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Publishing, Copyright & Legal Deposit

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In the event of publishing a family history, it is important that specific references for all sources used are correctly given. Staff of the State Library and the State Records Office will advise, if required, on preferred methods of referencing.

The law pertaining to copyright is covered by the Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968, which sets out rules for the copying and use of different types and formats of material. Copyright protects the author's rights and legislates against unfair copying. There are many publications which explain copyright and these can be located through the online catalogue. The Australian Copyright Council has produced a variety of resources on various aspects of copyright law in Australia and these can be consulted for advice.

The Battye Library obtained published material through the provisions of the Western Australian Copyright Act 1895 and the Newspaper Libel and Registration Act 1884. These acts required that one copy of any printed or published material (which includes commercially and privately produced printed family histories), such as books, serials, booklets, pamphlets, postcards, maps and newspapers published in Western Australia be deposited with the State Library.

The Copyright Act 1895 was interpreted to also include audiovisual material, sound recordings and electronically produced material. Both acts have been repealed, in 1994 and 2005 respectively, but we implore publishers to abide by the Legal Deposit Act 2012, as it assists the State Library to acquire the documentary history of the State for the use of present and future generations. More information on legal deposit can be found on our For publishers & authors page. The State Library is also interested in acquiring all manuscript or unpublished family histories.