Abstract
In the article the Director General of the National Library of Estonia describes the development of the Library as a centre of expertise for the creation and preservation of collections of digital materials within the framework of the European Digital Library. The legal deposit of digital and other non-print materials is seen as an essential precondition for the preservation of the nation's cultural heritage and the article examines the history of legal deposit legislation in Estonia, leading to the inclusion of online publications from 2001. With the technical and other resources available to the Library, it was necessary to employ selectivity in the archiving of online publications and the principles governing the selection are described. The digital archive DIGAR has developed into a flexible archive system covering all the digital objects managed by the National Library and is intended to become a central digital archive for all Estonian libraries. An important priority for the Library is to develop a unified information portal ensuring the compatibility of all e-collections and e-services, offering users integrated access to the Library's resources.
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