• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past Releases

Libraries

The main activities of libraries are the acquisition, collection, organisation, preservation and loan of library materials such as books, magazines, manuscripts, musical scores, maps and prints.

The National Library of Australia is Australia's largest library. It was established as a separate entity in 1960 by the National Library Act 1960 (Cwlth). This library, which was formerly known as the Commonwealth National Library, grew out of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library which was established in 1901. The National Library builds and maintains a national collection of Australian library materials and provides an effective gateway to national and international sources of information. It acquires Australian printed material (monographs, serials, maps, music, photographs and pictures), using the legal deposit provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwlth), and other formats and materials, including e-publications, through purchase or voluntary deposit. The National Library's web site at <http://www.nla.gov.au> is a primary means of information service delivery for on-site and off-site users, both nationally and internationally. Libraries are increasingly making use of the Internet as a way of reducing geographic location as an inhibitor to gaining access to information.

Public Lending Right (PLR)

PLR is a cultural program of the Australian Government, which is administered by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA). It makes payments to eligible Australian book creators and publishers on the basis that income is lost from the availability of their books for loan in public lending libraries. PLR also supports the enrichment of Australian culture by encouraging the growth and development of Australian writing and publishing. Australia is one of 15 countries operating a PLR program. Further information on this program can be obtained from the web site, <http://www.dcita.gov.au/lendingrights>.

Some 8,703 book creators and their publishers received PLR payments in 2002-03, totalling almost $6.3m. The PLR rates of payment under the current PLR scheme are $1.34 per copy of each eligible book for creators and 33.5 cents per copy of each eligible book for publishers.

The Educational Lending Right (ELR) program complements the PLR. ELR came into effect under the Commonwealth Government's Book Industry Assistance Plan, which was funded from 2000-01 to 2003-04. An annual survey of the book stock of a representative sample of educational lending libraries (including school, Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and university libraries) is used to determine payments. In 2002-03, some 7,594 book creators and publishers received ELR payments totalling $9.3m.

Library attendance

The 2002 Survey of Attendance at Selected Cultural Venues and Events provides data on people aged 18 years and over who attended a national, state or local government library at least once in the 12 months prior to interview. Table 12.9 shows that 42.1% of the Australian population aged 18 and over (almost 6.1 million people) attended one of these libraries at least once during the 12 months. In 1999 the adult attendance rate was 36.8% (5.2 million people).

12.9 ATTENDANCE(a) AT LIBRARIES(b) - 2002
Attendance rate(c)		%
Males		34.5
Females		49.6
Persons		42.1
Age group (years)
	18-24	47.2
	25-34	42.0
	35-44	47.4
	45-54	41.9
	55-64	36.9
	65 and over	35.7
Birthplace
	Australia	41.5
	Main English-speaking countries	49.3
	Other countries	40.4
(a) Attendance at least once in the 12 months prior to interview in 2002. (b) National, state or local government library only. (c) The number of people who attended, expressed as a percentage of the number of people in that population group.
Source: Attendance at Selected Cultural Venues and Events, Australia, 2002 (4114.0).