About ABA

The American Booksellers Association is looking forward to seeing booksellers at next week's trade shows hosted by the Midwest, Mountains & Plains, and Southern booksellers associations. ABA staff will be at each to celebrate independent bookselling, visit with booksellers, and share some updated and innovative education sessions. Booksellers are also invited to stop by ABA's tables at the shows to learn how the association's programs and services can help their businesses.

The American Booksellers Association's Nominating Committee, chaired by Ken White of the SFSU Bookstore in San Francisco, is searching for qualified candidates to serve on the ABA Board of Directors.

Booksellers to Have More Cost-Effective Options Moving Forward

The committee charged with reviewing the practices of the American Booksellers Association's Board and officers to determine whether they are in accordance with established policies and procedures is seeking member input by Thursday, September 10.

The American Booksellers Association is asking member stores for their input regarding the use of electronic publisher catalogs in general, and the Edelweiss Interactive Publisher Catalog platform, developed by Above the Treeline, in particular.

ABA members participating in the Constant Contact affinity program between April 30, 2008, and April 30, 2009, will soon begin receiving rebate checks. ABA is providing this rebate as an exclusive member service to stores that have registered for Constant Contact via BookWeb.org.

The time has once again come for ABA to review whether the practices of the ABA Board and officers are in accordance with the policies and procedures of the association. To that end, the Governance Review Committee -- composed of chair and former ABA Board member Suzy Staubach of UConn Co-op, Catherine Weller of Sam Weller's Books, and Mark LaFramboise of Politics & Prose -- would like to receive member input.

Here's a look at some of the data compiled from last week's survey of ABA member booksellers regarding health care reform.

This information, as well as additional comments provided by survey respondents, will be very helpful to the ABA Board of Directors as it considers how it might advocate for health care reform on behalf of independent booksellers. In addition, Bookselling This Week will continue to cover the ongoing story of health care reform.

Dear Fellow Booksellers:

Following the first meeting of the newly elected ABA Board, I wanted to take this opportunity to report to you about your association's current priorities and initiatives, especially since our new management team is now fully in place in Tarrytown.

The American Booksellers Association's Board of Directors held its summer meeting in San Jose, California, from Thursday, July 9, through Saturday, July 11. The meeting was preceded, on Thursday, with an orientation for new Board member Betsy Burton of The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah, which was led by ABA President Michael Tucker of Books Inc.

At its summer meeting, the American Booksellers Association's Board of Directors discussed the ongoing national debate regarding health care reform, and how ABA might play an advocacy role on behalf of independent booksellers. Following its discussions, the Board concluded that it needed more information from member stores.

The American Booksellers Association has announced the establishment of the Avin Mark Domnitz Scholarship to the Fifth Annual Winter Institute to honor the former ABA CEO's wide-ranging contributions to independent bookselling.

Dear Fellow Bookseller:

We are writing to you today both as colleagues and as members of the ABA Board of Directors because of our concern that one of ABA's most valuable services has become one of the most threatened.