Educational Lending Right (ELR) School Library Survey
ELR – Encouraging the growth of Australian writing and publishing
What is Educational Lending Right?
Educational Lending Right (ELR) is an Australian cultural program administered by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. ELR has two objectives:
- to make payments to Australian creators (authors, illustrators, translators, compilers and editors) and publishers on the basis that income is lost from the availability of their books in educational lending libraries; and
- to support the enrichment of Australian culture by encouraging the growth and development of Australian writing and publishing.
ELR complements the existing Public Lending Right (PLR) program for books held in public lending libraries.
Payments to Australian creators
The Australian Government provided funding of $44 million in the 2004–05 federal budget to continue the ELR scheme until 2007–08. ELR payments are based on estimates of the number of copies of specific titles held in Australian educational libraries. These estimates are obtained from the results of annual surveys of the holdings of selected school, TAFE and university libraries*. Works eligible for ELR payments range from study guides, readers and fiction to autobiographies and non-fiction. In June 2008, ELR made payments totalling $10.469 million to 10,275 Australian creators and 383 Australian publishers whose books are held in educational libraries.
*TAFE and university libraries are surveyed separately
The Australian writing and publishing industry benefits from the annual ELR payments. These benefits are acknowledged and valued by authors and publishers across Australia.
The ELR school library survey
The ELR school library survey is undertaken by the SCIS Unit at Curriculum Corporation on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts .SCIS is responsible for promotion of the survey, for distribution of survey to schools, and collection of results. At the conclusion of each survey, Curriculum Corporation provides a detailed report covering the methodology, results and recommendations. An annual summary report for the last survey period is publicly available.
A list of the top 100 Australian books held in educational libraries based on the results of the Educational Lending Right Survey is produced annually.
How can my school be involved in the survey?
Each year, a representative sample of schools is invited to participate in the ELR school library survey. Schools must meet specified criteria based on school size, sector and location and the library automation system used. More than 600 schools Australia-wide are approached in October to take part in the survey. It is intended that each year a different sample of schools will be used. Schools selected to participate will receive a package of information from Curriculum Corporation at the start of Term 4.
How does the school library survey work?
The ELR survey software has been developed in collaboration with library software vendors and is designed to run in the school library automation system. The survey software counts the number of copies of selected book titles held in the school library catalogue. The privacy and confidentiality of schools’ data and records are rigorously maintained.
For more information about the ELR school library survey
Check the frequently asked questions or email the Educational Lending Right Project Officer, Curriculum Corporation.
For further information and media releases relating to the ELR scheme, visit the website of the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts at http://www.arts.gov.au/literature/lending_rights.
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