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Busy ALA Exceeds Expectations
For the second time since Hurricane Katrina, the American Library Association held its annual conference in New Orleans, June 23–28. And despite a faltering economy, stressed library budgets, high gas prices, and the somewhat out-of-the-way host city, the conference blew past expectations, drawing over 20,000 total attendees (librarians and vendors)—some 3,000 higher than initially forecast.
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2011 Self-Publishing Book Expo Set for October
The third annual Self-Publishing Book Expo will take place October 22 at the Sheraton New York Hotel. The show features one-on-one manuscript evaluations and panels on topics ranging from e-books to distribution.
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They're Back: Librarians Return to New Orleans for ALA Annual Conference
For the second time since Hurricane Katrina and the flood that followed, the American Library Association is holding its annual conference in New Orleans, with an estimated 17,000 librarians and vendors descending on the city late last week, providing a much appreciated economic shot in the arm.
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Dan Savage Kicks Off ALA with Message of Hope, Inspiration
On an evening when New York state legislators passed a historic marriage equality bill, librarians at the ALA annual conference were captivated by the conference's opening speaker, Dan Savage, columnist and co-creator with his husband Terry Miller, of the "It Gets Better" video campaign.
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At Licensing Expo, Digital Was Top of Mind
Traffic at last week's 2011 Licensing International Expo in Las Vegas seemed light compared to last year, according to several exhibitors. While traffic may have been light, several exhibitors had a bigger and showier presence than in recent years.
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Rowman & Littlefield Expands Its Public Library Push
For all the headlines garnered by dismal budgets, the supposed end of reference, and the e-books publishers don't want to sell to public libraries, independent publisher Rowman & Littlefield offers a more refreshing perspective on the library market: that the roughly 17,000 public libraries in the U.S. represent an enormous opportunity.
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Hail to the Chief: PW Talks to Incoming ALA President Molly Raphael
At the ALA annual conference in New Orleans, June 23–28, Portland, Ore., librarian Molly Raphael will take the reins as ALA president.
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The New Normal: The Simmering Challenge Facing Librarians
It's been a tough year for libraries and librarians. Nationwide, it's been hard to miss headlines about budget cuts, staff reductions, library closures, as well as the questions surrounding the necessity of libraries, librarians—and books—in the digital age.
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Doctors, Comic Books and Healing: Chicago’s Comics & Medicine Conference 2011
The second annual Comics & Medicine conference took place the weekend of June 9-11 in Chicago, bringing together a host of speakers and cartoonists, among them Scott McCloud, John Porcellino, David Small and Hillary Chute, to focus on the melding of graphic illustration in the field of healthcare both as a teaching tool and as a means of healing.
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Schnackenberg and Brand Win Griffin Poetry Prizes
Gjertrud Schnackenberg (Heavenly Questions) won the 2011 Griffin Poetry Prize in the international poetry category, and Dionne Brand Ossuaries was awarded the prize in the Canadian category at a ceremony last night in Toronto. Each received a check for C$65,000. The prize is the largest in the world for a single book of poetry in English. Each of the seven finalists receives C$10,000 and participates in readings for a crowd of about 1,000 people the night before the award is presented.
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ALA Preview 2011
Our ALA 2011 Preview--six takes on the conference.
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Symbiosis: ALA 2011
In each issue of Publishers Weekly, the problem of survival for the book industry is regularly viewed from virtually every angle but one: teacher librarians. As teacher librarians, we are professionals dedicated to the book industry's goals. We work tirelessly for you all day long (and many evenings, too). True, booksellers take your work and fold it into the hands of readers. But we are creating those readers, your audience—your future.
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Save the Libraries: ALA 2011
These are the books that defined my childhood. Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case; The Secret of the Old Clock; Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret; Flowers in the Attic; Gone with the Wind. They thrilled me. They made me feel like I wasn't alone in the world. They told me about my history. They made me want to be a writer. And they were all recommended to me by my local Jonesboro, Ga., librarians. But today, a financial tsunami is devastating our library systems. Librarians and staff are being fired. Hours are being cut, doors closed, kids left behind—and futures destroyed.
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You Might Like... Authors at ALA 2011
Beyond the bestsellers and brand names, PW has scanned the author list for some children's favorites, sleeper choices, and critic's picks well worth seeking out. Please refer to the official conference program for exact details and times, as they may change. Also, note that some authors are making multiple appearances, some with different publishers.
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Authors @ ALA: ALA Preview 2011
Amid budget stress, technological change, and a tough political climate, librarians and vendors will descend on New Orleans, June 23-28, for the 135th annual American Library Association Annual Conference. Of course, library issues will be an important focus, but as any librarian will tell you, authors are the lifeblood of the conference. This year, more than 300 authors from 50 publishers will join librarians in New Orleans, appearing on panels, at booth signings, breakfasts, receptions and in the ALA auditorium speaker series.
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Brewster's Millions: ALA Preview 2011
At the ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego, a standing-room-only panel focused on how e-books will affect the future of libraries. From research and pilot programs to digitizing efforts, libraries have long helped prepare the way for e-books. But now that the consumer market for e-books has taken off, are libraries in danger of being marginalized?
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The Big Uneasy: ALA Preview 2011
Managing budget pressure is a way of life for library administrators. But as librarians gather in New Orleans for the 2011 ALA Annual Conference, a snapshot of public library budgets across the nation shows the lingering "Great Recession" is still devastating library services—even as demand for those services rises.
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Canadian Booksellers National Conference: E-books for Stores; Fewer Retailers Attend
Booksellers gathered in Toronto over the weekend for the third annual Canadian Booksellers Association National Conference. The three-day event focused on practical ways for booksellers to compete in the current market, and delegates previewed two new innovations from separate Canadian firms—Transcontinental Printing and Enthrill Entertainment—that promise to help bricks and mortar stores participate in the sale of e-books.
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Pen World Voices: Getting Real with Superheroes
New York City's Cooper Union was the scene for "Get Super Lit," a unique extravaganza of comic art projected on a wide film screen with voice acting and musical accompaniment, held as part of the PEN World Voices Festival.
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From Alligators to Addiction: Children and Teen Fare at the L.A. Times Festival of Books
Sunday, May 1, the second day of the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, held on the campus of the University of Southern California, was all about the children.
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