Jerusalem, May 26, 2008 - To coincide with Hebrew Book Week, which takes place in Israel between May 28 and June 7, the Jewish National and University Library of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has published data about books published in Israel during 2007.

The JNUL is the legal deposit library of Israel, and receives, according to the Israel “Book Act,” two copies of each book, journal, cassette or disk published in Israel. The publications are catalogued in the JNUL catalogue in the Israel national bibliography and in the Israel Union List.

New Titles and Current Periodicals

During the last year, 7,860 new Israeli titles were registered by the Legal Deposit Department of the JNUL: 5,850 books, 1,500 new periodicals, and 510 non-print titles, such as CDs and cassettes. In addition, 15,000 issues of current periodicals were received at the JNUL. The JNUL catalogue is the most comprehensive in Israel, and includes the vast majority of the titles published in Israel.

Of the titles that were registered, 5,850 are books that have now been added to the existing collection of some 5 million volumes. In addition to the new books received each year, the JNUL holds ancient manuscripts and rare Hebrew works from the earliest days of printing.

Over 900 fully scanned rare books are now available for reading on the Library’s site: www.jnul.huji.ac.il . They include kabbalistic and hassidic works, early Hebrew children’s literature and many others.

Video and sound recordings

In addition to books, the law requiring the deposit of copies at the JNUL also covers other media. 510 recorded titles over the year were films and music in every format, such as video, DVD, sound cassettes and CDs, databases, multi-media educational software, etc. Sound recordings are preserved in a special department of the JNUL, the National Sound Archives, where one can find a rich collection of Israeli music encompassing all the traditions and ethnic groups in the country, as well as Jewish music from around the world. A very small sample can be found at: http://www.jnul.huji.ac.il/heb/musicdept.html

Hebrew and Other Languages

Books are in Hebrew comprise 4,842 titles. The next common languages are English: 483 titles, and Russian: 269 titles. This year 152 new Arabic titles were recorded. As in previous years, the 2007 saw a rise in the number of books in Arabic registered in the Library, thanks to the increased efforts invested by the Library in locating and recording these books. However it can be assumed that the amount of Arabic titles published in Israel still exceeds the number registered in the Library.

Twenty-nine French titles were published in Israel last year, 16 in Spanish, 14 in German and 17 in Romanian. Twenty publications in various Jewish languages were received: Nineteen in Yiddish and one in Judeo-Tajikic (the language of Bukharan Jewry). A few books were published in other languages, such as Dutch, Polish and Italian.

Most of the Hebrew books, about 85 percent, were originally written in Hebrew, and about 15 percent were translated into Hebrew.

The breakdown of the 8,680 books is as follows:

About 807 books for children and youth were deposited in the library – about 13 percent of the total number of books received. This represents a six percent increase in the number of books for children and youth registered in 2006 and can be attributed to the strengthening of cooperation between the National Library and publishers specializing in children’s and young people’s literature. 

In addition, 251 textbooks were deposited – about 4 percent of the total number of books received.

Type of publishing and sectors

Fifty-six percent of the books were published by commercial publishing houses. Nine percent were published by the government or governmental institutions. Five percent were published by educational institutions – universities, colleges and schools. Seventeen percent were published by associations, foundations, museums, community centers and other organizations. Thirteen percent of the books were self-published by authors. The orthodox and ultra-orthodox sector was responsible for eighteen percent of the total titles that were published in Israel in 2007.

Academic theses

Although not covered by Legal Deposit, the Library also received 1,382 masters’ theses and 984 doctoral theses. 

Israeli publishers

The Jewish National and University Library's Legal Deposit Department maintains an extensive listing of Israeli publishers, including many minor publishers who issue only a few books a year. The information recorded includes the address and contact details of each publisher. The database includes 1,499 active publishers and organizations which engage in publishing.

History of Israeli publishing

In honor of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel, the JNUL has added to its database of Israeli publishers information on publishers from the earliest days of Zionist history. So far, some ninety publishers, who have ceased to be active, have been listed and documented. The database is a rich source of information on the history of publishing in Israel. Its importance derives not only from the national and historic perspective, but also from its practical value. It maps the copyright of works that appeared in the Land of Israel and makes it possible to locate copyright holders and heirs to publishers no longer in existence.

For further information, contact:

Rebecca Zeffert, Dept. of Media Relations, the Hebrew University, tel: 02-588-1641, cell: 054-882-0661

or Orit Sulitzeanu, Hebrew University spokesperson, tel: 02-5882910, cell: 054-882-0016. 

Internet site: http://media.huji.ac.il