ABA Survey Asks Booksellers to 'Tell Us What You Think!'

The number-one goal of ABA's strategic plan is to "provide independent professional booksellers with access to the education, information, and business services they need to succeed in a changing world." With this in mind, the ABA Board of Directors and staff are embarking on a program to grow ABA's educational offerings and are seeking bookseller input through the "ABA Education 2005 Survey." This week, a link to the survey was sent to ABA members via e-mail. The survey will also be distributed at each trade show and is now available at BookWeb.org.

The survey is designed to help identify the educational programming most important to ABA's member booksellers. The association's mission is to help booksellers expand their skills, learn basic principles and best practices, and gain greater confidence and effectiveness -- with the ultimate goal of helping booksellers achieve and maintain profitable operations that will ensure the continued viability of independent bookstores everywhere.

In the survey, booksellers are asked to rank the education programs they are most likely to attend. These programs fall under six categories: marketing, store operations, selling, financial management, inventory management, leadership and human resources, and other.

ABA strongly urges all members to complete the survey and send it to ABA, 828 S. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY, 10591; or via e-mail, to [email protected]; via fax, to (914) 591-2720; or return it in person to the ABA booth at any regional bookseller association tradeshow. (Surveys returned at tradeshows will earn an entry into a sweepstakes to win a color, inkjet computer printer.)

To access and complete the survey online, click here.