Problems and constraints experienced by publishers concerning legal deposit in KwaZulu-Natal.

Abstract

Legal deposit and its sustainability is a major problem that cannot be ignored in South Africa. The value of preserving and making accessible information is of primary importance for legal deposit collections. The concept of legal deposit is evolving from decade to decade as many factors continue to influence it. Among the challenges facing legal deposit libraries is the problem of publishers failing to comply with legal deposit requirements. This study investigated the problems and constraints experienced by publishers in KwaZulu- Natal concerning legal deposit. Thirty five publishers were surveyed by means of a selfadministered questionnaire which utilized both open and closed questions. The results of the study reveal that while the vast majority of publishers in KwaZulu-Natal are compliant with legal deposit requirements, they do experience a number of problems while doing so. These problems include financial costs and time constraints while a lack of knowledge about certain aspects of legal deposit on the part of the publishers was evident. Recommendations, which would require participation from all the stakeholders, to address the problems identified were made. The study concluded with suggestions for further research.