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The government has confirmed changes to the Public Lending Right (PLR) Scheme, which will see authors earn up to £6,600 from loans of their books from libraries from this autumn.
Earlier this year the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) launched a consultation on the changes, which will also see the British Library move towards collecting comprehensive loans data from all library authorities in the UK. Currently it uses a sample of data from 30 councils to assist payment calculations. The changes mean that the more an authors’ books are loaned out by public libraries, the more income an author will receive through the scheme.
The government’s response to the consultation noted “there are increasing challenges in securing reliable and accurate annual national library loans data” as “the response rate from local authorities to CIPFA’s annual library questionnaire has fallen steadily over recent years”.
It continued: “While the British Library previously used historical data to estimate the missing data, the extent of the fall in response rates has meant this is no longer viable. It has therefore become necessary for the British Library to move to requesting total loans figures directly from library authorities. Should the current approach remain, the grossing up process carries a risk of becoming less representative to the extent that it is dependent on the accuracy of the national loans information from CIPFA’s annual public libraries statistics.”
The changes will come into force on 31st October 2023 and will also simplify the process for those who have inherited rights to a book from a deceased author, removing unnecessary, bureaucratic processes like the requirement to involve legal professionals.
The Society of Authors (SoA) broadly welcomed the changes when the consultation was launched earlier in the year but called for the “already meagre” PLR fund to be increased and for volunteer-run libraries to be included in the scheme. Nicola Solomon, c.e.o. of the SoA reiterated her comments today, and stressed "while this is welcome admin news it doesn’t give any increase to funding". She also called on the government to support "our tragically underfunded and overstretched libraries" highlighting "the shocking news" that there are to be no new books purchased for libraries in Northern Ireland due to a funding shortfall.
Arts and Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: “Libraries are an invaluable resource for people of all ages and backgrounds across the country, opening up access to a wealth of enlightenment and enjoyment.
“It is only right that authors receive fair payment when their work is loaned from libraries. These changes to the scheme will ensure that it is working as fairly and effectively as possible.”
Phil Spence OBE, chief operating officer of the British Library, added: We welcome these changes to the Public Lending Right Scheme – this allows for more information to be gathered on loans data, which will enable us to better serve the authors and creators whose works are loaned from public libraries, and the readers that borrow from them too.”
The British Library receives funding from DCMS to run the Public Lending Right Scheme. Payments are made annually to eligible authors who register their work. Authors residing in the UK or European Economic Area are eligible to apply.