A Report on Last Week's ABA Board of Directors Meeting

The American Booksellers Association's Board of Directors and senior staff met from Wednesday, September 28, through Friday, September 30, in Chicago.

During the meeting, the ABA Board:

• Approved amendments to the current Strategic Plan to reflect new initiatives, including:

• creation and presentation of a Winter Education Institute
• development of an online distance learning educational program
• reorganization of BookWeb.org with the goal of providing ABA members, publisher partners, and others with improved access to pertinent information
• moving the electronic Book Buyer's Handbook to a new platform to ensure its continued viability and to allow for future development to enhance its timeliness and usefulness of information
• creation of a series of new strategies for prospective booksellers to encourage their entry into the world of independent bookselling
• convening an ABA member's Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., prior to BookExpo America 2006
• creation of a focus group to explore the feasibility of developing programs and business models to meet the needs of bookstores already selling Spanish language books and those that wish to begin selling them, as well as to meet the reading needs of the Latin community
• continued development of e-mail marketing tools through the relationship with Constant Contact and other appropriate vendors and partners
  
  (To read the complete Strategic Plan, reflecting new initiatives, click here.)
  
  

• Reviewed the association's 2005 financial statement with year-end projections and unanimously approved a 2005 - 2006 operating budget, which included funding for new projects added to the Strategic Plan.
  
  
• Met with representatives of the National Association of College Stores, including CEO Brian Cartier, Senior Vice President for Industry Services Ed Schlichenmayer, and Digital Content Strategist Mark Nelson, to discuss ways to cooperate on future projects.
  
  
• Was presented with an overview of the 2005 ABACUS study by ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz.
  
  
• Met with Ingram Book Group President and CEO Jim Chandler, Kevin McCloud of Ingram, and Walter Deacon of LakeWest Group to discuss a series of initiatives.
  
  
• Heard a report from ABA President Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books in Miami, Florida, about his activities on behalf of the association, including his recent appearance at Book Summit 2005, sponsored by The Book Standard and Nielsen BookScan.
  
  
• Received the Chief Executive Officer's report, which reviewed among other things, the strategic planning process, issues relating to the recent hurricane disasters and the Bookseller Relief Fund, and recent meetings with representatives from other segments of the book industry, including the Canadian Booksellers Association.
  
  
• Reviewed ABA's current investment portfolio with William King of Merrill Lynch and Timothy Pire of Heitman, LLC.
  
  
• Met with representatives of Independent Publishers Group, including President Mark Suchomel, who presented a check for $25,000 to the Bookseller Relief Fund.
  
  
• Approved ABA's joining as a plaintiff in an antitrust lawsuit filed by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Community Pharmacists Association, and National Cooperative Grocer Association against major banks and credit-card companies. The associations are seeking to stop the alleged anticompetitive practices of the banks and credit-card companies and are calling for a long-term overhaul of the credit-card interchange-fee system. The suit also seeks damages.
  
  
• Discussed the creation of publisher focus groups.
  
  
• Reviewed reports on plans for the Winter Education Institute and about ABA's participation in the regional trade shows, as well departmental reports prepared by ABA staff.
  
  
• Received an update on the Bookseller Relief Fund and plans for the distribution of funds.
  
  
• Saw a demonstration by John Rubin, founder of Above the Treeline, an online software product to help improve bookstore operations, and discussed the possibility of working together in the future.
  
  
• Heard a report from the Strategic Planning Committee.

The ABA Board also met with the Board of the Great Lakes Booksellers Association and had the opportunity to visit the regional association's fall trade show, which was held at the Crowne Plaza O'Hare/Rosemont in Chicago from September 30 to October 2.

Following the Board meeting, on Sunday, October 2, ABA's Education Task Force met to review results of the 2005 Education Survey of ABA member booksellers and to discuss plans for 2006 education programming.