How to be immortal in your own lifetime……and beyond!

Sorry, no pills, potions or superheros available but you can have a slice of immortality by participating in the Legal Deposit scheme that is open to all Australian publishers, including those authors/artists who self publish Comics, Zines and graphic novels.

To check out the dry and dusty details follow the link www.nla.gov.au/services/deposit.html and for those who like the short, snappy version… keep reading

Legal Deposit sounds like something scary and bureaucratic, but is really publishers and libraries working together to ensure that all the great printed stuff that Aussies produce is available for as long as possible for as many who want to use it as possible.

Legal Deposit is one of the main tools used to stock the National and State libraries of Australia with what Australians have been busy writing/drawing about. It looks like a free ride for the libraries and they get out of paying the cover price… BUT… in return the libraries have to keep your work in perpetuity. That means nearly the same as forever. The National Library of Australia (NLA) will keep your work in air-conditioned, humidity controlled, and pest free comfort on a compactus shelf with all its siblings for many, possibly hundreds of years! Preserving your legacy for future generations and making it available might also involve migrating it to a different format (i.e. from print to digital, just like the newspapers). Unless it is in a damaged or fragile state, any visitor to the National Library is able to get their hands on it for a short while….immortality moving closer by the visitor…

That work of yours now won't be forgotten, if it's in the NLA it's part of our national memory. Wow - you're a legend! It is available to the hardy souls who are researching, needing inspiration, looking for the next great story to tell, or are just history buffs that want to look at what was going on in the past. Because the NLA creates a library catalogue record for everything it receives, other libraries around the world will also know about your work without you having to do a thing! We even give the catalogue record for it a permanent URL, so you and others can link to it. Just have a look at this for an example: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1233677 or how about this little gem from the past: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn4536962.


You, the creators, are closer to immortality all the time….


The NLA, at the moment has a project going to fill some gaps in, and expand the collection of Australian comics, zines and graphic novels. We would like to ask for your help to make a good collection into a great collection. If your work is not on the list of dreams, or found in the NLA catalogue (at the following link) http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/ please don’t feel slighted, project staff may not know about you and what you have created.


Please contact us (either give us a ring at 02 6262 1312 or drop us an email at legaldep@nla.gov.au) so that together we can change that situation.


If the work has been completed and is no longer published or available, please tell us that too. So please don't flinch when you hear those words Legal Deposit - it's just your friendly NLA wanting to save your work for another day. ...


Immortality, well on the way now….


:)

Graphic Novels, Comics and Zines

Hi:)

I am a library technician at the National Library of Australia hoping to increase the library's holdings of published Australian graphic novels, zines and comics held at the National Library.

If you are an Australian zine, comic or graphic novel creator, please leave a comment about yourself and your work.

Or if you are a fan, of this material (as long as its Australian:) feel free to post a comment telling me all about it.