The Lithuanian Publishers Association was founded in 1989. Its functions include the representation of the public opinion of its members on the national level and the introduction of their production on the international level. At the moment the Association unites 54 active Publishing Houses as well as non-governmental organizations (NGO) mostly concentrating on specialized publishing.
The LPA believes that publishing is a very important sector as it directly influences and introduces the national culture, politics, education, art, leisure, tourism, etc.
The Association is a non-governmental organization not seeking to make any profit. The main aims of LPA encompass:
- Protect and represent the interests of its members in the national and international area;
- Stimulate the development of highly cultivated publishing culture;
- Increase the competence level of the publishers;
- Collaborate with the national and EU institutions in preparing standard acts related to the publishing sector;
- Stimulate the reading of valuable literature;
- Initiate scientific researches;
- Organize and promote cultural events;
- Coordinate, organize and support the participation of Lithuanian publishers in the international book fairs.
Since 2003 the LPA has been a full and equal member of the Federation of European Publishers (FEP).