About ABA

Less than a week after Hurricane Ike, a Category 2 storm, roared into Galveston on its way to the Texas mainland, approximately 30,000 evacuees remain in shelters, perhaps one million residents are still awaiting a return of power, and the region labors to restore needed services and to rebuild.

The American Booksellers Association is inviting booksellers participating in established Local First campaigns and those who want to learn more about these community-focused initiatives to an important day of independent business alliance (IBA) education, just prior to the Fourth Annual Winter Institute (Wi4).

The 2008 Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA) Authors Feast & Trade Show will be held on Saturday, October 18, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Among the day's highlights are a morning of educational programming, sales rep pick of the lists sessions, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner author events.

The American Booksellers Association's Nominating Committee, chaired by Steve Bercu of BookPeople in Austin, Texas, is searching for qualified candidates to serve on the ABA Board of Directors. Any ABA member may submit nominations for board directors.

Last week, the American Booksellers Association's Nominating Committee, chaired by Steve Bercu of BookPeople in Austin, Texas, began a search for qualified candidates to serve on the ABA Board of Directors. Under the association's bylaws, the terms of three members of the nine-member board expire each year, and at least one of the three nominated candidates cannot have served on the current board.

Registration for the American Booksellers Association's Fourth Annual Winter Institute (Wi4) will open on BookWeb.org on Thursday, September 11. The highly anticipated education event is open to the owners and staff of all ABA member stores and to provisional members.

The American Booksellers Association's Nominating Committee, chaired by Steve Bercu of BookPeople in Austin, Texas, is searching for qualified candidates to serve on the ABA Board of Directors. Under ABA's bylaws, the terms of three members of the nine-member board expire each year, and at least one of the three nominated candidates cannot have served on the current board. Board members are eligible to be elected for two three-year terms.

Three days after Hurricane Gustav made landfall approximately 70 miles southwest of New Orleans, the very good news is that the Category 2 storm has not inflicted the catastrophic damage of Hurricane Katrina. However, as Gulf Coast residents returned to their homes and businesses, news accounts make clear that these are again very difficult times for the region.

The Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA) will hold its 19th Annual Trade Show from Friday, October 3, through Sunday, October 5, at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Michigan. The show offers education and author events throughout the weekend, including the GLBA Book Awards Luncheon and Moveable Feast. New this year are awards recognizing booksellers' work in their communities.

Among the highlights of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) Trade Show, from Friday, October 3, through Sunday, October 5, at the Oakland Convention Center, Oakland Marriott City Center, are a full day of education, a new twist on the traditional Rep Picks sessions, and, of course, several very interesting author events.

The American Booksellers Association's efforts to ensure that publishers that are developing electronic catalogs are making them as useful as possible for independent booksellers continued this past weekend. On Friday and Saturday, August 22 and 23, ABA's Electronic Catalog Task Force met at the Doubletree Hotel at the San Francisco Airport to get bookseller input and to fine-tune recommendations that ABA Board members and staff will discuss with publishers at a series of meetings in conjunction with the Board's mid-September meeting in New York.

The 2008 Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) Fall Trade Show will be held from Friday, September 26, through Sunday, September 28, at the Marriott Renaissance and the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center in Mobile, Alabama.

ABA is now finalizing an upgrade to its new database system. Once the new system goes live, users with BookWeb login names will have to reset their passwords. However, BookWeb login names will not be changed.

It is expected that the upgrade will be complete sometime next week. Current registered users should be on the lookout for an e-mail announcement confirming that the new system is live, with instructions on how to reset their password. If you have any questions, please contact Joe Dawson at [email protected].

This week, the American Booksellers Association is a launching a short-term test of the new "Indie Community" on IndieBound.org and, over the next 10 days, the association needs booksellers to test it out and provide feedback. The mission of the Indie Community is to aid customers in their search for unique, independently owned businesses. By connecting indie-conscious people with local businesses, ABA looks to boost local economies nationwide.

At its July meeting, the American Booksellers Association's Board of Directors unanimously approved appointments to the Nominating Committee and to the Booksellers Advisory Council, as put forth by ABA President Gayle Shanks of Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona.

Joining ABA Board member Steve Bercu of BookPeople in Austin, Texas, who was previously named chair of the Nominating Committee, are: