ALA’s Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 24-29, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (WWCC) and surrounding hotels offers a full program agenda and an array of guest speakers culminating with members converging on Capitol Hill to express their support for library-friendly funding and policies to the U.S. Congress. The effort is designed to serve as a visual reminder to members of Congress that libraries still matter.
For this year only, Library Advocacy Day June 29, hosted by the ALA Washington Office, will replace National Library Legislative Day. Advocates from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., will meet at 11 a.m. at Upper Senate Park on the Capitol grounds for a rally before meeting with their elected officials and staffs. Registration for the rally is not required but is recommended. Visit ala.org/lad for more information.
Other conference highlights follow. For room locations and additional programming, consult the conference program (PDF file).
President’s Program
ALA President Camila Alire will host Eppo Van Nispen tot Sevenaer, who will tell his inspiring story in a talk, “Libraries Wanted: Dead or Alive,” Sunday, June 27, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., during the President’s Program. He will take attendees on an inspirational trip through the universe and the future onto a new horizon. An inspirational speaker, Van Nispen’s vision on the future of media and libraries is acclaimed by world leaders and visionaries.
After a successful career in broadcasting, where he was among the first to work on interactive formats, Van Nispen decided to dedicate his knowledge of media and how people use media to work on the future for libraries. He started the DOK Library Concept Center in Delft, a small city near Amsterdam in the Netherlands with one of the best technical universities in the world. DOK’s mission is to build the world’s most modern library. In 2008, DOK was designated by international experts as the worldwide number one library in innovation. In 2009, DOK was appointed the best library of the Netherlands.
Celebrity circle
A line-up of luminaries will speak throughout the conference, including during the popular Auditorium Speakers Series.
Nobel Prize–winning author, editor, and professor Toni Morrison is Opening General Session speaker, Saturday, June 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Some of her acclaimed titles include: The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, and Beloved, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988. Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Her newest children’s books are Peeny Butter Fudge and Little Cloud and Lady Wind.
Closing Session speaker is New York Times bestselling author Amy Sedaris (I Like You: Hospitality under the Influence) Tuesday, June 29, from 9 to 10 a.m. She has appeared in several movies and television shows, and, with Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert, is a coauthor of Wigfield. Sedaris also cowrote Strangers with Candy, the hit television show on Comedy Central.
Author and legendary librarian action figure model Nancy Pearl, conducting an interview with Mary McDonagh Murphy, kicks off the Auditorium Speakers Series Saturday, June 26, from 8 to 9 a.m. in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the American classic To Kill a Mockingbird. Murphy is an Emmy award–winning filmmaker and author of the upcoming book Scout, Atticus, and Boo: A Celebration of 50 Years of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Pearl speaks about the pleasures of reading to library and community groups throughout the world and comments on books regularly on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor will speak Saturday, June 26, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Kidd grew up in the tiny town of Sylvester, Georgia, a place that deeply influenced her first novel, The Secret Life of Bees. She is also the author of The Dance of the Dissident Daughter and The Mermaid Chair, a number one New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction. Kidd’s newest book is Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story, coauthored with her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor.
Salman Rushdie will speak Saturday, June 26, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Rushdie is the author of 10 novels, including Grimus, Midnight’s Children, Shame, and The Satanic Verses as well as a collection of short stories, East, West.
Rushdie is former president of American PEN. His newest work of fiction, Luka and the Fire of Life, is scheduled for publication in November.
On Sunday, June 27, from 8 to 9 a.m., Sarah, Duchess of York, will address attendees. In August, the duchess will launch a new children’s book series, Helping Hands, that addresses a variety of experiences that children may encounter as they grow up and offers helpful tips for parents and kids. She is the author of many children’s books, including the New York Times bestselling Tea for Ruby.
In 1993, the duchess founded Children in Crisis to provide education and support for children in the world’s poorest and most conflicted countries. She is also coproducer of the film The Young Victoria.
American Libraries magazine hosts StoryCorps founder Dave Isay Sunday, June 27, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. In spirit and in scope, the StoryCorps oral history project models itself after the Works in Progress Administration of the 1930s, which recorded interviews across the country. To date, more than 50,000 people have participated in StoryCorps, many of whom have come as a part of special initiatives to reach underrepresented voices.
Isay is also the author or editor of four books that grew out of his public radio documentary work, including Listening Is an Act of Love, a New York Times bestseller. His new book is Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps.
During Isay’s program, the winners of American Libraries’ “Win a Spot with StoryCorps” essay contest will be introduced. They will be recording interviews with a mentor or colleague during the conference in a soundroom that will be set up especially for them.
The PLA President’s Program, part of the Auditorium Speakers Series, will feature enigmatologist– New York Times puzzle master Will Shortz Sunday, June 27, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
The only academically accredited puzzle master in the world, Shortz designed his own major program at Indiana University, which in 1974 led to his one-of-a-kind degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles. He has been puzzle master for NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday since the program’s start in 1987, crossword editor of the New York Times, editor of Games magazine for 15 years, and the founder and director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Shortz is also author or editor of more than 200 puzzle books.
Author Dennis Lehane will speak Monday, June 28, from 8 to 9 a.m. He is the author of eight novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Gone, Baby, Gone; The Given Day; Mystic River; and Shutter Island, as well as Coronado, a collection of short stories and a play.
A panel on graphic novels with David Small and Audrey Niffenegger, also part of the Speakers Series, is on tap for Monday, June 28, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Small, a former college art teacher turned novelist, wrote and illustrated a picture book, Eulalie and the Hopping Head, which was published in 1981. His drawings have also appeared in The New Yorker and the New York Times.
Small’s books have been translated into several languages, made into animated films and musicals, and have won many top awards, including a 1997 Caldecott Honor and the Christopher Medal for The Gardene, written by his wife, Sarah Stewart, and the 2001 Caldecott Medal for So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George.
Niffenegger is the author of the international bestseller The Time Traveler’s Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry. Her new book, The Night Bookmobile, is scheduled to be published in September.
John Grisham , author of 21 novels, will address attendees Monday, June 28, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
His works include A Time to Kill, The Firm, and The Pelican Brief. He is in the process of writing his first children’s book series, aimed at readers ages 8–12. The first book in the series is Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, which follows the adventures of a 13-year-old amateur attorney who unwittingly becomes involved in a high-profile murder trial.
The final speaker in the series is Junot Díaz, Monday, June 28, from 3 to 4 p.m.
Díaz exploded into the literary scene in 1996 with Drown, a collection of short stories that was one of the first books to illuminate the lives of Dominican-American immigrants. His first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Díaz’s fiction has been published in The New Yorker and The Paris Review, and four times in the Best American Short Stories.
Program special guests
The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends, and Foundations (ALTAFF) will host “Isn’t it Romantic?” Saturday, June 26,from 10:30 a.m. to noon, featuring Madeline Hunter; New York Times bestselling author Beth Harbison; Sophia Nash, whose first three novels won eight national awards, including the prestigious RITA Award; Mary Blayney, author of both contemporary and regency romances; historical romance author Elizabeth Hoyt; and Kristan Higgins, author of several award-winning romantic comedies.
Award-winning fiction author Dan Chaon, whose most recent title, Await Your Reply: A Novel, was a 2010 ALA Notable Books List selection, will speak at the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Literary Tastes Breakfast Sunday, June 28, from 8 to 10 a.m. Other authors scheduled to appear are: Laney Salisbury (Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art) and Adriana Trigiani (Very Valentine).
Breakfast tickets start at $50 for RUSA members. Visit ala.org/rusa.
ALTAFF will host “Authors Come in All Colors” Sunday, June 27, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. with poet and teacher R. Dwayne Betts; Randa Jarrar, whose novel A Map of Home won a Hopwood Award and an Arab-American Book Award; Dolen Perkins-Valdez, professor of creative writing at the University of Puget Sound; New York Times bestselling author Kimberla Lawson Roby; Artist Arthur, winner of the YOUnity Guild’s Best New Drama and Romance Author Award; and Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson.
“First Author, First Book,” hosted by ALTAFF, will be held Monday, June 28, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Featured authors are: Jean Kwok, whose work has been published in Story magazine and Prairie Schooner; Jay Varner, who earned an MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington; Eugenia Kim, an MFA graduate of Bennington College; Daphne Kalotay, whose book Calamity and Other Stories was shortlisted for the 2005 Story Prize; and Yale graduate Mitchell James Kaplan, who has worked as a translator, screenwriter, and script consultant.
ALTAFF’s “Gala Author Tea” will take place Monday, June 28, from 2 to 4 p.m. with crime fiction writer Laura Lippman; Sharyn McCrumb, whose books have been named notable books of the year by the New York Times and Los Angeles Times; Carolyn Parkhurst, author of the national bestseller The Dogs of Babel; Sophie Hannah, author of the psychological thrillers Little Face and The Wrong Mother; and award-winning writer Heidi W. Durrow.
Attendees will enjoy tea, coffee, finger sandwiches, and a variety of sweet treats. Booksignings will follow, with some titles given away and others available for purchase at a discount. Advance tickets are $35 ($30 ALTAFF members); onsite, $45. Visit ala.org/altaff.
“Leave Your Sleep—A Performance and Presentation” featuring acclaimed songwriter and performer Natalie Merchant will take place Monday, June 28, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Merchant will share selections from her new 2CD set of songs adapted from works of various classic and contemporary poets. Her first studio on recording since 2003, the album is the culmination of six years of research and collaboration.
Division presidents shine
In addition to the PLA president’s program with Will Shortz that is part of the Auditorium Speakers Series, the following are other programs that are being hosted by division leaders.
American Association of School Librarians—Cassandra Bennett: “Leading the Transformation of Education for the 21st Century” with Allison Zmuda, faculty member in the Understanding by Design cadre, with Education Connection in Litchfield, Connecticut, staff consultant, and consulting firm owner, Saturday, June 26, from 10:30 a.m. to noon
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)/Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies /Library Leadership and Management Association Joint Program—Lori A. Goetsch, Brenda K. Bailey-Hainer, and Gina Millsap: “ Capitalizing on Crisis: Leading Libraries in the Post-Recession Era” with keynote speakers discussing declining funding, library closings, service eliminations, and staff layoffs, Saturday, June 26, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Association of Library Collections and Technical Services—Mary Case: “Got Data? New Roles for Libraries in Shaping 21st Century Research” with Francine Berman, vice president for research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , Monday, June 28, from 10:30a.m. to noon.
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Charlemae Rollins President’s Program—Thom Barthelemess, with Patricia Kuhl, codirector of the University of Washington Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, on her research and findings on infants’ early language and later reading skills, Monday, June 28, from 8 to 10 a.m.
ALTAFF—Rose Mosley: “Going Back to the Playground to Help People Work Together Better” with Katharine Giacalone, manager and president of Giacalone and Associates LLC, Sunday, June 27, from 4 to 5 p.m.
Library and Information Technology Association—Michelle L. Frisque: “Four or More: The
New Demographic” with Mary Madden, senior research specialist, Pew Internet and American Life Project, Sunday, June 27, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Reference and User Services Association—Susan Beck: “For the Love of Reference” with a mix of reference librarians, library educators, and information diggers, Monday, June 28, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)—Linda W. Braun: Part of the division’s Membership Meeting/Using District Days and other events to advocate for teens and libraries, this year’s program will be a virtual program and available online. Learn how to advocate for teens and libraries by being a part of ALA’s Library Advocacy Day on the Hill June 29. District Days can be held at libraries nationwide in August during the congressional recess, Monday, June 29, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Hot topics
ALA’s governing Council will tackle many issues that affect the Association and librarianship as a whole throughout the conference (see sidebar for schedule), but a variety of other meetings and programs will delve into issues of concern.
ALA Membership Meetings are scheduled for Saturday, June 26, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., and Monday, June 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.The two sessions offer opportunities for all members to address ALA leaders on any topic and to vote on resolutions. Open forums will be held on the topic of “Forming Strong Alliances: Non-library Partnerships.”
“It’s All Politics,” sponsored by ALTAFF, Saturday, June 26, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., will include award-winning National Public Radio reporter Deborah Amos; David Finkel, a staff writer for the Washington Post and leader of the Post’s national reporting team; Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research; David Kilcullen, an expert on counterinsurgency and modern warfare; and Robert E. Pierre, reporter and editor at the Washington Post.
For ALTAFF’s “Murder in Connecticut vs. Cheshire Public Library” Sunday, June 27, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Cheshire (Conn.) Public Library Director Ramona Harten will discuss what a library needs to know when facing a book challenge, and what advocates can do to support their library. A violent murder shocked Cheshire, and a book, written from interviews given by one of the accused killers, was published before the trial. The library bought the book, which was challenged before it even arrived.
The Black Caucus of ALA’s (BCALA) Dr. John C. Tyson Award Committee will host “What Do I Need to Know? Strategies for Career Growth and Promotion Sunday, June 28, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
The program is designed to impart career strategies to librarians preparing for promotion and leadership. A panel of veteran librarians will discuss their career paths to higher management positions and provide similar strategies for 21st century librarians.
ALA’s Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship (COSWL) will cosponsor a program Sunday, June 27th, at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the progress of the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) Project in developing grassroots support and legislative action toward creating a permanent, physical site for a national museum dedicated to the accomplishments of women in America.
Former COSWL Chair Kathleen de la Peña McCook will provide remarks. Featured presenter, NWHM President/CEO Joan Wages, will discuss continuing efforts for congressional passage of legislation paving the way for museum construction as well as provide ways people can participate in these efforts.
The program is cosponsored by several ALA units—ACRL’s Women’s Studies Section, the Social Responsibilities Round Table-Feminist Task Force, and the Library History Round Table—and the Association for Library and Information Science Education.
McCook, distinguished professor at the University of Florida, School of Library and Information Science in Tampa, will also deliver the 2010 Dr. Jean Coleman Library Outreach Lecture Monday, June 28, from 8 to 10 a.m., sponsored by ALA’s Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS).
The lecture, “Librarians and Human Rights” will present a historical and cultural analysis of librarians’ role in human rights as defined by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. McCook will highlight the convergence of the goals of library workers and the human rights movement and how librarians can work to achieve a more equitable society in the United States as a compassionate nation among others.
This year’s track programs include 12 Grassroots Programs on a variety of topics selected by a jury of practitioners chosen from past and present ALA Emerging Leaders. The programs are an initiative to increase opportunities for members to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from their Association. The purpose of this initiative is to broaden opportunities for ALA members to present programs at Annual Conference and to compress the planning schedule to accommodate programs on very current issues.
A sampling of Grassroots Programs include:
- “ Liven Up Your Story Times!” Saturday, June 26, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Join authors Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker, authors of the ALA Editions bestseller Storytime Magic, for a showdown full of fresh ideas, practical tricks, easy flannel boards, finger plays, sign language rhymes, and other activities. Presenters will demonstrate how to keep your audience’s attention, transition smoothly between activities, and keep kids and parents coming back for more.
- “Recruiting Undergraduates to the Library Profession: A Melton Success Story” Monday, June 28, from 8 to 10 a.m. By the end of the next decade, nearly 60% of current librarians will reach retirement age. Most library school recruitment programs target students at the graduate school or post-graduate level, but an initiative funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation was designed to attract and introduce undergraduate students to the library profession. Speakers will include: Ray English; Meg Spencer; Monika Rhue; Corey Baker; Daisy Larios; Miranda Rivers; Neely Terrell; and Jennifer Thompson.
Grassroots Programs will be designated in the final program on a special page that will include the date and time of their presentation and also by a logo designating them as a “Grassroots Program.”
Welcome to “The Stacks”
The exhibit area, known as “The Stacks” will open Friday, June 25,a day earlier than in previous years. More than 1,500 exhibitors, featuring favorite authors and illustrators as well as an array of products, await visitors in WWCC Halls A, B, and C Friday, June 25, through Monday, June 28. Hours are: Friday, June 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Monday, June 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and opening reception sponsored by the exhibitors, ALA’s Exhibits Round Table, and ALA takes place Friday, June 25, from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m., with food, music, and giveaways.
Special exhibit floor events include:
- What’s Cooking at ALA? Cookbook Stage with displays of the latest cookbooks and daily appearances by chefs preparing the hottest recipes on the Demonstration Stage and autographing their latest books.
- The PopTop Stage–Mystery, Romance and Travel featuring readings, discussions, and presentations. AL will present Mobile ILS Showdown Saturday, June 26, from 10 to 11 a.m. on the PopTop Stage.
As expectation for mobile access to library catalogs rises, ILS vendors rise to the occasion to serve patrons with small screens in a big way. The landscape includes mobile apps, mobile browser-friendly OPACs, location-aware mash-ups, and delivery services that have the potential to rival that of Netflix. In this panel discussion, several major ILS vendors come together to show off their current offerings for mobile-based discovery and delivery and talk up their strategies for the future of this ever-changing marketplace.
- DVD/Video Pavilion that will showcase recorded materials for libraries of all types.
- Gaming Pavilion featuring game manufacturers, platform companies, and vendors offering electronic, board, and card games as well as other products and services used for curriculum-based teaching and recreation.
- Green Pavilion showcasing products and services to help libraries “Go Green,” including furniture, signage, lighting, architectural or space-planning services, and computer recycling.
- “Live @your library” Reading Stage Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, June 26–28 from noon to 4 p.m., with readings from new and favorite authors. Learn how to develop author programs for your library and find new recommendations for patrons.
Don’t forget souvenirs
Take time to see what’s new at the ALA Store, located near registration outside the exhibit hall. Hours are: Friday, June 25, from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sunday, June 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Monday, June 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
ALA Graphics has new and favorite Celebrity READ posters, including Taraji P. Henson, Queen Rania, Hugh Laurie, Jonas Brothers, Eclipse, New Moon, and Twilight. Also available are a wide selection of posters and bookmarks for young readers and teens, featuring such characters as Bone, the Wild Things, and Percy Jackson.
The new 2010 promotional materials for Banned Books Week and Teen Read Week will also be available. Need a gift for someone back home? The Read Renew Return product line, as well as the Born to Read and READ products, will ensure you find a special item. Pick up your conference souvenirs, including the official T-shirt.
ALA Editions has both new and favorite books available, including The Librarian’s Book of Lists by AL Direct Editor George M. Eberhart; Designing Space for Children and Teens in Libraries and Public Places by Sandra Feinberg and James R. Keller; Public Libraries Going Green by Kathryn Miller; and Children’s Services by Betsy Diamant-Cohen.
In the latest installment of ALA TechSource’s Library Technology Reports, Gadgets and Gizmos: Personal Electronics and the Library, AL blogger and library technology expert Jason Griffey provides a comprehensive guide to the present and future of modern gadgets, and how they can fit into any librarian’s plan for a high-tech future. Also at the store: Intellectual Freedom Manual, Eighth Edition from OIF; Risky Business by Linda W. Braun, Hillias Jack Martin, and Connie Urquhart for YALSA; and Multicultural Programs for Tweens and Teens by Linda B. Alexander and Nahyun Kwon for YALSA.
Stop by and pick up a free catalog and enter to win a $50 gift certificate from ALA Editions.
For the fun of it
A number of events, some of which are ticketed, will be held, including gala division and round table meal events, featuring ALA’s youth media award winners, such as ALSC’s Newbery/Caldecott Banquet. Consult the conference program for specific dates and times. All tickets, if available, can be purchased in the Registration Area.
BCALA will celebrate 40 years of advocacy and improvement of library services and resources to the nation’s African-American community and recruitment and professional development for African-American librarians Friday, June 25, from 6;30 to 11 p.m. at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., 801 K St. NW (across from WWCC).
There will be a special tribute to E. J. Josey and Effie Lee Morris, presentation of the Trailblazer Award, and musical entertainment. Tickets are $50 in advance and can be purchased online at bcala
.org. For more information, contact Emily Guss at eguss@uic.edu or Allene Hayes at ahay@loc.gov.
“Many Voices, One Nation” Friday, June 25, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. will feature Benjamin Alire Sáenz and R. Dwayne Betts
Sáenz, an artist, poet, novelist, and children’s books author, has received a number of awards, including a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in poetry, a Lannan Poetry Fellowship, and an American Book Award. His titles include Carry Me Like Water, In Perfect Light, and He Forgot to Say Goodbye. Sáenz’s latest novel is Last Night I Sang to the Monster.
Betts is a poet who has been published in many national literary journals and has taught poetry in Washington, D.C., metro area public schools. At the age of 16, Betts, a good student from a lower-middle-class family, car-jacked a man with a friend in Virginia. This act resulted in an eight-year prison sentence in adult population in some of the worst prisons in the state. His book, A Question of Freedom, is a coming-of-age story with the unique twist that it takes place in prison.
A maximum of 300 free tickets to Many Voices, One Nation, will be free to conference attendees through sponsorship by Gale.
The 13th annual Diversity and Outreach Fair, hosted by ALA’s OLOS and sponsored by DEMCO, is scheduled for Saturday, June 26, from 3 to 5 p.m. The theme is accessible library services, in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The fair provides an opportunity for libraries and member groups to share their successful diversity and outreach initiatives. First-, second- and third-place prizes will be awarded for best displays.
Five of the leading bookmobile builders in the United States—All-American Specialty Vehicles, Matthews Specialty Vehicles, Meridian Specialty Vehicles, OBS, Inc., and Farber —will sponsor the fifth-annual Bookmobile Sunday, June 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., organized by ALA’s OLOS, the OLOS Subcommittee on Bookmobiles, and the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS).
Bookmobile Sunday will feature a keynote address by W. Ralph Eubanks, director of Publishing at the Library of Congress; a luncheon with Andrew Smith, author of Ghost Medicine and In the Path of Falling Objects; and moderated discussions on advocacy, eco-friendly vehicles and fuels, mobile service options, Bookmobiles 101, and marketing. A book signing and parade of bookmobiles, where attendees can board and explore a comprehensive range of bookmobiles, conclude the event.
Registration, both online and onsite, is $25 and includes lunch. To register, visit www.ala.org/annual.
Back by popular demand is the Sixth Annual Book Cart Drill Team World Championships Sunday, June 27, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Join ALA’s Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association Sunday, June 27, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. for a six-course Chinese dinner in honor of its 30th anniversary. It will be held at China Garden, 1100 Wilson Blvd., Twin Towers–Mall Level, Rosslyn, Virginia. Franklin Odo. retired director of the Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Program, will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are $35 for APALA members, $40 for nonmembers, and $45 at the door, if available. For more information, send an e-mail message to bbasco@mail.ucf.edu.
The ALA/Proquest Scholarship Bash will be held Saturday, June 26, from 7 to 11 p.m. , at the new Newseum, offering attendees an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 onsite. Proceeds go toward ALA scholarships for students seeking master’s degrees in library science, including Spectrum!
Comedian, writer, and ALTAFF national spokesperson Paula Poundstone will headline “The Laugh’s On Us!,” which will feature top comedians and authors, Sunday, June 27, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wine and cheese will be served, and a booksigning will follow. Some books will be given away free and others will be available at discount. Advance tickets are $45 ($40 for ALTAFF division members). Onsite tickets are $45.
Featured will be performer and poet Roy Blount Jr.; comedian and former Saturday Night Live star Jim Breuer; Edward Ugel, blogger for the Huffington Post and contributing writer for the New York Times; comedy writer Julie Klausner; Kathy Kinney, who played Mimi on The Drew Carey Show; veteran publishing executive Cindy Ratzlaff; and Stephanie Dolgoff, editor-at-large of Parenting and a blogger for More.com.
The Inaugural Banquet for incoming ALA President Roberta Stevens will take place Tuesday, June 29, from 7 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $85 and available through Registration.
Immediately preceding the Inaugural Banquet is the ALA Awards Ceremony, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tickets are not required for the Awards Ceremony.
Virtual Conference
Unable to attend the Annual Conference or missed a session? Participate right from your personal computer during the ALA Virtual Conference. A full series of 11 interactive Web sessions will take place Wednesday, July 7, and Thursday, July 8, after the 2010 Annual Conference beginning each day at 11 a.m. (EST)/8 a.m. (PST and ending at 5 p.m. (EST) 2 p.m. (PST). Each day will start with a keynote speaker, include various sessions, plus an optional virtual author lunch. All sessions will be one hour in length, followed by 30 minutes of down time.
Attend sessions individually or with a group. Buy the package at $300 and get up to 15 IP addresses to share among employees, branches, or departments. The cost is $69 for individuals. Visit ala.org to register
All full registrants to the ALA Conference will have access to the sessions after the conference. Contact Mandy Marneris at amarneris@ala.org or 312-280-3220.
Business/Financial Meetings
The following is the schedule for the business and financial meetings, including the Executive Board, Council, Membership, Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC),and the ALA–Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA):
Friday, June 25
- Executive Board I, 8:30 a.m.–noon
- BARC, noon–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 26
- Membership Meeting I, 3:30–5 p.m.
Sunday, June 27
- Council/Executive Board/Membership Information Session, 9–10 a.m.
- Council I, 10 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
- ALA–APA Information and Council, 12:15–12:45p.m.
Monday, June 28
- Council II, 9–11:30 a.m.
- Membership Meeting II, 11:30 a.m. –1 p.m.
- Executive Board II, 1:30–4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
- Council III, 7–10:30 a.m. (new time to accommodate Library Advocacy Day)
- Executive Board III, 1-4:30 p.m.
Counseling at Placement Center
The ALA JobLIST Placement Center will provide free career counseling sessions Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27, with Caitlin Williams, a career development consultant and coach from San Jose, California.
To sign up for a free 20-minute session, send an e-mail message to bcalvin@ala.org; use “AN Career Counseling” in the subject line and indicate date and time preferences. Sessions can also be scheduled during the conference at the scheduling booth in the Placement Center.
An open house will also be held Sunday, June 27, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. with representatives from various libraries and library-related companies. There is no cost to participate in the open house.
Provided by ALA’s Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, the Placement Center offers free services to job seekers. Job seekers should register and search for jobs at joblist.ala.org. Registration is not required, but is recommended. Registration will give employers access to your résumé information and allows for direct communication between job seekers and employers.
Employers who want to post positions should post them at joblist.ala.org. Employers who want to use the interviewing facilities or review resumes must have an active ad on JobLIST. Booths are also available.
