, wma or ogg.
We automatically receive all Danish music that is distributed to Danish music streaming services.
If you have arranged for publication for these in Denmark, e.g. YouSee Musik, you do not need to upload your publication to us.
Login and upload of music
Royal Danish Library uses MitID to verify your identity.
How to upload books
Before you upload, please ensure you have the e-book file available in the correct format, as well as information about the publication. In order to upload you must log in with MitID.
What file types do we need?
The e-book file must be in one of the following formats: pdf, opf, epub, ibooks, azw, azw3, kf8, kfx or mobi.
We automatically receive all e-books and audiobooks distributed through Publizon. Therefore, you do not need to upload your publication to us, if you already distribute your books through Publizon.
If you represent a publisher or a digital distributor, please feel free to contact us so we can give you access to upload the publications collectively.
Login and upload of e-books
Royal Danish Library uses MitID to verify your identity.
How to upload programmes from local radio stations
Programmes broadcasted on local radio stations is considered cultural heritage, and the local radio stations is an important element in the Danish media image. The Danish Legal Act gives Royal Danish Library the task of collecting and preserving Danish media,including material from local radio stations as part of our cultural heritage.
Please help us by sending us a copy of the programmes broadcast on your radio station during week 46 every year. We also need a copy of the list of programmes. We automatically collect material from the national radio stations as well as the stations which are streaming their programmes online, but we are unable to collect material from local radio stations automatically.
Before you upload, please ensure you have all the programmes/audiofiles available in the correct format, as well as a digital copy of the list of programmes. In order to upload you must log in with MitID.
What file types do we need?
The audio files must be in one of the following formats: wav, aiff, flac, m4a, aac, mp3, wma or ogg.
Please contact us, if you have any questions.
Login and upload of programmes from local radiostations
Royal Danish Library uses MitID to verify your identity.
How to upload theatre manuscripts
Royal Danish Library is the national archive for staged professional drama (plays, TV and radio drama, musicals). The submission is a practice that has been developed in consultation with the Danish Writers Guild. As an employee of a producing theatre, a theatre company, a drama-producing media institution (for example DR Drama) or as a translator or playwright, you can regularly upload works.
Remember to enter all rights holders (playwrights, translators, editors, writers), the premiere date and the place where the work premiered. In the case of co-productions, state the premiere date the manuscript version relates to. That is, if it is Aarhus Theatre that uploads, it is the date that is linked to the production at Aarhus Theatre.
Regarding children's theatre drama: Some children's theatre productions play over a number of years. If there are significant changes in the script, one can choose to upload the version from the original premiere and the version played today. Then enter as the release date the original release date in one version and the time the later text originates from.
You can only upload one work at a time.
As we have found that a number of theatre programmes are no longer printed, we have a trial scheme where you can also link the programme text to the performance and other relevant performance material.
If the theatre or theatre group that performed the play does not appear on the list of captions, write to kb@kb.dk att. the theatre collection - then we make sure to add the theatre or theatre group.
We have no file format requirements.
You identify yourself by either the theatre's MitID (as an employee) or with your own MitID (as a rights holder).
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Login and upload of theatre manuscripts
Royal Danish Library uses MitID to verify your identity.
What happens to the material
- Once we have received your upload, we will preserve the content for posterity in accordance with the rules and guidelines in force at any time. Royal Danish Library provides access to the content to the extent possible in accordance with applicable legislation, including the Copyright Act.
- You can find the Legal Deposit Act at retsinformation.dk