ŽUPANIJSKI OBVEZNI PRIMJERAK U MATIČNIM ŽUPANIJSKIM NARODNIM KNJIŽNICAMA U REPUBLICI HRVATSKOJ.

Purpose. The paper presents the research that sought to gain insight into the present condition and status of the county legal deposit, the application of the Provisions of the Legal deposit (NN 66/2020) and examine whether there is a need for a revision of the aforementioned Provisions concerning the collections in which the county legal deposit has to be deposited. Methodology. The research was conducted by using the survey questionnaire method anonymously in an online form in the period from 4 to 13 October, 2021. The questionnaire was intended exclusively for county public libraries in the Republic of Croatia. It consisted of 14 questions, some of which could be answered by multiple choice. The authors investigated the respondents' familiarity with the applicable regulations related to the county legal deposit, their knowledge about the material the libraries receive through the legal deposit and the procedures used, whether the libraries include these copies in the library collection, and the conditions under which the material is made available to users. Furthermore, the questionnaire examined the opinion of the respondents on the county legal deposit concerning the building of the collections, cataloguing, and storing the material, as well as obligations of the publishers, and questions concerning the county legal deposit in the context of the local history collections. The last question was the only optional and open-ended one and served as a place where the respondents could leave additional comments. Findings. The results indicate that the respondents are familiar with the current legal regulations related to the county legal deposit. Almost all libraries receive legal deposit copies of various types of materials, but at the same time the librarians point out the challenges in dealing with some publishers who do not fulfil the obligation to deliver the county legal deposit. For this reason, they emphasize the need to educate all parties involved in the procedure with the county legal deposit - from publishers to libraries. The county legal deposit is included in library collections - sometimes completely, sometimes according to a librarian's assessment. According to the research, the county legal deposit enriches library collections, the users ask librarians for these materials and use them. However, the conditions of their use vary - from the use in the library space to regular borrowing. However, there is a disagreement of the respondents regarding the inclusion of the county legal deposit in the local history collections. Originality/value. The results of the research can serve as a starting point in finding possible solutions for challenges that the county public libraries meet in dealing with all those engaged in the county legal deposit procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]