Development of the System of Legal Deposit in the USSR

By THOMAS J. WHITBY

Development of the System of Legal Deposit in the U.S.S.R.

Mr. Whitby, formerly head, Editing and and its affiliates, and libraries. Each of Typing Group, Cyrillic Union Catalog these governmental agencies has by law its Section, is now subject cataloger, Subject assigned role to play in the system, ena- Catalogiiig Division, Library of Congress. bling it, at least theoretically, to function smoothly according to plan. N THE "system of the obligatory copy,"1 It is the purpose of this paper3 to describe I the development of this broad concept of or legal deposit, there has been established legal deposit. While an examination of the in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics shortcomings of the system in practice is the legal and practical basis for collecting, beyond the intention and scope of this listing, and distributing all printed matter. paper, it is possible, by a judicious selection Undoubtedly more complex than the pro- of source material both legal and descriptive, visions for deposit elsewhere, say in the to trace chronologically the development of United States, France, or Great Britain, the system under the Soviets and to present where the deposit of publications is a for- in general outline the structure of the sys- mality required in consequence of the grant- tem as it exists today. ing of copyright, the Soviet system, which The importance of legal deposit in Soviet has no connection with copyright at all, has Russia is clearly seen in connection with the as its purpose the fulfillment of various li- growth of library holdings. Although the brary, bibliographic, archival, and statistical increase in publishing under the Soviets functions. It purports to guarantee on a partially accounts for the large present-day continuing basis the collection of the entire collections in Soviet libraries, rationaliza- mass of current publishing throughout the tion, namely, the system of legal deposit, U.S.S.R.; it affords a solid basis for the plays a vital role in the acquisition policies 2 compilation of a national bibliography; in of libraries. The All-Union Lenin Library, theory it ensures the steady flow of new with more than eleven million volumes at publications to important libraries; it pro- the present time, has acquired nine-tenths of vides the opportunity to assemble a complete its book collection since 1917. On the eve archive of Soviet publishing; and finally, the of the revolution the Saratov State Uni- claim is made that it enables the government versity Library had 58,000 volumes; today to compile complete statistics of publishing. its collection totals 1,227,000 volumes. The system involves a number of agencies, 3 The material presented here is taken in large part including printing establishments, publish- from the following article: Yu. V. Grigor'ev, "Sistema obyazatel'nogo ekzemplyara v SSSR za 30 let," Sovets- ing houses, the Ail-Union Book Chamber kaya bibliografiya, IV:32'-49 (1947). An earlier article, giving much the same material, although in greater 1 Sistema obyazatel'nogo ekzemplyara. 2 detail, up to 1940 is: M. A. Godkevich, "Sovetskoye See the author's article, "National Bibliography in zakonodatel'stvo ob obyazatel'nom ekzemplyare," So- the U.S.S.R.," describing the organs of national bibli- vetskaya bibliografiya, 1:78-102 (1940). Data derived ography which list current Soviet publishing production, from other sources are fully documented. in the Library Quarterly, 23:16-22, January, 1953.

1 398 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES The total size of library stocks in the being charged to the State Publishing U.S.S.R. is estimated at 500 million vol- House. umes, and the annual acquisition before According to this enactment the jurisdiction World War II is estimated at 35-40 million of the Book Chamber applied only to the volumes. The relative weight of legal de- R.S.F.S.R.7 posit in the total acquisition picture may be The enactment further provided that all judged from the following figures: in 1945 printing and lithographic establishments the All-Union Lenin Library received 33% should submit 25 copies of all "publications of its books, 16.9% of its magazines, and having a literary character"8 to certain 73.5% of its newspapers by means of legal branch agencies affiliated with the State deposit. The Saratov State University Li- Publishing House or Tsentropechat'9 and brary in 1946 received 40% of its books on situated near the printing establishments, the same basis. and that these agencies, in turn, should forward the copies to the Book Chamber EARLY LEGISLATION for listing and distribution to the national The decree of the Council of People's libraries. So, instead of legal deposit being Commissars, "On the Transfer of Biblio- handled by the censor as in Tsarist times, graphic Matters in the R.S.F.S.R. to the a special system, directed by the Book People's Commissariat of Education,"4 dated Chamber, was founded for this purpose. June 30, 1920 and signed by Lenin, pro- In subsequent enactments of Narkom- vided for the compulsory supplying of de- pros, the definitions of types of publications pository copies of printed matter to the encompassed by the decree concerning legal most important libraries. This was the deposit was made more precise than "publi- most important official pronouncement of cations having a literary character." The the government dealing with the question of obvious kinds were covered in the first enact- legal deposit. Article 4 of this decree ment. In the ruling10 of January 12, 1922, reads: the scope of legal deposit was broadened to include appeals, mottoes, instructions, cir- The People's Commissariat of Education culars, advertisements, bills, and every kind will issue compulsory regulations about the free supply of newly issued publications to of lithographic publication. It stressed that national and other libraries and will specify publications "in all languages" must be to which libraries the free copies must be presented. delivered. It may serve a useful purpose to state here 11 12 Shortly afterwards an enactment of the that an enactment of the Sovnarkom of 5 Narkompros, "On the Compulsory Regis- 7 Shortened name for Rossiyskaya Sovetskaya Federa- 6 tivnaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika (Russian Soviet tration of Publications," dated August 3, Federated Socialist Republic), the name of the Soviet government from 1918 to 1922, when the U.S.S.R. was 1920, was promulgated. Article 1 states: formed. The R.S.F.S.R. exists today as one of the constituent republics of the U.S.S.R. Responsibility for carrying this enactment 8 The enactment itemized books, pamphlets, newspapers, magazines, posters, leaflets, proclamations, pic- into effect rests with the State Publishing tures, portraits, postcards, maps, drawings, music publications, reports, orders, and questionnaires. House, and a Central Book Chamber at- 9 Central Press, created November 26, 1918, to dis- tached to the latter should be formed for tribute periodical and non-periodical literature throughout the country. its practical realization, the necessary cost 10 Enactment of Narkompros, "O poryadke predstav- leniya obyazatel'nykh ekzemplyarov proizvedeniy pechati v Rossiyskuyu tsentral'nuyu knizhnuyu palatu," January 4 Isvestiya VTsIK, July 9, 1920, No. 149. 12, 1922. 5 Abbreviated form of Narodnyy komissariat pros- 11L. G. Fogelevich. Osnovnye direktivy i zakonoda- veshcheniya (People's Commissariat of Education). tel'stvo o pechati: sistematicheskiy sbornik. 6th ed. 6 Isvestiya VTsIK, August 19, 1920, No. 183. Moskva. Sovetskoye zakonodatel'stvo, 1937. pp. 167-8. 38 7 OCTOBER, 1954 the R.S.F.S.R., dated September 22, 1925, TABLE I absolved the Book Chamber of responsibility Publications Required by Law to be Presented for the receipt of documents bearing security to the Book Chamber in 1924 by Type and classifications. Quantity

Although the first enactment required Deposited that all publications indiscriminately be Number for Press Type of Publication of Runs supplied in 25 copies, the number of copies Deposit Under 500 of a particular work delivered in the de- Copies (Per Cent) pository manner came to be determined both Books and magazines (i.e. all by the type of publication and the quantity literary editions over two pages) 31 run off on the* press. The accompanying Maps 31 table, illustrative of the practice for deter- Music publications 11 Moscow and Leningrad news- mining quantity stipulations, gives the num- papers 11 ber of publications of different types re- Provincial newspapers 8 13 Graphics (i.e. posters, plans, quired by law to be delivered to the Book schemes), diagrams, illus- Chamber in 1924. Under the Soviets the trations, portraits, wall ta- bles, etc., also advertise- number of books has been increased from ments and bills with artis- an original 25 in 1920 to 48 at the present tic illustrations 6 Sheets (i.e. editions in 1-1 time. Modified from time to time, this pages: advertisements, method, based on formal and quantitative bills, leaflets, appeals) .... 3

criteria, still obtains. * But not less than three copies. The geographic compass of the system of legal deposit also was established in the 23, 1923, which compelled publishing houses early enactments of the Narkompros and in of the R.S.F.S.R. issuing publications out- an enactment of the All-Russian Central side the R.S.F.S.R. to submit copies of those Executive Committee. By the latter, dated works to the Russian Central Book Cham- July 17, 1922, the provisions of the previous ber. It may be added here that by this measures were expanded to apply to all the enactment the publishing houses rather than autonomous republics and autonomous re- the printing establishments were made regions of the R.S.F.S.R.14 This was in- sponsible for delivery. It was already the tended to ensure completeness in the collec- practice, established by law, for publishing tion of all publications issued within the houses to submit monthly lists of publica- R.S.F.S.R. A further tightening of the tions to the Book Chamber, enabling it to network in the R.S.F.S.R. was secured by maintain close watch over current produc- the enactment of Narkompros of August tion. Furthermore, no publication could be released for sale or distribution by pub- The libraries specified as depositories of classified material included: i) Lenin Public Library, Moscow; 2) lishing houses until the Book Chamber had Archive of the October Revolution, Moscow; 3) State Public Library, Leningrad; 4) Library of the Commu- received its depository copies. nist Academy, Moscow; and 5) National Library of the Ukraine, Kiev. Other republics followed the example 12 The shortened name for Sovet narodnykh komis- sarov (Council of People's Commissars). Its name was of the R.S.F.S.R. in establishing the legal changed to Council of Ministers in 1946. 13 Enactment of Narkompros, "O predstavlenii ekzem- deposit system: the Ukrainian S.S.R., plyarov proizveoeniy pechati v Rossiyskuyu tsentral'nuyu knizhnuyu palatu," Sobraniye uzakoneniya, 1924, No. March 25, 1921 ; the Belorussian S.S.R., 88, Art. 891. 14 The Soviet administrative divisions differed in September 15, 1922; the Armenian S.S.R., 1922 from their present configuration. The R.S.F.S.R. at that time embraced areas, such as Kazakh A.S.S.R. December 27, 1922; and the Azerbaidzhan and Kirgiz A.S.S.R., which are now full-fledged republics. S.S.R., January 17, 1923. In each case the

400 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES Lenin decree of June 30, 1920, was used In addition to legislation issued by the as the model for the legislation providing government of the U.S.S.R., there would, for the depository copies. Because no cen- thenceforth, be legislation at the level of the tral agency comparable to the Book Cham- republics in comformity with the basic law. ber existed in any of the republics, publi- Libraries provided for in the all-union legis- cations had to be sent direct to the Russian lation would also be covered by local enact- Central Book Chamber in the R.S.F.S.R. ments. This parallel legislation may seem This system contained inherent weaknesses complicated, but if it is borne in mind that which precluded adequate control over the the principal national libraries are provided delivery of the depository copies to the Book for by the government of the U.S.S.R. while Chamber, and not until 1934, by which libraries important from the standpoint of time an organizational network of book the republics, as well as the libraries of all- chambers became established, was complete union significance, are cared for by local delivery apparently achieved. legislation, then the over-all system can be clearly discerned. Another important dis- AN ALL-UNION SYSTEM tinction to be kept in mind relates to the The foundation for an all-union system statement about the number of depository was laid by the statement of the Board of copies allocated to the libraries of the Narkompros, August 14, 1924, entitled U.S.S.R. at a given time. The all-union "Statute on the Russian Central Book legislation is for the benefit of the "most Chamber." It states: important national libraries"; it does not designate the allotment of all the deposi- The receipt of the deposit copies of all tory copies. Allocation of depository cop- publications issued in the territory of the U.S.S.R. should be in accordance with the ies to other libraries is determined by legis- corresponding decrees of the government of lation in the republics. In the remainder the R.S.F.S.R. and also on the basis of con- of this paper enactments both of the U.S. tractual agreements between the Russian S.R. and the R.S.F.S.R. will be discussed Central Book Chamber and the book cham- side by side. Legislation of other union bers (or substitute institutions) of the union republics. republics will be omitted as contributing nothing essential to the discussion. The system of exchange, of "special agreements," between the Russian Central Book

Chamber and the book chambers in the TYPES OF DEPOSITORY COPY republics obtained until May 26, 1928, when the Sovnarkom of the U.S.S.R. issued a The extensive geographical distribution resolution,15 entitled "On Supplying the of the depository copies, supplying both Most Important National Libraries with general and special libraries in the most All Publications Issued in the Territory of distant regions of the Soviet Union, ne- the U.S.S.R." This enactment, the first cessitated the creation of several new cata- having all-union application, signified a gories of depository copies. Up to 1928 broadening of legislation pertaining to the all libraries designated as recipients of the supply of depository copies to the book depository copies received everything that chambers and their distribution to libraries. was published without due regard for the character of individual collections. This 15 "O snabzhenii vazhneyshikh gosudarstvennykh knigokhranilishch vsemi izdaniyami vykhodyashchimi na was accomplished by means of that type of territorii Soyuza SSR," Sobraniye zakonov, 1928, No. 36, Art. 324. depository copy termed by the Soviets "free 38 7 OCTOBER, 1954 complete obligatory copy."16 This means 17 national libraries located in 14 cities.20 that libraries received gratis sets of all pub- Depository copies on special subjects were lications in all subjects listed in the official designated for the Institute of V. I. Lenin classification scheme of the Book Chamber.17 and the Institute of K. Marx and F. In time, over and above the depository cop- Engels. Thus emerged a new type of de- ies distributed to libraries free of charge in pository copy, applying to literature in spe- all branches of knowledge, additional deposi- cial subject fields. Previously, libraries tory copies were set aside for the following which were recipients of the depository purposes: international exchange, stocking copies had received the copies in all the of special libraries, purchase, regional study, branches of knowledge as designated in the and replenishment of the collections of war- classification scheme of the Book Chamber. damaged libraries. These new categories Thenceforth libraries could choose the publi- for deposit will be explained in the following cations falling within their legitimate field discussion of the enabling legislation. from parts of the classification scheme. The On June 29, 1925 an enactment of the expression originated by the Soviet bibliog- Sovnarkom of the R.S.F.S.R.18 established raphers to designate this category of de- a new type of depository copy for the pur- pository copy is "partial depository copy." pose of international exchange. By its This innovation had considerable effect upon provisions publishing houses were directed the free depository copy, which now con- to keep on reserve for one year a number sisted of two kinds, the complete and the of depository copies and to deliver them on partial. In general, the national depository request to the Bureau of International libraries received copies of publications in Book Exchange of the Russian Central all subject fields, wThereas the special li- Book Chamber. Later, in 1939, the All- braries, being interested in only certain Union Lenin Library, in lieu of the Book branches of knowledge, received the partial Chamber, became the recipient of three sets. depository copies of each publication issued Then in 1931 still another type of de- in the U.S.S.R. for the purpose of interna- pository copy, the purchasable copy (platnyy tional exchange. This arrangement is in obyazatel'nyy ekzemplyar), was introduced. effect today, and foreign libraries interested An enactment dated August 23, 1931, of the in procuring Soviet publications are com- Central Executive Committee and the pelled to deal with the All-Union Lenin Sovnarkom of the U.S.S.R., states: Library.19 The compulsory supply of the leading The 1928 enactment referred to pre- libraries with copies of books, pamphlets, viously was of special importance because it magazines, bulletins, metropolitan news- had all-union significance. In it were listed papers, music publications, maps, and plans coming out in the territory of the U.S.S.R. is worked out along lines of a purchasable 16 "besplatnyy polnyy obyazatel'nyy ekzemplyar." 21 17 At the present time this universal classification con- as well as a free depository copy. sists of 31 classes; it is used for the arrangement of bibliographic entries in the several organs of national This enactment meant that certain libraries bibliography published by the Book Chamber. 18 "O snabzhenii literaturoy Rossiyskoy knizhnoy could purchase depository copies at their own palaty," Sobraniye uzakoneniya, 1925, No. 54, Art. 399. 19 In this connection see the revealing account of the dealings of the representative of the United States 20 Moscow (3), Leningrad (2), Kiev, Kharkov, Ash- Embassy in Moscow with the officials of the All-Union khabad, Minsk, Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan, Rostov-on-Don, Lenin Library in the following publication: U.S. Dept. Kazan, Irkutsk, Tomsk, and Tashkent. of State. Cultural Relations between the United States 21 "0 snabzhenii vazhneyshikh gosudarstvennykh and the Soviet Union, Pub. No. 3488, International knigokhranilishch vsemi izdaniyami, vykhodyashchimi na Information and Cultural Series 4 (Washington: Gov- territorii Soyuza SSR," Sobraniye zakonov, 1931, No. ernment Printing Office, 1949), p. 22. SS, Art. 356, and No. 58, Art. 372.

402 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES expense. The types of libraries included Under the impetus supplied by the cul- under this enactment were general libraries tural program of the Second Five-Year not included in the list of libraries supplied Plan, which called for increased book pro- gratis and special libraries of an all-union duction and more libraries and reading ac- character. For the practical realization of commodations, the number of depository this type of depository copy, special col- copies was raised from 39 to 45 in the lectors,22 affiliated with the state publishing R.S.F.S.R. by an enactment of the Sov- houses, were established. This system en- narkom R.S.F.S.R., dated November 20, abled libraries to supplement their acquisi- J93 3-24 This enactment, which applied to tion through other channels with materials the R.S.F.S.R. alone, was in conformity distributed by the collectors. The publish- with the all-union legislation of September ing houses held the purchasable depository 13, 1933. Thus, in addition to providing copies on reserve for three months for the for the national libraries listed in the all- collectors. union enactment, it stipulated the quantity A decree of the Sovnarkom of the of depository copies to be distributed among U.S.S.R., dated September 13, 1933,23 men- various libraries within the R.S.F.S.R. The tions 14 national libraries as recipients of text of the enactment states that 45 copies of free complete depository sets and three li- all "books, pamphlets, bulletins, and other braries designated to receive depository literary publications over two pages in copies in special subject fields. The enact- length, and also geographic and topographic ment also stated that the All-Union Lenin maps and plans," and 20 copies of the same Library and the Government Library of the publications, if less than 500 copies are R.S.F.S.R. and the U.S.S.R. were to re- printed, must be delivered to the Book ceive, through the book chambers of the Chamber. Different quantities were stip- union republics, from all institutions and ulated for other types of publications: news- organizations of the U.S.S.R. which use papers, music publications, graphic publica- duplicating apparatus and which print "one- tions, leaflet publications, publications for sided reference material (including card in- the blind, and processed materials. It dexes)," one copy each of those materials should be pointed out that these specifica- if they were not already provided by earlier tions, so far as method of determination is enactments. Furthermore, the All-Union concerned, were much the same as those Lenin Library and the Salt)^kov-Shchedrin established back in 1924, differing only in State Library were to be supplied with pub- scope and quantity. lications not included among the standard Other republics, too, developed their own types of publications subject to deposit by legislation in line with the all-union enact- existing laws. These included all remain- ment. While providing the Book Chamber ing newspapers, posters, graphic publica- with the required number of publications tions, and publications for the blind. These for distribution to the national libraries, the two libraries and the press archives of the legislation contained, as in the case of the book chambers probably have the most com- R.S.F.S.R. above, stipulations as to the plete collections of printed matter in the number of publications to be distributed to Soviet Union. libraries in the republics.

22 Tsentral'nyy kollektor nauchnykh bibliotek Kogiza. 21 "Ob obyazatel'nykh ekzemplyarakh proizvedeniy 23 "O snabzhenii vazhneyshikh gosudarstvennykh pechati, podlezhashchikh predstavleniyu v Gosudarstven- knigokhranilishch izdaniyami, vykhodyashchimi na ter- nuyu tsentral'nuyu knizhnuyu palatu RSFSR," Sobra- ritorii Soyuza SSR," Sobraniye zakonov i rasporyazhenii niye uzakonenii i rasporyazhenii RSFSR/' 1933, No. 58, S.S.S.R., 1933, no. 59, Art. 355. Art. 269. 38 7 OCTOBER, 1954 DECREE OF 1939 organizations, and others; and (7) distribution of the depository copy to fifteen national In 1935 the State Central Book Chamber was reorganized into the All-Union Book depository libraries. The revised list of Chamber. This meant a strengthening of national depository libraries included in the the organization of the book chamber net- enactment follows: work throughout the union; closer coopera- All-Union Book Chamber, Moscow tion was established between the book cham- Lenin All-Union Library, Moscow bers, resulting in more efficient delivery and Saltykov-Shchedrin State Public Library, Leningrad distribution of the depository copies. Library of the Academy of Sciences of the Furthermore, in 1936, the number of ad- U.S.S.R., Leningrad ministrative divisions—regions (oblasti) Library of the Central Committee of the and autonomous republics—increased; and Communist Party, Moscow two union republics—Kazakh S.S.R. and State Library of the Ukrainian S.S.R., Kiev State Library of the Belorussian S.S.R., Kirgiz S.S.R.—were formed. This re- Minsk quired a revision of the list of national de- State Library of the Azerbaidzhan S.S.R., pository libraries and a new allocation of the Baku depository copies. The new conditions State Library of the Georgian S.S.R., found reflection in the enactment of the Tbilisi Sovnarkom of the U.S.S.R. of November State Library of the Armenian S.S.R., Yerevan IO> I939-25 The salient features of this State Library of the Uzbek S.S.R., Tash- enactment, which is in effect at the present kent time, are: (I) delivery of the depository State Library of the Tadzhik S.S.R., Stal- copies direct to the All-Union Book Cham- inabad ber not only from the printing houses of State Library of the Turkmen S.S.R., Ashkhabad the R.S.F.S.R., but also from the printing State Library of the Kazakh S.S.R., Alma- houses of the union republics; (2) inclusion Ata of local minor publications in the set of de- State Library of the Kirgiz S.S.R., Frunze pository copies supplied to the Book Cham- This enactment introduced still another ber; (3) increase in the quantity of music type of depository copy—the regional copy. publications, pictorial publications, republi- It was designed to strengthen bibliography can and regional newspapers delivered as and the libraries devoted to the collection of depository copies; (4) delivery of three local and regional materials, and was estab- copies of all publications issued by publish- lished for the purpose of creating favorable ing houses to the All-Union Lenin Library conditions for scientific work in distant re- for the purpose of exchange abroad; (5) gions. It stated that all printing establish- free supply by publishing houses of 14 copies ments in a given territory (kray), region of all publications to the book office of the

Communist Party; (6) the delivery of are listed the institutions and organizations which are 26 recipients of the "signal" copy. Here are mentioned "signal" copies to organs of Glavlit, party the Head of Glavlit R.S.F.S.R. (authorized to safeguard military secrets in the press), the Publishing Section of the Administration of Propaganda and Agitation, the 25 "O snabzhenii vazhneyshikh gosudarstvennykh People's Commissariat of the Interior, and the People's knigokhranilishch SSSR izdaniyami, vykhodyashchimi Commissariat of Defense. Presumably these copies are na territorii Soyuza SSR i o dostavke obyazatel'nykh for review and censorship purposes, but whether all or i signal'nykh ekzemplyarov proizvedeniy pechati," Sob- only part of the printed production is included, and just raniye postanovleniy i rasproyasheniy praviltel'stva when, before or after publication, the items are pre- SSSR, 1939, No. 57, Art. 589. sented—these matters are not clear from even a close 26 Although the enactment is silent as regards a defi- reading of the enactment. It is known that "secret" nition of "signal copy" (signal'nyy ekzemplyar), the documents are not registered by the Book Chamber, or expression refers to advance copies of specially desig- even sent to it, and it is possible that this type of nated publications. In Supplement 2 of the enactment document is covered by the provision for "signal copies."

404 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES (oblast'), or district (rayon) should supply The number of depository copies increased to one copy of all publications issued by them 48 after the war. to the library having jurisdiction over the The National Fund of Literature (Gos- area. This, of course, was in addition to fond literatury), attached to the Narkom- the depository copies sent to the book cham- pros of the R.S.F.S.R., was organized in bers. This enactment empowered the Coun- 1943 in order to restore library collections cils of People's Commissars of the union demolished during the war. Fifty-two de- and autonomous republics to establish depository copies of books, pamphlets, and livery of the local obligatory copies. magazines in the Russian, Urkrainian, and In regard to the purchasable type of de- Belorussian languages were allocated to the pository copy, by an enactment of the fund. Of the 10,000,000 books collected Sovnarkom of the U.S.S.R., dated May 9, for the fund in various ways, 1,058,000 1940, and entitled "On the Provision of were provided by means of depository copies. Scientific Libraries with Purchasable Copies By means of the free (complete and par- of Literature," all publishing houses and tial) depository copy, the purchasable copy, organizations issuing literature were each and the copies supplied by Gosfond, a total constrained to surrender to OGIZ27 of the of 376 depository copies are reported to be R.S.F.S.R. 150 copies of publications from distributed to libraries throughout the all large printings. For printings under union. A larger figure may be obtained if to 1000 copies only 50 copies were required. this are added the local and special deposi- This enactment lists the libraries to be tory copies for various purposes. supplied with the purchasable copies. In 1947, 276 copies were required to supply SUMMARY scientific libraries in this manner. This article has dealt with the development of the system of legal deposit as the THE WAR YEARS, 1941-1945 basis for collecting, distributing, and pre- The number of the free depository copies serving all types of printed matter in the before World War II totaled 39 in the Soviet Union. The system of legal de- R.S.F.S.R. During the war the system of posit is a comprehensive system designed to delivery was adjusted to wartime conditions. provide for the complete collection of all Decentralization was deemed imperative, Soviet publications in the press archives of and by order of Glavlit of the R.S.F.S.R., the Book Chamber, the continuous supply August 9, 1941, the disposition of the 39 of publications to a number of depository depository copies was as follows: 12 to the libraries situated in different parts of the All-Union Book Chamber, 19 direct to country, and the compilation of a com- designated libraries, and 8 copies to remain plete national bibliography. It represents on reserve at the printing houses for the one approach to a complex bibliographic libraries occupied by the invaders. In 1943 problem which has not been satisfactorily normal delivery and centralized distribution solved in other countries. through the apparatus of the All-Union In this article the most important docu- Book Chamber were restored. Even during ments pertaining to the system of legal de- the war the number of depository copies in- posit have been discussed. Legislation com- creased, so that in 1945 it came to 46 copies. pelling the delivery of publications to a central office existed before 1920, but for a 27 "Ob yedeneniye gosudarstvennykh izdatel'stv" (Union of State Publishing Houses). variety of reasons it was ineffective. The 38 7 OCTOBER, 1954 first important pronouncement dealing with tion on the supply of the most important the question of the legal deposit of publica- libraries with all publications issued in the tions was the Lenin decree of 1920. All U.S.S.R. Thereafter, in addition to the subsequent legislation derived from this fun- enactments of the government of the damental decree issued by the highest gov- U.S.S.R., there would be corresponding ernmental body in the Soviet Union, the legislation by the republics based on the Council of People's Commissars (now the over-all enactments. The all-union legisla- Council of Ministers). The enactments tion took care of the national library cen- that followed were issued by the People's ters while the legislation of the republics Commissariat of Education and had applica- had more limited applications. This is the tion only in the R.S.F.S.R. The collection system of legislation which obtains today. of publications from other union republics Several different types of depository copy was secured by contracts entered into by the have been developed in the legislation of the Book Chamber in Moscow and the book government of the U.S.S.R. The most im- chambers or substitute organizations located portant are the free complete depository copy in the several republics. of which the national depository libraries are The enactments of the Narkompros per- the recipients; the "partial" depository copy tained to all aspects of the depository system: designed for libraries with special subject in- the printing establishments constrained to terests ; and the purchasable depository copy submit publications, the type and quantity which permits certain libraries to acquire of publications required, the libraries and whatever publications are needed. organizations to which the publications must Two significant results seem to have been be delivered, the moment when delivery was attained through the instrumentality of the required, and the legal steps that would be system of legal deposit: 1) the establishment taken for violation of the instructions. of several channels for the distribution of Some enactments were very comprehensive publications to libraries—centrally through and went into all aspects of the delivery of the Book Chamber and OGIZ and locally the depository copies; others were only by direct deposit in libraries; and 2) the modifications of earlier enactments. establishment of national depositories serv- Individual republics took independent ing as research centers in widely separated approaches to the depository copy through parts of the land. enactments issued by their own govern- The last comprehensive decree of all- mental bodies. In these instances the laws union significance was issued in 1939. It were closely patterned after the legislation provides for the supply of 15 depository li- in the R.S.F.S.R. There were inherent braries with the free complete depository weaknesses however which adversely af- copy. As a result of the all-union legisla- fected the delivery of publications to the tion and the legislation of the R.S.F.S.R. Book Chamber in Moscow. In 1928 an all- the number of books delivered to the Book union system was established when the Chamber in Moscow is 48 at the present Sovnarkom of the U.S.S.R. issued a resolu- time.

406 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES