The exhibition features a selection of unique works in various media from recent decades. Most of the works have in common that they are produced with imagination and in a cheap and efficient way, and often each copy is handmade by authors and publishers. Micro-publishing houses have emerged and flourished with new media in recent decades, and it is increasingly easier to publish. The publication of material in electronic form is rapidly growing, and in order to manage electronic publishing, the electronic database Rafhlaðan was established by the National Library of Iceland - University Library. The exhibition features poems in electronic versions that have been returned to Rafhlaðan.
The current compulsory deposit law came into force ten years ago, on 1 January 2003, and films, radio and television material and works on electronic media are subject to compulsory deposit. However, films are subject to compulsory deposit at the Icelandic Film Museum and the Icelandic National Broadcasting Company preserves its own material. The previous Act on compulsory deposit to museums no. 43/1977 stipulated that the National Library of Iceland – University Library would accept sound recordings such as records, magnetic tapes and cassettes in addition to printed matter.
The first law on compulsory returns was passed in 1886 as part of the Printing Works Act and then covered only printed matter. In 1949, the law was removed from the Printing Works Act and made an independent law. Furthermore, the supervision of compulsory returns was then transferred to the National Library, which had previously been with the police chiefs. But it is long past time that only printed matter is returned to the National Library. Major changes have occurred in the last decades of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st in artistic creation, publishing methods and the media.
Private publishers and small publishers are encouraged to contribute to the National Library's collection of copies of all publications, including posters and small prints.
The exhibition was a collaborative project between the National Library of Iceland – University Library, the Polish-Icelandic Poetry Project ORT and the Reykjavík Reading Festival,