Booksellers Forums: April 8, Boulder; April 10, San Francisco

The American Booksellers Association invites booksellers to Spring Forum programs to be held on Friday, April 8, in Boulder, Colorado, and on Sunday, April 10, in San Francisco.

At each, ABA will present the education session “Indie Bookstores and the New Localism: What You Can Do” and an open discussion about industry issues, led by ABA CEO Oren Teicher. Booksellers are encouraged to come to the forum prepared to share their comments, questions, and concerns.

The education session “Indie Bookstores and the New Localism” will look at the recently released Civic Economics study “Amazon and Empty Storefronts: The Fiscal and Land Use Impact of Online Retail” and the resources and data available in ABA’s New Localism Toolkit to help booksellers communicate the “new” localism message to colleagues, customers, community members, elected officials, and the media.

Here are the locations and schedules for each forum:

Friday, April 8, in Boulder, Colorado, in conjunction with the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s Spring Meeting

The event will be held at the Boulder Public Library, Boulder Creek Meeting Room, 1001 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, Colorado 80302.

ABA’s programs will be held at the following times:

• 10:00: a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: Indie Bookstores and the New Localism: What You Can Do
• 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.:  Booksellers Forum over lunch

MPIBA Presents: From 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., MPIBA will present the program “Love Your Library,” an interactive discussion of ways booksellers and librarians can work together for fun and profit.

Members of the MPIBA Advisory Council will meet from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. From 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., MPIBA will host an author reception at the Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, Colorado 80302.

For details about the Spring Meeting, visit the MPIBA website.

Sunday, April 10, in San Francisco, California, in conjunction with the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association’s Spring Gathering

The event will be held at the NCIBA Office at The Thoreau Center (Presidio National Park), 1007 General Kennedy Avenue, San Francisco, California 94129.

ABA’s programs will be held at the following times:

• 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.: Booksellers Forum
• 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.: Indie Bookstores and the New Localism: What You Can Do

NCIBA Presents: The NCIBA Spring Gathering offers a full day of programming that begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration and a continental breakfast. Following ABA’s “Indie Bookstores and the New Localism,” NCIBA will offer an idea exchange for Independent Bookstore Day, an author reception, buffet lunch, rep picks, and the sessions “Creating a Welcoming Environment for Readers With Special Needs,” “Finding Great Booksellers & Keeping Them Happy,” and “Time for a Toast!” Times and other details about the Spring Gathering can be found on the NCIBA website.