The deposit system is an important method for collecting books and documents. In Taiwan, the National Central Library is the legally established mechanism for depositing published materials. Due to peculiarities related to textbook content and copyrights, the National Central Library has yet to include elementary and middle school textbooks within the scope of published materials to be deposited. The National Academy for Educational Research, in accordance with laws and regulations related to the textbook approval system, collect approved, published textbooks from the publishers themselves in order to maintain a textbook collection for public usage. Due to advancements in technology, digital textbooks have already become one of the major trends in both educational materials and in published materials in general. In order to provide a place for the effective deposit and storage of these materials, there is a real need for an investigation and evaluation into digital textbook deposit systems. The aim of this research is to understand and assess the current status of corresponding systems and operations within the major countries involved by utilizing research methods such as in-depth interviews and focus groups. Another goal is to obtain an understanding of the opinions those that handle the depositing of published materials within Taiwan, including library staff, scholars and experts within the fields of publishing, library and information science as well as those of the publishers of digital textbooks themselves. All major findings will be summarized; concrete conclusions and suggestions will be offered as reference for any digital textbook deposit system that may be promoted in the future.
