Public Lending Right (PLR) is the right of authors and other rightsholders to receive payment for the free public use of their works in libraries. PLR has been in existence since the 1940s. The first country to establish a PLR system was Denmark in 1946, followed by Norway in 1947 and Sweden in 1954.
In every PLR country the use of authors’ works in public libraries forms the bedrock of the system. Additionally, other types of library, such as school and university libraries, may be included.
PLR International (PLRI) brings together countries with PLR systems to facilitate the exchange of best practice. It also provides advice and technical assistance to countries looking to set up PLR systems for the first time.
The PLR International Steering Committee is represented as follows:
- Anne Bergman (FEP - Federation of European Publishers)
- José Borghino (IPA - International Publishers' Association)
- Nina George (EWC - European Writers' Council)
- Geoffroy Pelletier (SOFIA - Société Française des Intérêts des Auteurs de l’écrit)
- Carola Streul (EVA - European Visual Artists)
- Kurt Van Damme (Reprobel Belgium)
PLR International is organised by:
- Arjen Polman, PLR International Co-ordinator
Arjen Polman can be reached at: arjen.polman@plrinternational.com / arjen.polman@cedar.nl
You can find the terms of reference for governance of PLRI here.