Official BEA Librarian Blogger

Tools Librarians Will Love!

2012-02-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

Like a lot of librarians I know, I've become deeply smitten with Pinterest, the online bulletin board, where I've collected program ideas, recipes, book suggestions, and, for especially for you this Valentine's Day, some Literary Valentines! I keep myself organized at home and work with physical bulletin boards, so I really liked that I could start doing the same thing digitally. There's a growing number of librarians, authors, and publishers on Pinterest (including BEA!), so there's a lot of things ready to be discovered. Right now Pinterest is invite only, but they are not too hard to get a hold of---I'd bet if you're on twitter and put a call out, someone could send one your way pretty quickly.

There's also a bunch of literary tumblrs, which are more for fun but can also be looked at as interesting marketing tools for libraries. The Millions has a nice round up of literary tumblrs, including one of my favorites, Awesome People Reading. There's also the librarianheygirl tumblr, starring everyone's favorite dude Ryan Gosling, which is very therapeutic to read on the roughest of days.

Do you use Pinterest or Tumblr? Have any great ones to share? Let us know in the comments!

Reading Resolutions

2012-01-17T06:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, BEA buddies! We’re only a couple of weeks into 2012 and I’ve already read a couple of great books, including The Shattering by Karen Healey and Sparks : the epic, completely true blue, (almost) holy quest of Debbie by S.J. Adams. As I continue into the year, I wanted to share with you some reading resolutions I’ve come up with for myself:

1. Read outside of my comfort zone.
For my job, I read a lot of picture books and other juvenile materials (beginning readers, chapter books, board books, etc), and for leisure reading I read a lot of young adult and science fiction and fantasy. I harbor no reading shame, but I also feel a bit of need to flex the critical reading skills I acquired in college. I have a Virginia Woolf book sitting on my shelf (which was a gift from a beloved college professor) that I have yet to read. I also have a lovely hardcover edition of Ulysses that my late mother bought for me ages ago that I want to have a go at, perhaps while eating a proper Irish breakfast somewhere.

2. Do a better job of tracking my reading in Goodreads.
I use goodreads to sort books that I’ve read into categories that I can turn to when I get reader’s advisory questions, or when I need books for a storytime. I am pretty good about tracking my reading, but I need to be more diligent about it, and do a better job with making notes about how I use certain books, or which books would suit which readers.

3. Be more willing to let books go.
I, like everyone else, only have so much time--yet I have this terrible habit of sticking with books far longer than I should. I’ve spent days reading books that bring me absolutely no enjoyment, but I have this sick need to finish what I’ve started. (And when that book happens to be the first in a series? Oh mylanta.) So I’m resolving to stick to a 50 page rule and let books go if they’re not doing it for me.

How about you--do you have any reading resolutions for the new year? And what books have you started off 2012 with?

Book Gift-Buying Guide

2011-12-15T06:21:00.000-08:00

Seems like this time of year everyone has a “Best of” list or a gift-buying guide, so I figured why shouldn’t I have one as well?

2011 Releases, in no particular order:
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen Good for: children who froth at the mouth when the alligator eats the monkeys during “Five Little Monkeys Swingin’ in the Tree”, meme lovers (this book has spawned a ton of imitators, check it out), Charley Harper fans.

Hark! A Vagrant! by Kate Beaton Good for: history nerds, literature nerds, middle and high schoolers who hate their history class, fans of Drunk History on funny or die.

Star Trek Book of Opposites by David Borgenicht. Good for: nerds with babies, nerds. Did I mention nerds? People who have trouble with opposites.

Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein Good for: Poetry lovers, children, Johnny Cash fans (you can check and see if they know that Shel wrote “A Boy Named Sue” and was actually quite a formidable musician in his own right (write? right)).

Press Here by Herve Tullet. Good for: anyone with a soul and a sense of wonder.

The Conductor by Laetitia Devernay. Good for: music geeks. Every time they read the book, they can play a different piece of music and totally change their experience.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. Good for: Ironic fans of America’s Next Top Model, Toddlers and Tiaras, pretty much any reality show ever, crazysauce yet brave writing.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Good for: Romance fans, Francophiles, movie buffs.

Backlist Beauties, again in no particular order:
Boxed set of the Time Quartet by Madeline L’Engle. Good for: children who like speculative fiction, adults who like speculative fiction, those who like a faith message in their fiction, anyone who loves tall, gangly gingers (*raises hand*).

Anything by Russell Hoban. Good for: speculative fiction fans (Ridley Walker), children who sing to themselves (the Frances books), children and adults who are precociously philosophical (A Mouse and His Child).

Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Good for: people who give gifts out of their own selfish motivations rather than in the spirit of the season. You give this book to Twilight fans hoping to destroy their devotion to Mary Sue--I mean, Bella.

The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston. Good for: women and girls who feel like they’re never good or pretty enough, fans of Harold and Maude and Being There.

Suggested to me by my good friends on Twitter. I can’t personally recommend these, but I trust my Twitter pals:

A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Recommended by: http://twitter.com/#!/pnkrcklibrarian/status/145536086934949888

Aesop's Fables: A Pop-Up Book of Classic Tales by Kees Moerbeek, Bruce Whatley (Illustrator), Chris Beatrice (Illustrator)
http://twitter.com/#!/klmpeace/status/145591291500167168 (Kim also recommended Every Thing On It)

Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey
Recommended by: http://twitter.com/#!/AbelUndercity/status/145517073093771264

Serious Men: A Novel by Manu Joseph
Recommended by: http://twitter.com/#!/lizzieskurnick/status/145517852986834945

A Ship for The King by Richard Woodman
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Recommended by: http://twitter.com/#!/kdnorthrup/status/145529889070657536, http://twitter.com/#!/kdnorthrup/status/145529417022701570

You can find more information about all of these books via the Goodreads list I put together. Please try and support independent booksellers for your holiday gift giving, and you can always go to your local library to try before you buy. Happy holidays everyone!

Thanks

2011-11-21T06:38:00.000-08:00

I’m not big on holidays. When I was growing up my family didn’t make a big deal out of celebrating, an attitude which I’ve continued as an adult. I certainly don’t humbug anyone else’s celebrations, but for myself, holidays are mostly days where I don’t have to be at work and can gleefully spend binge reading novels or watching a marathon of favorite television shows.

Holidays are also a time when I indulge my favorite pastime, Thinking Too Much About Things. Right now I’m sure every library has a display of Thanksgiving books out, and I can’t help but cringe when I think about how many of those books--especially ones for children--are full of blatant misrepresentations of the “first” Thanksgiving and Native American peoples.

The Oyate website, which I learned about in library school as a multicultural resource, lists recommended books on the topic of Thanksgiving. This list, unless I am missing something, lists six books. Six.

How many Thanksgiving books do you currently have on display? Sixty? One hundred and sixty? Are any of them the books recommended by Oyate as being the “...most culturally appropriate and historically accurate books” available? (The blog American Indians in Children’s Literature is also an excellent resource on this topic). And how many of the books in your collection are on Oyate’s list of books to avoid?

It’s our job as librarians to provide the best information for our users, using a variety of tools and skills to make these judgments. There’s no one out there, I think, willing to cull their collection so drastically to leave only six books on such a popular topic...but maybe we should be. Maybe we should just buy multiple copies of books that we know to be accurate and appropriate. Perhaps then more books that adhere to those standards would be published.

This might be why I don’t get too deeply involved in holidays. Eventually I end up in a morass of conflicting thoughts and feelings, wondering what the right way to celebrate is, what the right thing to do is. The curse of Thinking Too Much About Things.

Here’s the full list of books recommended by Oyate. You’ll notice that many of them have publication dates from the mid nineties, with the most current one being 2001.

Recommended Books about Thanksgiving
Bruchac, Margaret M. (Abenaki), and Catherine Grace O'Neill, 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2001, grades 4-up
Hunter, Sally M. (Ojibwe), Four Seasons of Corn: A Winnebago Tradition. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1997, grades 4-6.
Peters, Russell M. (Wampanoag), Clambake: A Wampanoag Tradition. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1992, grades 4-6.
Regguinti, Gordon (Ojibwe), The Sacred Harvest: Ojibway Wild Rice Gathering. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1992, grades 4-6.
Seale, Doris (Santee/Cree), Beverly Slapin, and Carolyn Silverman (Cherokee), eds., Thanksgiving: A Native Perspective. Berkeley: Oyate, 1998, teacher resource.
Swamp, Jake (Mohawk), Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message. New York: Lee & Low, 1995, all grades.
Wittstock, Laura Waterman (Seneca), Ininatig's Gift of Sugar: Traditional Native Sugarmaking. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1993, grades 4-6

On a cheerier note, I did ask my twitter librarian friends what they were thankful for this year. A lot of them were thankful for their jobs...period; others were thankful that their jobs are so challenging in many ways; others were thankful for great coworkers and wonderful patrons.

This year I’m thankful for all of those things. I’m thankful I’ve found different, enriching ways to develop as an information professional (including writing for this blog), and I’m thankful that I have a job that I enjoy and am good at, and I am thankful that librarians everywhere continue to fight the good fight for what they believe in.

What are you thankful for?

The Cybil Awards; or,"if you liked it then you should have put a medal on it."

2011-10-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

Getting an award is a major achievement for any artist, and often provides a bump in prestige and notoriety than can make careers or break them. Awards are mostly joyous occasions (with some notable exceptions) that honor hard work and The American Library Association gives several awards every year, two of the most well known being the Newbery and the Caldecott, and of course there’s the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Nobel Prize, and my personal favorite, the Cybils awards.

So what are the Cybils? The cybils are the Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ book awards. If you’re not aware of/into the kidlit book blogging community, you’re missing some excellent reviews, discussions, interviews, and other invaluable resources, all written by extremely passionate and informed writers. I asked Anne Levy, the “Cybils Overlord” as she is known, why the book blogging community felt the need to start their own award and how they made it happen:

“The Cybils Awards began with a stray comment left on a book blog in 2006. The blogger complained the [now defunct] Quills were little more than a popularity contest, while her commenters moaned the ALA awards had gotten too snooty. So I chimed in saying if we’re all so smart, how come we don’t have our own awards? It didn’t take long for the comments, emails and blog posts to start flowing. Within days, we had a name , a blog, 80 volunteers and a mission to strike a middle ground, picking the books we found both literary and kid-friendly.’

“Now in our sixth season, Cybils boasts nearly 120 volunteers – all children’s and YA book bloggers – and just added an 11th genre, book apps. The contest spans from cradle to college, with books for tots and teens and everyone in between. Our schedule is roughly the same every year: nominations run Oct. 1st through 15th, with short lists posted on New Year’s Day and the winners announced on Valentine’s Day.”

I got involved with the Cybils last year, after they put a call out for judges in the easy reader/early chapter book category. I have to admit, it was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun. I got to read a whole lot of books that I might not have picked up otherwise, and I was forced to put on my critical thinking hat while I was reading, which is something I don’t always think to do. This year I am a second round judge for YA Fantasy and Science Fiction, which I’m extremely excited about. Speculative fiction is my first love, and its an honor to be a part of the second round judging for such a popular and coveted category.

I think the Cybils awards are a unique addition to the award landscape. Beginning with the nomination process, the Cybils get people talking about and reviewing books for roughly five months, which is great for authors and publishers alike. The panelists and judges also get the chance to read widely and critically, which will make for better reviewers and reader’s advisors in the long run. And throughout the process, the teams of judges have deep, rich discussions about the books (and now book apps) that they are judging, which allows kidlit enthusiasts to meet new people and forge new relationships and partnerships.

So this fall and winter, keep an eye on the Cybils site. You’ll see reviews and updates periodically, and who knows--you might just discover your new favorite book in the process!

Connections

2011-09-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

After reading a truly wonderful (or truly awful) book, my first impulse is “I must talk to someone about this!” Then, I probably also need suggestions about what my next read should be. I do this in various ways--talking to coworkers, reading journals, and I subscribe to over twenty kid/ya lit blogs with my read feeder.

When I need nearly instant gratification, however, I use twitter. Twitter is one of my favorite networking and social tools. It’s a great way to connect with people outside of your own institution without having to worry about the travel budget or time away. I have my favorite folks on there, but I also thought I’d see who other people liked:

View "Connections!" on Storify

As you can see, it connected me with some authors and readers I hadn’t connected with before, which is always a lot of fun.

As much as I love using twitter, facebook, and google+, however, I still crave old fashioned face to face time with people, which is why I borrowed a page from Elizabeth Bird’s book and started (with encouragement from Michelle Bayuk and James Kennedy) a Chicagoland Area Kidlit Drink night. As I am writing this, our first outing is still in the future-uture-uture (that was a space/time echo if you weren’t sure), but I am hoping it will be a rousing success. I used a facebook group and my twitter to spread the word, but ultimately the goal is to get everyone in a room and have some great conversations about books, readers, and reading. (I’ll probably be posting a recap, so don’t you fret if you’re desperately curious about how it will go/how it went.)

What about you? After reading a great book, how do you connect with other people? Do you have a book club? A book review blog? Do you gush or rant on twitter or facebook? Let me know!

Favorite books this year (so far)

2011-08-24T06:31:00.000-07:00

I’m terrible with summaries, so click through for synopses done by better people than I.

Young Adult
Ultraviolet by RJ Anderson. Beautiful, elegant speculative fiction, with a bit of mystery thrown in for good measure. You can read a detailed review on my blog here.
Chime by Frannie Billingsley. An original fairy-tale with a gothic flair. bonus factors: slow burning romance, a dark family secret, and fairy-folk. For fans of Victoria Holt, Jane Eyre, and swooning.
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. There’s a character who spends the entire book with a tray stuck through her head. What else do you need to know? For fans of crazysauce.
The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston. Woolston’s first novel, a Morris award winner, is tender, funny, and insightful. suitable for fans of John Green’s absorbing and deeply intelligent novels. I’ll be writing a more in-depth exploration of this title soon, but for now be content to know that I highly recommend it.

Middle Grade
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier. I wrote a little bit about this book and its author (and kittens) here, and even after this blurb I will have more to say about the book soon.
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. I just finished this Newbery award winning book and it was a very satisfying, wholesome book, the literary version of a meat and potatoes meal. I grew up in the Midwest and have family in Kansas, so the setting was very familiar and comforting to me, and I greatly enjoyed the story within a story technique employed by Vanderpool.

Nonfiction
Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage by Hazel Rowley. I like learning about larger periods of history through the narrow focus of a person’s life. This biography clearly outlined the marriage of Franklin and Eleanor and the unique nature of their partnership with honesty that never veered into sensationalism.

Adult Fiction
The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook. Oh, my; I read this after entering a steampunk phase inspired by Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan. It’s super steampunk goodness and I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I think it would make a good readalike for fans of Game of Thrones.

What are your favorite titles so far this year?

Ding, Dong the Book Is Dead!

2011-08-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

To anyone who is worried about the survival of the printed book I present this:

Yes, that is Captain Jean Luc Picard, enjoying a hardcover book in the 24th century.

Case closed. Books aren’t going anywhere.

…..

Okay. Fine. So maybe only sexy, refined men will continue to read hardcover books, and the rest of us will make use of paperback books, e-books, audio books…Ugh, I can’t even get worked up about it. We still have movies even with the advent of tv. Some are still in black and white even with color film. Not every movie is in 3D yet. We still have stage plays, for pete’s sake. Although cassettes and 8 tracks are gone, we still have Cds (for the moment) and records (enjoying a new resurgence). Radio is still around, and if you include podcasts its more popular than ever. And while digital books might be taking a larger share of the market, regular ol’ paper books are still being sold, and after everyone figures out their preferred mode of reading, sales will probably even out between the two.

The thing is, I wouldn’t worry about any of our storytelling mediums, because people will always want and need stories, and people will always have preferences for how they want to experience those stories. In Chicago, where I live, I’ve attended a couple of the Moth Storyslams, which is just live storytelling on a theme, and that event sells out every single month. If live storytelling—the oldest form of storytelling there is—still has a home in this world, then the beloved book has absolutely nothing to worry about.

But you don’t have to take MY word for it—check out these other articles for corroboration!

http://www.ebookanoid.com/2011/02/28/harpers-want-to-kill-library-ebook-lending-well-almost/
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/Kindle-Nook-Other-EReaders-Wrecking-Publishing-Industry-Report-407632/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384785,00.asp
http://www.readingreality.net/2011/05/will-ebooks-kill-print-books/
http://www.3news.co.nz/Man-aims-to-collect-one-of-every-book-ever-published/tabid/418/articleID/220745/Default.aspx

Welcome to the Official BEA 2012 Librarian Blogger!

2011-07-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

Before we introduce the 2012 Official BEA Librarian Blogger, we want to thank the 2011 Official BEA Librarian Blogger, Jill Dugas Hughes. We appreciate all of Jill’s work in helping BEA with our Librarian Blog for the 2011 event.

Now we would like to welcome the 2012 Official BEA Librarian Blogger: Julie Jurgens, Youth Services Librarian from Chicago, IL. Julie loves science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction, and can't imagine beginning the day without a good cup of coffee! Before attending library school, Julie (or Miss Julie if you're under 10) worked in early childhood education, which is a topic she'll gladly talk to you about as long as you let her. You can follow her on twitter at twitter.com/himissjulie, and, of course, here on the Official BEA Librarian Blog!

Please give Julie a warm welcome to the BEA blogosphere. We’re thrilled to be working with Julie for 2012 and look forward to her thoughts, insights, and to her creating some dynamic conversations with all our Librarian followers about the industry and BEA!

Pre BEA Conference Highlights

2011-05-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

The BEA exhibit hall doesn't open until tomorrow, but I have already been very impressed with the pre-conference! WOW! First, I stopped by the BEA info booth where a very knowledgeable *person* walked me through all the reasons to download the BEA event app on my iPhone. She was right, the app was just what I needed to organize my day! It was much easier to navigate than the website.
Next, I attended a FABULOUS session:
The E-Book Era is Now. What does it look like from the consumer perspective? And what do we do about it? Kelly Gallagher, General Manager, Business Intelligence, RR. Bowker, clearly articulated the growth and potential of the eBook market. In October, eBook sales grew by approximately 11%. Gallagher predicted that Amazon is getting more seriously into the content space and will soon break into the publishing stratosphere. Today's eBook *power buyer* is 66% female (compared to just 49% in 2009), with a household income of $77K, who reads mostly romance. 50% of all eBooks sold are fiction. 18% of these *power buyers* represent a whopping 61% of the total eBook purchases and most have a dedicated eReader.
What does this mean for libraries????
1. Libraries who are not purchasing eBooks need to do so, fast.
2. Ebook subscription services need to change to meet the needs of the library consumer.
3. Libraries need to have these same types of consumer studies that the publishers have
*Note* Bowker and Library Journal are partnering together to do this! Yay! Press Release slated to go out today.
4. Libraries need to become experts on the different types of eReader devices and provide options for patrons to try them out and be trained on how to use them.
5. Libraries need to have *video tutorials* on how to use their eBook subscription service for the FIRST time. Downloading the applications is often confusing, even for a tech savy individual.
6. Libraries and Consortiums should hire tech-savy teams to create better electronic delivery experiences with more options for social networking, eg. sharing recommendations with a friend etc.
None of this is necessarily "new" but it is certainly interesting to have been able to see the consumer market research driving next generation models. I highly recommend librarians to look beyond the "Bea Loves Librarians" program tracks to find the cutting edge research and technology. To find out more about consumer attitudes surveys and to suggest questions, contact Angela@BISG.org. If you need a great speaker to discuss current markets and predicting the future of ebooks, Kelly.Gallagher@bowker.com was great!

Anticipating Demand: Rhyme and Reason @ BEA

2011-05-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

Librarians, how do you anticipate demand? Do your collection development policies address how to anticipate demand? Do you even know where to begin? Come to BEA on Wednesday, May 25, to hear Wendy Bartlett and Nora Rawlinson present an intriguing topic: “Caught short when a debut novel suddenly leaps onto the NYT Best Seller list? This session explores how to anticipate demand and stay ahead of heavy holds, even with a limited budget.” Prior to heading to the session, take a look at these two sites: Early Word and NovelMovies. If you have your own suggestions for staying ahead of the demand (including patron driven acquisition models) you want to share, please post!
Best,
Jill

eBooks and Publishers Demystified at BEA

2011-05-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

How many of you really understand what the emerging eBook models distribution models actually entail?

As librarians, we know that eBooks is an inevitable, exciting time, which has created a buzz in our communities and some incredible challenges to the traditional library book circulation models. Almost as fast as I type, the eBook landscape is changing. No sooner thank we wrap our heads around the (need I say *challenges*) of the subscription model, we hit a brick wall with DRM *licensing* changes (26 anyone?)

Luckily in this information revolution world we are in, ways to examine this phenomenon are everywhere. Here are just a few that I can think of off of the top of my head! Please share your own experiences too...

Library Journal paved the way last year with their 2010 virtual eBook Summit. More than 2,500 librarians, publishers, vendors, and leaders came together to begin a shared conversation.

In 2005, Ohio was ahead of their time when they formed the state wide collaborative Ohio eBook Project.

COSLA released an eBook Feasibility Report for Public Libraries xxx which the call for a national buying pool was hotly reported by Library Journal.

Here in Connecticut, we responded by presenting a sold-out Trendspotting Symposium; eBooks: Collections at the Crossroads. Eli Neiburger rallied the troops with his keynote and a panel of industry leaders including Josh Marwell, Senior Editor, Harper Collins led to yet another Library Journal Article where the uncertain future of the 26 circulation model was brought to a national stage.

If you are anything like most librarians, the more you know about the eBook generation, the more you are craving to be part of the excitement. BEA is hosting a fantastic panel, moderated by Josh Hadro. I'm excited! Are you?

Selling Trade ebooks to Libraries: The Real Deal
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
11:00AM - 12:00PM

Location: 1E16
"In the last few years libraries have perceived a chilling effect in regard to trade ebook distribution models and library sales. Two of the ‘Big Six” publishers, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster do not sell ebooks to libraries. The new HarperCollins ‘26 Circs’ model via OverDrive has provoked anger in some and dismay in many. Librarians will discuss their ideas about how to transform ebook distribution models into a win/win for publishers, aggregators and library customers. These librarians will debunk the myths about libraries and ebooks How do libraries select ebooks? How can you facilitate sales via the library channel? What are the preferred terms of sale/lease, access models, etc.? Is piracy really a threat?"

BEA Librarian Favorites: Speed Dating with Children's Authors

2011-05-10T20:06:00.001-07:00

Last week I was at the Connecticut Library Association Conference, and I had many conversations about BEA! Folks are busy planning their agendas using the My BEA Show Planner, which also has a mobile app for last minute changes.

I will be posting daily highlights about events that come highly recommended from librarians. If you have a favorite program for me to write about (or would like to write about it!) please email me: jhughes@ctlibrarians.org

Now, a highlight from Heather Baker, Head of Children's Services, Canton Public Library, endorsing the Speed Dating with Children's Authors Event. It was covered by NPR last year and more information can be found on the American Booksellers Association website.

"If you are attending [BEA] on Tuesday, this is my absolute favorite event...I know, you may have heard me gush about it before.

You leave with a pile of advanced copies and books, often signed by the authors, and you've MET all the authors before you leave! Truly a wonderful and incredibly memorable way to spend an hour and a half of your life."

Speed Dating With Children's Authors

Presented by the ABC Children's Group at ABA and the Children's Book Council.

10:30 am - 12:00 pm Rooms 1E09 and 1E10

Open to Booksellers, Librarians & Other Children's Book Professionals

Must reserve your spot in advance by emailing 2011speeddate@cbcbooks.org with your full name, store, library, or company affiliation, store address (street, city, state, and zip), and email address.

Get to know 19 children's book creators up close and personal! Authors and illustrators will move from table to table, stopping for quick get-to-know-you chats. This is a fun and easy way to get up to "speed" on some of the latest and greatest projects of the season.

Scheduled to appear:

· David A. Adler, Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra (Holiday House)

· Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Trial By Fire / Every Other Day (Egmont)

· Jane Hampton Cook, What Does the President Look Like? (Kane Miller)

· James Dashner, The Death Cure (Random House)

· Laura Lee Gulledge, Page By Paige (Abrams)

· Jeff Hirsch, The Eleventh Plague (Scholastic)

· Carrie Jones, After Obsession (Bloomsbury)

· Alan Katz, Mosquitoes Are Ruining My Summer; Me Me Mine; Poems I Wrote When No One Was Looking (Simon & Schuster)

· Jon Klassen, I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick)

· Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me (HarperCollins)

· Kate McMullan, Myth-o-Mania series (Capstone)

· Jennifer Roy, MindBlind (Marshall Cavendish)

· Marie Rutkoski, The Jewel of the Kalderash (Macmillan)

· Clete Smith, Aliens on Vacation (Disney)

· Ashley Spires, Binky Under Pressure (Kids Can)

· Susan Stockdale, Bring on the Birds (Peachtree)

· Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Little, Brown)

· Linda Urban, Hound Dog True (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

· Meg Wolitzer, The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman (Penguin)

Did you learn about a new book last year or make a new connection with a children's author at the speed dating event? Tell me your story!

Best,

Jill

Guest Blog: The Importance of Understanding Geography and Cultural Differences

2011-04-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

This week's post comes from our first Guest Blogger - Linda Williams, of the Connecticut State Library. Enjoy!

As a librarian serving children’s and teen librarians in Connecticut, and a staunch believer in the power of stories to teach, entertain, and generally broaden perspectives, I often find myself compiling lists of books that I hope will be used to this end.

I also serve as a co-representative to the Collaborative Summer Library Program, a collaborative of 49 states which plans and administers a theme-based library summer reading program. This year’s program for children, “One World, Many Stories,” has a global/multicultural theme. A-hah! A perfect opportunity to bring forth geography based lists of books for children and teens.

I often hear that school kids are studying “Africa.” And they don’t mean the ~54 countries of Africa. Do Americans know that Africa is not a country? I’m not the only one disturbed by this. Nigerian blogger, Molara Wood, posts: “It baffles me, this stereotype of an indistinct Africa. An Africa whose separate entities are not worth recognising or getting to know.” With Egypt and Libya in the news, can we assume Americans even know where these countries are? Highly doubtful given the news that “after more than three years of combat and nearly 2,400 U.S. military deaths in Iraq, nearly two-thirds of Americans aged 18 to 24 still cannot find Iraq on a map.” Even high level politicians don’t even seem to recognize that Africa is not “a nation.” This begs the question: Is it important in an increasingly global and connected society, to understand geography and cultural differences?

If we think it is, how are we teaching African geography here in the United States? Notice I didn’t say “here in North America.” Do we stress the diversity of African countries and cultures and are children getting it?

There are well-meaning lists and instructions out on the internet (example), but I haven’t yet found another one, like the lists of Africa – Picture Books and Africa – Fiction, posted to our summer reading planning blog, that are subdivided by country.

What I learned in compiling these lists was that many African countries are not represented by name at all in children’s books. The majority of books set in the countries that are represented are historical (a few) or are about Americans working or vacationing in that country. Where are the books about life in modern day Togo? Or hey, with all that’s going on in Libya, do you think I could find you a story that takes place there? According to the excellent searchable Africa Access database, there’s one – set a century ago.

Herein lies my plea to publishers. Please publish more books set in present day African nations. Our kids need interesting stories about native people and cultures in the separate countries of the African continent.

If you don’t think it’s important, look at this map. And test your knowledge - how fast can you do this Africa puzzle?

Librarians Networking Virtually

2011-03-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

It doesn’t matter where you are located, if you are a librarian by profession, chances are you are an expert in collaborating! In Connecticut, librarians who work with youth (including school and public librarians) subscribe to a list-serv called Goodnight Moon (hosted by the Connecticut State Library) where they bounce ideas off one another, share reading lists and discuss program ideas.

Other collaborative tools where librarians may share professional ideas and reading and network include Second Life, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs. The New Mexico State Library has put together a particularly great resource list for youth services librarians.

Regional or state-wide library consortiums like Connecticut Library Consortium (CLC) host professional development workshops and roundtables, where librarians can network both in person and virtually. One of the school librarian roundtables at CLC has published a wiki to use as an online networking and resource-sharing tool.

Recently, I was particularly struck by the development of an impromptu list created by librarians all over the state of Connecticut via the GoodnightMoon Listserv. Thanks to Patricia Kujiu for compiling this fabulous Read-a-Loud list: Books that Work Every Time. Below are a few authors from the list who have attended BEA in the past. Do you have a favorite online tools for networking/resource sharing? Tell us more...

The Berenstains
Jules Feiffer
Maurice Sendak
Mo Willems

Power of Print: a moment of clarity

2011-02-03T14:23:00.000-08:00

Full disclosure - I am an avid Apple fan. I use a MacBook Pro, iPhone, iTunes, and iPad. I would love to own an iTV. And, although my first instinct when I read the news about the first dedicated iPad newspaper app, The Daily, was excitement to see what kinds of interactive graphics would be displayed, allowing me to browse deeper into the internet; in the back of my head I could hear my grandfathers words: “Jilly, enjoy this time, these are the best days of your life.”

Reading the newspaper, the paper newspaper, has become one more example of the lack of time I take to “enjoy today.” We get so busy thinking of what comes next, that we forget to enjoy the moment. I was reminded this weekend about the power of print, when my family was sitting around the dinner table, while my husband was cooking dinner. My oldest child, age 7, picked up the New York Times Book Review and noticed a particularly intriguing diagram of a human brain, which piqued her interest enough to begin reading aloud to the family. For her, flipping through the newspaper was likely an imitation of two book loving, librarian parents. She loves being able to taste a bit of the “secrets of the adult world” now that she is a fluent reader! She began to read “A Lion in the Undergrowth: a neuroscientist offers evolutionary explanations for the workings of the mind” by Anthony Gottlieb out loud.
“The men of old, reported Socrates, saw madness as a gift that provides the knowledge or inspiration.”
It was then that my five year old child blurted out “Oooooh INSPIRATION… that’s Barack Obama!” My husband and I immediately looked at each other barely able to contain our awe. My five year old has clearly been paying close attention to adult discussions, and I can only imagine what he will articulate once he is actually able to read the newspaper on his own! A balanced discourse is only available to the literate, and a newspaper is a critical piece of our democracy. Children are like sponges, eager to learn all we teach them, and the written word only expands their world even further.

Yes, Papa, these are the best days of my life. Sometimes it takes moments like this to remind me to take the time to enjoy life, the old fashioned way. Perhaps reading the newspaper in print is not really old fashioned, just simply smart. You see, amidst all the buzz about social networking online (another disclaimer- I am a HUGE proponent of social networking!) in my family, we shared a beautiful educational moment, as two children were reading, listening, reflecting, and ultimately growing simply by having a “physical” newspaper available for them to peruse.

I will continue to explore technology; the never ending exciting, cutting edge things to learn; however, I hope within all these new arenas available, I don’t forget to take the time to enjoy the “experience” of print. Thank you to my insightful children, and my grandfather’s wisdom, today, I will enjoy the moment.

Best,
Jill

How Will the World of eBooks Influence Libraries?

2010-12-02T04:20:00.000-08:00

The world of eBooks has opened my realm of access to books in a whole new way. I have read more books on my iPad in the past few months on a whim, than I have purchased in traditional print format. I have to admit, while I was intrigued with the technology, I was not prepared to love eBooks as much as I do. I will certainly continue reading the traditional way most of the time, including when I read books to my children, read on the beach (although who has time for that these days as a working mother!), or early dawn reading in bed. However, professional reading, research, and last minute book club crams all fit into the eBook “must” category for me! Now, the next step, is to determine what role “library world” is going to take in shaping their interface with the cultural eBook phenomenon.

Library Journal’s Mover & Shaker, Stephanie Chase, reports:

“If the publishing industry and the makers of the devices can work together and continue to improve the reader experience with ebooks, particularly with how to access the titles and download them, it will be an exciting time for readers, print or electronic! So very much gets printed these days (I believe I read it was over one million books last year?!), publishers have the opportunity to again focus on the cream of the crop, and give us readers well-written, beautifully formatted books.”

I agree. Perhaps the real issue is to figure out a way for libraries to prove to publishers, and distributors that we can provide direct access to customers. Libraries offer opportunities for potential customers to taste just enough to want to purchase it for their own collections. As libraries, we do a fantastic job as selling ourselves as the “peoples university, providing free access for all, creating opportunities and reducing divides.” However, many times, we miss the critical economic development piece.

Libraries are vehicles for economic development. We have over 120 thousand libraries in the United States with over 2 billion items borrowed in public libraries alone. That is 7.7 items per capita. Imagine if each of those individuals bought just one eBook after borrowing an eBook, game, or music from the library as a test.

Imagine if libraries and publishers worked together to meet both of their needs. Perhaps it is time to take the “advanced reader” concept a bit further. According to The State of America’s Libraries, ALA, “About 5,400 public libraries now offer e-books, as well as digitally downloadable audiobooks. But circulation is expanding quickly. The number of checkouts had grown to more than 1 million by October 2009 from 607,275 in all of 2007.”

Both Chase and I attended BookExpo America for the first time last year, in 2009. We both liked the programming geared towards librarians. Chase noted “the "speed dating" program where publishers quickly highlighted their Fall picks, and the chance to have an extra visit with my favorite library marketing team from Macmillan. I also enjoyed hearing authors speak, in a smaller setting, about their work -- particularly if the event was geared towards librarians. Library Journal's programming track is a good example of this, as well as the programs the library marketing teams from the publishing houses hold. Having a Librarian Networking event, where we can meet fellow librarians we may only know online, would be a wonderful experience -- last year, at the Random House breakfast, I sat next to a librarian whose blog I follow, and we struck up a friendship. This alone made BEA a most worthwhile experience.”

Personally, I would love to have a moderated session where publishers, distributors, and librarians came together to discuss ways work together in the future to create the next generation of readers in a mutually beneficial way, using the latest technology to enhance the amazing talent of the writers who share their stories. Readers - what do you think? Perhaps the question ought to be "How Will the World of Libraries Influence eBooks?"

Best,

Jill

Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at BEA!

2010-11-24T05:59:00.000-08:00

The BEA Team would like to wish you a happy,
healthy and safe Thanksgiving to you and your family!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2010-10-28T09:59:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween! What is your favorite Halloween themed book?

Homework Struggles and Inspirational Reads For Kids

2010-09-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

I planned to write about new releases, read-a-louds for teachers for the fall... but instead, I spent the majority of my Sunday morning/early afternoon struggling to keep my second grader “on task” with her homework. Even as a parent, educator, and librarian I have difficulty masking my own desire to insert a “big yawn” when the word homework is mentioned. Learning is fun; homework: NEVER fun. Hmm.. I began to think- how can I motivate my child to see the value of homework, and perhaps even begin to have fun with homework? The first thing which popped into my mind was to make a game out of it, put on my “silly hat” and begin to entertain my child... but... then the realistic “facts of life” side of me decided otherwise, and so I turned to my trusty helpers- books. What great books where the main character masters homework could I find? Here is a list of books (mostly read-a-louds) designed to help a parent, tutor, teacher, or mentor conquer the daily homework struggle, all through the motivation of stories...

Zip, Zip…Homework by Nancy Poydar

Mama Rex & T: Homework Trouble by Rachel Vail & Steve Bjorkman

Time for School, Mouse! by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Dragons do eat homework by Marcia Thornton Jones
Fancy Nancy: The dazzling book report by Jane O'Connor, Robin

Preiss-Glasser and Ted Enik

Helping Hand Books: Emily’s First Day at School by Sarah Dutchess of York

ALL of these authors have been guests at Book Expo America! In fact, last year, Sarah Dutchess of York was Master of Ceremonies at the BEA Opening Children’s Book and Author Breakfast! Do you have any suggestions to add to this list?

Jill

Common-Ground Through Literature

2010-09-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

What do Zeitoun (Dave Eggers), The Help (Kathryn Stockett), The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien), and Outcasts United (Warren St. John) have in common?

All titles have been chosen as 2010 “One Book” titles in community read programs sponsored by their local library(s). Community read programs have multiplied since the Washington Center for the Book, led by Nancy Pearl, hosted author Russell Banks in 1998 to discuss his book The Sweet Hereafter, followed by four days of related events. http://publicprograms.ala.org/orc/pdfs/onebookguide.pdf

The ultimate goal: to connect the diversity of the larger community together through the shared experience of reading and discussing one book. The mission is noble, to create commonality out of literature. Increasingly, libraries have embraced their role as the communities living room or the new town green.

Attached are some highlights of my favorite “One Book” programs for 2010 from past BEA guests.

One City One Book/ San Francisco Public Library: Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000045401

One Book One Denver/ Denver Public Library: The Help, by Kathryn Stockett http://denverlibrary.org/obod

One Book, One Community/ Danbury Public Library, Danbury Public Schools, Western CT State University: The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien http://www.onebookdanbury.org/

One Maryland One Book: Outcasts United by Warren St. John http://www.mdhc.org/programs/one-maryland-one-book/

Should your library be included on this list? Share your most successful event, or the reasons you chose the book. Don’t forget to tell us the name of your library!

Happy reading and here’s to long lasting and ever changing “One Book” programs which reflect the diversity of the greater world in which we exist.

The Center for the Book, Library of Congress keeps a running list of community read programs; searchable by country, region, or state: http://www.read.gov/resources/

Jill

Welcome to the Official BEA 2011 Librarian Blogger!

2010-08-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

Before we introduce the Official BEA 2011Librarian Blogger, we want to thank the Official BEA 2010 Librarian Blogger, Theresa Webster. We appreciate all of Theresa’s work in helping BEA launch our Librarian Blog for the 2010 event.

Without further ado, we would like to welcome the Official BEA 2011 Librarian Blogger: Jill Dugas Hughes, executive director, Connecticut Library Consortium—a multi-type consortium helping to stretch the dollars for 850 member libraries in CT.

Jill brings a dynamic combination of library leadership and development expertise with the ultimate goal to encourage libraries and librarians alike to take risks and make the commitment to stay cutting edge.

“I believe in the value of collaboration and partnership. Libraries are forces for economic development, and are the ultimate equalizers. Information is knowledge, and knowledge is power,” Jill Dugas Hughes said.

Jill began her library career in NYS, where she earned an MLS from SUNY Buffalo and directed the Red Jacket Community Library, a combination public and K-12 school library. She also coordinated annual giving and community outreach programs for libraries. Jill has worked as a school librarian in Bridgeport, CT before spearheading what became Connecticut's first-ever library referendum campaign, resulting in a guaranteed 1 mill of the city budget allocated to the Bridgeport Public Library. Jill also has expertise in grant writing and oversight, marketing, web development, and project management, as well as experience in non-profits, academia, and library service to children.

Please give Jill a warm welcome to the BEA blogosphere. We look forward to her thoughts, insights, and to her creating some dynamic conversations with all our Librarian followers about the industry and BEA!

Last Day of BEA

2010-05-27T08:57:00.001-07:00

This is it - last chance to walk around the exhibits and pick up books, bags and other cool stuff. Say thanks to all the great publishers, authors and the other cool people that have made this a fin filled experience.

I hope you also enjoyed the seminars and panels, I won't ask if you took notes since the pop quizzes have been cancelled. Did you make any new friends?

Did anyone make it to any of the special events held by New York Public libraries? What about the events in the bookstores? I hope we all had a wonderful time and look forward to next year's experience.

Thanks for following along on my journey through Book Expo America 2010 and travel safely home.

Day 2 Book Expo America

2010-05-26T10:00:00.001-07:00

90 degrees today - I will try to stay inside the Convention Center and enjoy the air conditioning - meanwhile I have wallowed in joy with all book and bag giveaways taking place all over the Exhibits floor -- I also congratulated quite a few of my favorite authors on producing great books and characters (but I need to talk to the publishers about getting more books from them throughout the year) -- I sat through a couple of panels related to my young adults and wove in and out of the autograph lines to check out booths.

As I mentioned yesterday, checking out the layout has helped me get from Point A to Point B rather quickly, but I still have to figure out how to be in two places at the same time - any hints?

Thanks again to all the great authors - keep up the good work and happy reading everyone.

Day 1 Book Expo America

2010-05-25T08:58:00.001-07:00

First, I have to warn you that the weather is warmer than I expected (I can't get over the cooler temp in Los Angeles) - second, the New Yorkers have been quite welcoming and helpful. Thirdly, the Convention Center is filled with all sorts of delights -- I have already decided that I need to figure out how to drive off with the Penguin Mini Cooper, and I can't wait for the Exhibits to open on Wednesday.

Remember that tonight will showcase Barbara S's interview, make sure you get your tickets and if you can check out the layout of the convention center today, so that tomorrow will be smooth sailing all around - though the Information Booths are staffed by helpful people that will point you in the right direction if you get lost.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!

BEA is just around the corner

2010-05-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

Five days until I fly to New York. Who has the time machine?

Take note that Early Bird Discounts end tonight, May 19th, at Midnight Eastern time. So if you haven't registered already, please do take advantage of the special discounts provided for Librarians and groups. Consider $95 for a 3-Day Pass or $60 for a 1-Day Pass for individual Librarians. Register Here. Email Diana Press at dpress@reedexpo.com for more details on the special offers for group visitors. This offer does end soon, perhaps sooner than you think.

I checked out the list of authors (woo hoo!) that will be visiting each day, looked over the Event at a Glance to get an idea of what to expect, and I took advantage of the special fares that Amtrak is providing for BEA visitors.

However, I need to finish planning my schedule for the three days to ensure that each and every day is packed with excitement. So I know to check out the New Title Showcase to find out what I might enjoy reading later this year, visit the YA Editors Buzz Weds. afternoon, stop by the exhibits of course, and see how New York City handles celebrating Book Week - maybe they will have a parade of authors handing out free books?

Last chance to register in advance…

2010-05-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is it folks - your last chance to register and save with the special librarian rates and the group discount rates. Librarians benefit with special discounts - $95 for a 3-Day Pass or $60 for a 1-Day Pass. Register Here. Group visitors please email Diana Press to find out about the group discount deals at dpress@reedexpo.com.

In addition to Book Expo America it will also be the first New York Book Week from Monday, May 24th through to Friday, May 28th - including special author programs at New York Public Libraries, Brooklyn Public Libraries, and at various book stores. So come celebrate the printed word, savor the smells of freshly printed text and honor the books from our past, present and future. Join in the fun that will be the 2010 Book Expo America which starts in less than two weeks.

Have you checked out BEA's Special Events yet?

2010-04-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had to remind someone that the world revolves around you? Well Book Expo America understands, they have created a HEAVENLY HAVEN just for us Librarians! Don't believe me? Start by checking out the special events they set up for us to enjoy! Consider also the fact that they set-up a Librarian Lounge for us to hang out and we have a Reading Room brought to us by our best advertisers - Unshelved! (Who needs Dilbert when you work in a Public, School or Academic Library? Okay, maybe the Special Librarians that work for various corporate institutions, but remember we outnumber them!) I know what Dewey would do - he would sign up to join in this year's BEA fun, after all he did hang out at BEA in 2008 - check out the comic strips documenting his 2008 visit if you haven't read them already.

Just like a good book, BEA is an opportunity for us to take a break from our everyday lives and relish the joys found in good books, meet great authors and the publishing companies that provide us with those books and their authors. For more details check out http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/en/Show-Info/Librarians/ and register for the best three day event that you don't have to leave behind in New York (hearts are optional). In fact, please do take it home with you and share the experience with everyone that misses coming with you this year!

Once again, librarians save with special librarian rates and group discounts - $95 for a 3-Day Pass or $60 for a 1-Day Pass. Register Here. If you are traveling in a group – email Diana Press at dpress@reedexpo.com for information on the specials for group discounts.

Counting down the days...

2010-04-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

Less than five weeks until Book Expo America opens in New York City - three days doesn't seem to be enough time to cover all the fun and excitement scheduled to take place. I wonder if I still have time to clone myself so I can see everything and be everywhere to catch all the fun. I'll try to ignore the fact that the 8:00 am start time will be 5:00 am for my body and cross my fingers that the jet lag doesn't ruin the fun - after all I don't want to return to Los Angeles with author autographs written on me in permanent ink, right?

Come join the fun and help me witness all the festivities - bring your friends and co-workers and get discounts on your reservations! Remember that Librarians benefit from special BEA discounts - $95 for a 3-Day Pass or $60 for a 1-Day Pass. Register Here. If you are traveling in a group – email Diana Press – dpress@reedexpo.com for more information on the group discount.

Book Expo America is going Digital!

2010-04-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

While you are at Book Expo America this year, you can take a closer look at content, devices, applications and technology from leading providers. This will allow us to keep up with the trends that are happening in the world around us. Find out more by checking out the following link. http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/en/All-About-Digital/

Just think, someday soon we might find our ebook collections have higher circs than the physical collection. I won't go into the bionic possibilities of having the e-reader installed during cosmetic procedures - that's too out of this world for the moment, right?

Don't forget to register in advance for BEA, librarians can save with special librarian rates and group discounts. Librarians special discounts include - $95 for a 3-Day Pass or $60 for a 1-Day Pass. Register Here. If you are traveling within a group – email Diana Press – dpress@reedexpo.com to find out more about the group discount and register your group for additional savings.

BARBRA STREISAND TO HEADLINE BOOKEXPO AMERICA

2010-04-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

The title says it all - Barbra Streisand will be headlining this year's BookExpo America in New York! Check out the Opening Night Keynote Reception on Tuesday, May 25th in the Special Events Hall. All registered attendees will be admitted to listen to the interview about her soon to be published book My Passion for Design (covering the taste and style that have inspired the design and decorations involved in her extraordinary homes and private collections), due out on November 16, 2010 by Viking Publishers.

After visiting the Opening Night Reception make sure you don't miss the Big Ideas at BEA Conference -- you will find a world of ideas, information and insights awaiting you -- discover all new content rich education sessions that have been specially developed by industry experts just for librarians! Learn more about Big Ideas at: http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/en/Conference/

In addition, there is also the Global Market Forum dealing with Spanish Publishing and offering special cultural activities throughout NY City at literary landmarks during the BookExpo Conference: http://bookexpoamerica.com/en/Conference/Global-Market-Forum/

So please don't forget, Librarians benefit from special discounts - $95 for a 3-Day Pass or $60 for a 1-Day Pass. Register Here. If you are traveling in a group – email my friend Diana Press – dpress@reedexpo.com for group discount information and registration. There is only a month left for Early Bird registration -- think about it, spring in New York City, with books, publishers and your fellow librarians...

What's new this week

2010-03-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

Have you been checking out BEA's site - did you notice that there will be 500 authors that we will be able to meet and some of the 500 authors will be autographing books! Others will be sharing breakfast (no food fights please!) and words of wisdom with us from the Author Stages and booths.

If you haven't already noticed the Special Events schedule here's the link: www.bookexpoamerica.com/PR check it out and plan your visit to this year's Book Expo America.

Registered Librarians have special rates for the individual ($95 for a three day pass or $60 for a day pass) and group discounts are also available - so bring a group to share in the fun - email Diana Press to learn more and sign up for the group discount at dpress@reedexpo.com!

I'm off to the Public Library Association conference in Portland, OR. next week. I plan to check in at the Book Expo America Booth while at PLA to find out more about this year's BEA convention in New York. Why don't you stop by and check BEA out too.

Congratulations, you are a winner!

2010-03-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to be traveling back to the east coast this May for Book Expo America - especially since I have never experienced Book Expo America in New York City. My first trip to Book Expo America took place here in Los Angeles and I didn't get to spend as much time checking things out due to having to work during their visit. However, this year I get to take part in the fun from Tuesday, May 25th through to Thursday, May 27th.

Who wouldn't want to hang out with other librarians, authors, publishers and especially the BOOKS! So come join in the fun and spend some time in New York at Book Expo America, bring a friend and follow my adventures as the BEA blogging librarian.