Issue 129

Lending rights payments are a significant part of my income and
go a long way towards me being able to earn a living as a writer.

– George Ivanof

Here in Australia, we are lucky to have a government-funded Educational Lending Right (ELR) scheme that sees Australian authors, illustrators and publishers compensated for the free use of their books held in school libraries.

As a library professional, consider the impact of your collection on readers. Evaluate whether your library houses books that not only inspire but also foster transformation in readers, playing a pivotal role in their intellectual, emotional, and social development.

Libraries allow students of all backgrounds across Australia to broaden their literary horizons, to accumulate knowledge and enrich their minds (intellectually and emotionally) for free.

In turn, Australian authors and publishers love and support Australian libraries, as – thanks to ELR – they are compensated for the lost sales of their books loaned out by libraries for free.

ELR is a crucial cornerstone for school libraries in Australia, reinforcing their role in shaping learning experiences, through its support of Australian creators and publishers. ELR enables Australian writers to keep writing, and Australian publishers to keep publishing Australian content and stories, without which the school curriculum and our school libraries would be far less relevant to our students.

The next time you host an author at your school, ask them what they think about ELR payments, and what impact it has had on their career.

As someone with about 18 books on the survey list now, lending rights makes up about 25% of my annual income. It is hugely important and I probably wouldn’t have been able to sustain a career without it.

– Meg McKinlay

What can your school library do to help support Australian creators?

ELR is delivered by ESA on behalf of the Australian Government’s Office for the Arts in the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication and the Arts. In Term 3, we invite a random sample of schools to participate in the ELR survey, calling on library staff to run a quick automated bookcount report in their library management system.

This data is matched against a list of books by Australians; it is then collated at a national level, and the estimates are used to determine payments to Australian creators and publishers. Keep an eye out to see if you’re invited to participate in this year’s ELR survey. Your involvement keeps the ELR scheme flowing, allowing authors and publishers to continue creating the books that you and your students read and love. 

Just wanted to say thank you all so much for this service! It helps so many writers and often comes just when it’s needed most! I truly appreciate all that goes into this scheme.

– Frances Whiting

2023-24 ELR participation survey competition

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the ELR participation survey. The competition closed on 5 Feb and the winner was drawn. Congratulations to Anna Dugandzig, a library officer at Coolbellup Community School, who won a $150 gift card. Anna opted for the Dymocks gift card and plans to use it to purchase books for her school. Well done, Anna! Below is a picture of Anna and her response to winning.

‘I was happy to participate in the Educational Lending Rights (ELR) survey. With the guided instructions received from our library software program Oliver, it was easy task to complete though it at first seemed daunting! Our school is a small school and so the book voucher received for doing the survey was an added surprise bonus. As librarian at Coolbellup Community School, I am always promoting Australian authors, new and old.’

- Anna Dugandzig