Ottawa, February 14, 2008 Nearly 16,000 Canadian authors will share in more than $9 million in PLR payments for the public lending of their books by Canadian libraries. The Public Lending Right Commission operates under the administrative aegis of the Canada Council for the Arts and issues payments to writers, translators and illustrators every February.
PLR payments are determined by verifying the holdings of a representative group of Canadian public libraries. The more libraries in which an author's eligible titles are found, the larger the PLR payment (to a maximum of $2,681). This year, authors in 1,688 communities in Canada and 337 communities abroad will receive an average payment of $570.
The distribution of payments by province is as follows:
Quebec $3,543,288.33
Ontario $2,806,560.40
British Columbia $1,183,057.27
Alberta $395,403.44
Other $303,921.16
Nova Scotia $236,784.46
Manitoba $173,445.97
Saskatchewan $167,768.88
New Brunswick $159,959.20
Newfoundland and Labrador $98,504.41
Prince Edward Island $32,119.63
Yukon Territory $7,941.13
Northwest Territories $4,471.53
Nunavut Territory $1,869.43
Total $9,115,095.24
PLR delighted with $700,000 increase for 2009
As stated in the Canada Council for the Arts' Action Plan, released on Wednesday, the PLR's budget was increased by $700,000. The increase to the PLR's budget reinforces the Council's commitment to individual artists as the core of artistic practice in Canada.
David Copelin, Chair of the PLR Commission, said that:
We are pleased that the Canada Council has shown its commitment to improved support for Canada's Authors. By increasing our budget, the Council has reaffirmed the value of the Public Lending Right Commission and its ever-expanding constituency of literary creators. Thisthis permanent increase in funding will be distributed among the artists whose value to Canada and its diverse cultures is recognized and celebrated worldwide, as well as at home.
Canada is one of 23 countries that have an active PLR program. While the world's PLR programs are all administered differently, there are two common threads linking them all: the recognition of the right of authors to be compensated for the use of their works in libraries, and the understanding that PLR funds paid to authors are an investment in advancing that country's literary expression. The PLR Commission operates under the administrative aegis of the Canada Council for the Arts. Funding for the PLR program comes from the federal government through the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The PLR registration period is now open until May 1, 2008. Authors may register with the PLR program during this period. For more information about how to register, please visit the PLR website.
For more information:Michelle LegaultExecutive Secretary1-800-263-5588 or (613) 566-4414, ext. 4545 Email this contact
