IWM sales policy

[Gibbo]

Only the British Library automatically receives a copy of everything published in the UK and Ireland. The other five copyright libraries have the right to request everything but don't always exercise it, although some publishers send them their works unprompted.

[David Filsell]

Out of interest, I raised the disposal question to the assembled historians at British Commission for Military History at its AGM last week. There was quite a bit of surprise and interest and 'promises' of enquiry. We shall see.

Regrards

David

Edited 27 February , 2017 by David Filsell

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, Gibbo said:

Only the British Library automatically receives a copy of everything published in the UK and Ireland. The other five copyright libraries have the right to request everything but don't always exercise it, although some publishers send them their works unprompted.

 

     Alas, the problem has been since the beginnings of copyright deposit, that the British Library (or British Museum before that) does not "automatically" receive a copy of everything published. Commercial publishers are good at deposit- the copyright safeguards that they obtain for their publications,as well as the listings in the British National Bibliography. It used to be quite a sight to see BL's Copyright Receipt Office in action- a scene of almost permanent striving to avoid anarchy as literally lorry loads of books arrived during the day. You are right to say the others have the right to request- I stand corrected. As well as this, BL (or BM) has in the past stated that there are some classes of materials that are technically copyright that it does not wish to collect.

   There are 2 problems with this- which are current now and were quite pronounced both during the years of the Great War and in the decade afterwards when a large amount of material was published. The first is non-deposit. Smaller, peripheral items tend often not to be deposited at BL.  The second is that BL has to obtain notice from some source that an item has been published before it can chase for deposit.Usually,BL is quite good at picking up info. that stuff is out there but even more frequently it relies on people actually asking BL to chase- I have recently asked it to chase the publications of a professional association that had failed to deposit -and that was within half a mile of BL (Ironically, the main business of the professional body was chasing others to obey the law !!) 

    Any  listing of more recently published items of a local nature will show that BL is not 100% effective. In addition, although covered by deposit, items that are/were "privately printed" are often not deposited as they are not actually "published". Thus, all libraries are variable-even BL- as they acquire materials in different ways. A specialist dedicated library will often pick up materials that elude the deposit libraries- a reputation for strength in a particular subject attarcts gifts and deposits that are "off the radar". And good specialist libraries are always on the lookout for printed items of yesteryear that have not been picked up elsewhere.

     Thus,the situation at IWM is worrying,not only for what it is.has dumped but also for what it's rationale is for the future. It has acquired much that is out of the way in past decades but how-or even "if" it will continue to cover it's field with thoroughness is questionable. And,of course, the greatest problem of all is that deposit materials are UK only- No serious study of the Great War cn go for long without materials published outside the United Kingdom. Who is going to collect that IWM does not?  Recently, I wanted an account of life on Great War minesweepers written from notes made in the 1940s and printed up privately in New Zealand.It's in the National Library of New Zealand but not picked up by any library in the UK-even though it is the records of an English sailor on an English minesweeper.

     I think more attention must be paid to what will emerge from IWM -What will it's policy be towards coverage of it's subject area???   Universality? UK only?  Only as suport for it's Museum and it's internal research facilities?