Since 1916, National Library of China was officially became a legal deposit library. In that time, a formal legal deposit system is operated in China. As one of the legal deposit libraries, National Library of China receives the copy of the publications since 1916. The deposit materials include books, newspapers, journals, audio-visual materials, digital publications and the publications that are published in any other media. With the large and comprehensive collection in the National Library of China, it acts as an important platform for culture exchange. In the meantime, thanks to the professionalism level of preservation. A vast number of valuable publications can be preserved effectively and become the significance culture heritage in China.

National Library of China executes the regulation of legal deposit since 1916. On 6th March 1916, the Education Department announced the following rule for legal deposit."Any work published in China must be registered following the Law of Publication. And the copy of official publication must be deposited in the National Library of China.

From 1916 to present, National Library of China is the official organization for legal deposit. Especially after the founding of People's Republic of China, all of the decrees and documents that created by the government are required to deposit in the National Library of China.

Currently, the regulation of Chinese books for legal deposit is announced by the General Administration of Press and Publication of the People's Republic of China on 1991. The regulation <91>, number 990 is the "Reaffirming the notification of "Methods of depositing the copy of books, magazines, newspapers." The notification requires that three copies of the first issue of the publication should send to Beijing Library (the former name of the National Library of China). For the reprint publication, one copy of the publication is needed for legal deposit. In addition, the authority has regulated the deposit period of each publication and punishments for the late deposit.

In recent years, there are around 10,0000 types of Chinese books published in China per year. The Chinese Publication Acquisitions Section sustains great responsibility to manage the legal deposit system, and maintains the relationship with the publishers in order to press them follow the regulations of legal deposit.

National Library of China starts to accept the deposit of electronic publication since 1987. By the end of the early 2006, the collection had stored 3 million of electronic publications. And the types of electronic publication are increased annually. Readers can retrieve the collection of electronic publications in Electronic Reading Room II for free.

At present, the regulation of deposit the electronic publications is base on the Act no.11 "Provision of managing electronic publication" which is announced by the General Administration of Press and Publication of People's Republic of China in 1997. The provision clearly stated in article 35 that the electronic publishers should send a copy of the electronic publication to National Library of China before publishing to public. In the same year, the General Administration of Press and Publication of People's Republic of China announced the provision of no. 697. This provision listed the procedures of depositing the audio visual materials and electronic publications. It pointed that the department of audio visual and electronic publication would conduct the appraisal annually. This appraisal is to evaluate the performance of deposit publication by publishers. For those publishers who do not deposit their publications on time or do not send their publications to the legal depository library, the related authority will depend on the serious of the issue to decide the punishments.

With the developing of digitalization, the growth of electronic publications is increasing dramatically in China. The Electronic Information Section sustains great responsibility to mange the legal deposit system, and maintains the relationship with the publishers in order to encourage them follow the regulations of legal deposit. The depository includes electronic publications that published by individual or corporate organization. The Library welcomes publishers and individual who would like to take the opportunity to deposit any form of publications on a voluntary basis.

National Library of China officially accepts the deposit of Audio Visual Publication since 2001. The medium of the collection includes CD, VCD, DVD, Cassette, and VHS etc.

In recent years, there are thousands titles of audio visual products collected by the National Library of China. The Audio Visual Materials Section sustains great responsibility to mange the legal deposit system, maintains the relationship with the publishers, and masters the trend of new publication to enrich the collection.

National Library of China collects around 8,000 types of Chinese newspapers from 19 century to present. These literature resources are preserved permanent in the library.

Recently, the implementation of depositing the newspaper is follow the（91）, it is the provision of reaffirming the notification of depositing the copy of books, magazines, and newspaperswhich is announced by the General Administration of Press and Publication of People's Republic of China. The provision stated that the newspaper should send to the depository library within a week after published and the volume set including photocopy, Bibliography and Index, should send to the depository library within a month after published. In fact, many publishers do not follow this legal responsibility. By the end of 2005, the newspaper collection houses 956 types of current newspaper that are published in China. Only 484 types of newspaper provide the copy of the newspaper to the Library. The Newspaper Department sustains great responsibility to mange the legal deposit system, maintains the relationship with the publishers in order to encourage them follow the regulations of legal deposit.

The Execution Methods of Academic Degree of the People's Republic of China enforced in 1981 is clearly stated that the National Library of China (Originally named as Beijing Library) is the unique official authority responsible to collect and coordinate the graduate thesis of the aspects of social sciences, humanities and science, and is also the unique specific authority to collect the postdoctoral research report.

In the past 20 years, the Doctoral Dissertation Section has collected around 15 million types of doctoral dissertation from almost 1000 degree award units.

The collection consists of around 10 million types of master degree thesis from the key institutions and almost 10,000 types of postdoctoral research report from 3000 postdoctoral stations. The collection consists of philosophy, law, education, art, history, science, technology, agronomy, medical, military science, management etc.

Moreover, the Doctoral Dissertation Section also collects the graduate thesis from Taiwan and Overseas Chinese.