Public lending right: prospects in South Africa's public libraries?

Abstract

This paper examines the origin of the Public Lending Right and the UK Public Lending Right Act 1979. It analyses whether the public lending right (PLR) that exists in some European countries, Canada and Australia may form the basis of establishing a PLR in South Africa's public libraries following a debate by the Academic and Non-Fiction Authors' Association of South Africa (ANFASA) as to whether South African libraries needs to lobby for a PLR. The paper discusses possible obstacles that may inhibit the implementation of a PLR in South Africa's public libraries.