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.

Brand Names

This year's opening general session (June 24, 2011 4–5:15 p.m. in Morial Center auditorium) is sponsored by Dutton Books and features Dan Savage, author of the syndicated column "Savage Love" and the man who with his husband, Terry Miller, spearheaded the emotional It Gets Better viral video campaign on YouTube after a rash of gay teen suicides. The effort has since evolved into a nonprofit organization and a national movement, with more than 10,000 videos, including videos from public libraries in Salt Lake City and Philadelphia, as well as from celebrities and dignitaries, including President Barack Obama. It has also, of course, led to a book. In March, Dutton published It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living, edited by Savage and Terry Miller. Savage will sign books after the event.

The closing general session (June 28, 9–10 a.m., in the Morial Center auditorium) is sponsored by Abrams Books and will feature Emmy-nominated Saturday Night Live actress Molly Shannon, whose debut children's book, Tilly the Trickster, will be published in September by Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Bestsellers

The auditorium speaker series is loaded with popular, bestselling authors. The Mystery Panel (June 25, 8–9 a.m.), sponsored by HarperCollins and Penguin Young Readers, features J.A. Jance, the New York Times bestselling author of the J.P. Beaumont series as well as the Joanna Brady series and the Ali Reynolds series, and Harlan Coben, a New York Times bestselling author, with more than 47 million copies in print worldwide, as well as being the first author to win an Edgar Award, a Shamus Award, and an Anthony Award.

Sponsored by Abrams Books for Young Readers and Amulet Books, Jeff Kinney, named one of Time magazine's most influential people in the world, will take the stage (Saturday, June 25, 10:30–11:30 a.m.) to talk about his success turning on "reluctant readers" through his megabestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, which has more than 35 million books in print in the United States; the books have been sold in more than 30 countries around the world.

Sponsored by Simon & Schuster, William Joyce (Saturday, June 25, 1:30–2:30 pm) will discuss his groundbreaking work in children's media, including picture books like George Shrinks and Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo. Joyce has also taken home three Emmy awards for his Rolie Polie Olie animated series, developed character concepts for Toy Story and A Bug's Life, and his films include Robots and Meet the Robinsons.

Current Affairs

What would a library conference be without Google? Sponsored by the University of California Press, author, media scholar, and librarian favorite Siva Vaidhyanathan (Saturday, June 25, 3:30–4:30 p.m.) will discuss his latest book, The Googlization of Everything (and Why We Should Worry), which examines the ways Google is permeating our lives.

Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do? (Monday, June 27, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.), will surely extend the Google discussion, as well as other current media trends. Jarvis, who blogs about media and news at Buzzmachine.com, is associate professor and director of the Interactive Journalism Program and the New Business Models for News project at the City University of New York's Graduate School of Journalism.

In the age of Wikileaks, you won't want to miss Daniel Ellsberg (Sunday, June 26, 8–9:15 a.m.), the man the Nixon administration once dubbed "The Most Dangerous Man in America." Ellsberg, a former United States military analyst, was at the center of a national controversy in 1971 when he released the Pentagon Papers, which revealed the Pentagon's thinking on the Vietnam War, to news organizations. The talk is sponsored by the Social Responsibilities Round Table, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, and Video Round Table.

Sponsored by W.W. Norton, Brooke Gladstone (Sunday, June 26, 10:30–11:30 a.m.) will discuss her first book, The Influencing Machine, published by Norton this month. Gladstone is cohost and managing editor of NPR's award-winning On the Media and has won a Peabody Award, two Murrow Awards, and the National Press Club's press criticism award.

And Much More...

The PLA President's Program and Awards Presentation (Sunday, June 26, 1–2:30 p.m.), sponsored by HarperCollins, features the husband and wife team of writer-producer David Simon and mystery author Laura Lippman as keynote speakers. Simon is the writer and producer of the award-winning Homicide and The Wire and most recently the New Orleans HBO hit Treme. Lippman is the bestselling author of What the Dead Know and Life Sentences.

Sponsored by DAW and Tor, the Science Fiction/Fantasy Panel (Monday, June 27, 10:30–11:30 a.m.) features C.J. Cherryh, the award-winning author of more than 30 novels, including Tripoint, Cyteen, and The Pride of Chanur, and Brandon Sanderson, the New York Times bestselling author of The Hero of Ages and Warbreaker, who is also set to complete Robert Jordan's bestselling Wheel of Time series with the long awaited A Memory of Light.

The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF), a group that exists to connect authors with libraries, Friends groups, and library foundations to mutual benefit, has a strong program on tap. Among the ALTAFF offerings (some of which are ticketed events): The ALTAFF President's Program, on June 27, featuring bestselling author and library advocate Marilyn Johnson, author of This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians can Save Us All .

"Celebrating Southern Writers" (June 25, 1:30–3:30 p.m. Morial Convention Center, room 335–336) features Tayari Jones, John Hart, Jennifer Niven, Pat MacEnulty, Kevin Wilson, and Kathleen Kent. "Tales from the Heart: Literary Memoirs" (June 25, 4–5:30 p.m., Morial Convention Center, room 283) features Brianna Karp, Wendy McClure, Theresa Weir, Rachel Hadas, and Margaux Fragoso. "Mystery and Horror @ Your Library" (June 26, 10:30 a.m.–noon, Morial Convention Center, room 268) features S.J. Watson, C.S. Harris, Erica Spindler, Bill Loehfelm, and Cammie McGovern. "First Author, First Book" (June 26, 1:30–3:30 p.m., Morial Convention Center, room 269) features Sen. Bob Graham, Neil Abramson, Jon Michaud, Eleanor Henderson, and Ellen Bryson. "Isn't It Romantic?" (June 27, 8–10 a.m., Morial Convention Center room 339) features Robyn Carr, Adrienne McDonnell, Brenda Jackson, Stephanie Laurens, and Julie James.

The Gala Author Tea (June 27, 2–4 p.m., Morial Convention Center, room 293–296) will feature Nevada Barr, Amanda Kyle Williams, Dorothea Benton Frank, Eleanor Brown, Susan Wiggs, and Elizabeth Wiggs Maas, and a special guest, the bestselling author and vocal library advocate behind the Save the Libraries initiative, Karin Slaughter.

See all of the features in our ALA 2011 preview.