Issue 93

Every year in September/October, 600 Australian schools are invited to provide book count data for the Educational Lending Right (ELR) school library survey. The data collected is used to estimate the number of copies of Australian books held in Australian school libraries. These estimates are then used to calculate payments to Australian book creators and publishers in compensation for earnings potentially lost as a result of their books being in lending libraries and to support the enrichment of Australian culture by encouraging the growth and development of Australian writing and publishers.

Frequently Asked Questions about ELR

How does the 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. Summary bibliographic data is extracted from library systems and matched with the ELR source file. The final survey results provide an estimated 'score' of the number of copies of each title held in school libraries across Australia. These figures are passed on to the Ministry for the Arts who calculate payments to book creators and publishers.

How much time will be required to complete the survey?

The time the software takes to extract results varies, depending on your library management system, but in most cases initiating the process and returning the results takes less than ten minutes. For some schools the library system vendor will extract the bibliographic data and all that is required is for staff to provide a back-up file.

What if I encounter difficulties when running the survey?

Ring or email the ELR school library survey help desk for prompt, friendly support.

How will the privacy of my school data be protected?

The privacy and intellectual property rights of all schools will be rigorously maintained in the manipulation and storage of data. No individual libraries will be identified in the final survey results. All school data held at Education Services Australia for the purposes of the survey is destroyed once the survey process has been completed.

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Why was my school chosen to participate in this survey?

The ELR school library survey is a representative sample survey in which schools all over Australia may be considered for participation. Each school is randomly chosen in consultation with library system vendors to represent a type of school in the state and/or region. Selection is undertaken with the approval of relevant education authorities.

Who will pay for ELR?

There will be no cost to schools. ELR payments to book creators and publishers will be met by the Australian Government. The ELR school library survey is administered by the Ministry for the Arts.

How will completing the survey benefit my school community?

By completing the survey you are supporting the growth of Australian writing and publishing. Australian schools rely on up to date bibliographic resources produced in Australia. Many Australian authors, illustrators, publishers, compilers, and translators rely on ELR payments to continue creating new resources.

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Image credit

• Lego Writer: Photography by Choo Yut Shing. Available at: https://flic.kr/p/dN2utJ. CC BY-NC-SA.