Ottawa, April 7, 2005 - John Hobday, Director of the Canada Council for the Arts, has announced the appointment of David Schimpky as Executive Secretary of the Public Lending Right Commission, effective June 8, 2005. Mr. Schimpky has worked for the Canada Council since September 2000 as a Program Officer in the Council's Writing and Publishing Section. In that capacity, he was responsible for the Canada Council's programs of support to book publishers, including the $8 million Block Grants program. Before arriving at the Council, he was the Rights and Contracts Coordinator at Random House of Canada, and previously held a similar position at McClelland & Stewart. Mr. Schimpky holds a Master of Publishing degree from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. The Public Lending Right (PLR) program, which operates under the administrative aegis of the Canada Council, was established in 1986 to remunerate Canadian authors for the public use of their eligible books catalogued in libraries across Canada. It is governed by a Commission consisting of authors, librarians and publishers from across Canada. This year, PLR provided payments totaling nearly $9 million to more than 14,000 Canadian writers, translators and illustrators. The Executive Secretary is the PLR Commission's office and program administrator, charged with implementing the Commission's policy decisions, administering its budget and supervising the work of its office staff. Mr. Schimpky replaces Gwen Hoover, who recently announced her retirement. Benoît Rollin, a longtime PLR Commission employee, is serving as Acting Executive Secretary until Mr. Schimpky's arrival in the position on June 8. -30-
