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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
