The June 6 Children’s Art Auction and Reception at BEA, which was attended by more than 300 booksellers, publishers, and artists, raised nearly $30,000 to defend the free speech rights of young readers.

ABA President Becky Anderson of Anderson’s Bookshops in Naperville, Illinois, writes to members about last week’s BEA, the Children’s Institute, Why Indies Matter, the Department of Justice’s agency model lawsuit, and more.

For those who couldn’t make it to last week’s trade show and those who just want a recap, BookExpo America has created an archive of podcasts and videos, and will be adding more material over the next several weeks.

Here, in its entirety, is the report of ABA CEO Oren Teicher to the membership at the association’s June 5 annual meeting at BEA.

Topics of discussion at this year’s ABA Membership Meeting and Town Hall included the Justice Department actions regarding the agency model, tests of new business models, and the importance of finding a new e-book solution for ABA members.

ABA educational programming at the first ABC Children’s Institute kicked off with the opening plenary “Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer in the Digital Age,” presented by Kelly Gallagher, vice president, Publishing Work Flow Solutions, R.R. Bowker.

The 2012 Indies Choice Book Awards and E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards were presented at ABA’s 12^th annual Celebration of Bookselling & Author Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, June 5, at BookExpo America.

American booksellers learned about the challenges and opportunities facing bricks-and-mortar bookstores in other countries at the Monday afternoon Day of Education session “Indies International: Bookselling in Other Countries.”

On Monday, ABA kicked off is 10th annual Day of Education with an interview-style event featuring award-winning author Richard Russo and journalist and author Lynn Sherr. The focus of the discussion was “Why Indies Matter.”

More than 75 authors pay tribute to their favorite bookstores and booksellers in My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop, which will be featured in the Black Dog & Leventhal booth at BEA.