[4]This week, Peterson's joined the list of ABA Publisher Partners [5] sponsoring bookseller scholarships to the Fourth Annual Winter Institute [4]. The highly anticipated ABA education event, sponsored by Ingram Book Company/Ingram Publisher Services, will be held from Thursday, January 29, through Sunday, February 1, 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The scholarships, which will be awarded randomly, are open to the owners and staff at all ABA member bookstores.

Peterson's support of two scholarships, which cover the cost of reasonable transportation and up to a three-night stay at the Wi4 host hotel, the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown [6], brings the number of publisher-sponsored scholarships to 25. Booksellers may enter their names in the scholarship drawing by sending an e-mail to [email protected] [7] by Friday, October 17. The e-mail must say "Wi4 Scholarship" in the subject line, and the body of the e-mail must include the bookstore's name and the bookseller's name and contact information.

Booksellers who enter the raffle for a free trip to Wi4 by dropping off a business card at the ABA booth at any one of the nine regional trade shows will also automatically be entered in the scholarship drawing. Scholarship winners will be chosen at random and will be announced in Bookselling This Week by the end of October.

Last week, Ingram Book Company/Ingram Publisher Services also announced [8] its support for six Wi4 scholarships open exclusively to emerging leaders in the independent bookstore community. Booksellers can apply for the Ingram scholarship themselves, and store owners may nominate their employees. Application is via e-mail to the Emerging Leaders Council at [email protected] [9]. The e-mail should identify the candidate, the region, and the store in which she or he works (with contact information). In addition, information should be provided about the candidate's role in the store, his or her feelings about bookselling, the candidate's potential for a long-term bookselling career, and how she or he might benefit from attending the Winter Institute. Emerging Leaders scholarship applicants should put "Scholarship" in the e-mail subject line.

Registration for Wi4 [10] is capped at 500 and is being handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Friday, November 21, is the event registration deadline.

ABA has negotiated a special room rate of $122 per night at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown for Wednesday, January 28, through Sunday, February 1, exclusively for ABA bookstore and provisional members. The special rate is available until Monday, January 5, or until the group block is sold out, whichever comes first. All hotel reservations must be made through the Marriott's special Wi4 reservations web page [6]. --Rosemary Hawkins [11]