PLR

No, that isn't short for People's Libitarian Republic or some such .

Public Lending Rights , if you haven't heard of this program , is a sort of copyright residual generated by the lending of a book within the Public Library system. In Canada, once you've registered your book for an ISBN , the Canada Council contacts you with information regarding this program , including a request for forms and short window of opportunity. An author must take the initiative and contact their local central Library to see if their book would be accepted into this program there, and then of course , there are more forms to fill out .

Unfortunately, the Covid Crisis struck and shortly after I received this information myself from the Canada Council, the Libraries closed up shop, and so did too, the Canada Council , as e-mails for more information or extensions went unanswered.

Today, at the Central Library one designated person I would guess, was looking at an e-mail of mine on another subject entirely, and responded to it . To him , I inquired re: PLR, and he said he would send on to that giant hole in the sky, 'Administration'. I doubt I will hear back anytime soon, and on top of that , when the government is printing and handing out money, fist over fist for all the needy segments of the population, Arts' grants and funding for same are hardly a priority.

I suspect those government funded Arts agencies are breathing a sigh of relief that Covid has rendered a communications silence-- because their coffers were never overflowing in the first place , and who knows now how they will proceed going forward. (The Arts and Animals are always kicked to the curb in times of human upheavel unfortunately.)