S.L. 605.12 Art. 6Functions and duties of the Council.

The functions and duties of the Council shall be:

(a) to undertake and co-ordinate events and other activities aimed at increasing book consumption in Maltese society;

(b) to support and assist authors and publishers by advocating for them and safeguarding their interests in state level policies;

(c) to act as a cultural agent and to participate in, and where necessary lead, public-private initiatives aimed at promoting Maltese books;

(d) to facilitate the distribution of Maltese books and publications containing an ISBN beyond the local market;

(e) to participate in and benefit from foreign book fairs;

(f) to build and maintain an updated database of all books or similar publications containing a locally issued ISBN which have been published locally;

(g) to hold a minimum of two annual public consultation meetings with authors and publishers;

(h) to consider and decide upon issues and demands raised by authors and publishers while serving as a mediator between conflicting interests;

(i) to issue official ISBN in Malta in accordance with ISBN Manual Guidelines;

(j) to encourage and support current and future melitensia publications deemed to be, at the sole discretion to the Council, of significant cultural, educational and intellectual value which may or may not be considered profitable from a marketing perspective due to their specialised nature;

(k) to allocate and regulate funds for the purpose of financing projects aimed at further enhancing the skills and capabilities of both authors and publishers;

(l) to explore offshore possibilities for local authors and to create opportunities for contact with translators, foreign publishers and distributors;

(m) to execute an international strategy for the translation and dissemination of Maltese literature around the world;

(n) when deemed necessary, to represent authors and publishers in international institutions and public fora in order to defend their rights and interests;

(o) to distribute public lending rights;

(p) to organise the National Book Prize;

(q) to organise the Malta Book Festival;

(r) to organise the Malta Book Fund; and

(s) to perform any other function as may be assigned to it by the Minister.