The Government Libraries Team have issued a consultation on Public Lending Right PLR . PLR is the right for authors to receive payment for the loans of their books by public libraries (but not all volunteer run libraries). Under the PLR system in the UK, payment is made from government funds to authors, illustrators and other contributors whose books are borrowed from public libraries.

As the representative body for illustrators in the UK, AOI responded as we have many members who contribute to books in all forms, and many who create artwork for children’s books and are therefore eligible for PLR.

A slight raise in the loan rate has been offered, and AOI support the rate raise per loan to 6.66 pence for the February 2015 PLR payments.

Currently PLR is not paid on audiobooks and ebooks, only physical books, and so we confirmed that AOI support the consultation comments made by the Society of Authors emphasising that s43 of the Digital Economy Act 2010 extends PLR to audiobooks and ebooks “lent out” from library premises for a limited time, but that these payments have never been implemented.

In addition we asked that Government protects library services from local council spending reductions, and that regarding the exclusion of some volunteer run libraries, that these are included in the PLR scheme to ensure that an accurate figure of loans are recorded.

For more see the AOI Campaigning News