About ABA

By now, all ABA member bookstores should have received a mailing, via the U.S. Postal Service, that included a ballot to elect directors for three-year terms on the ABA Board. The ballot must be postmarked by Tuesday, May 1, and returned in the postage-paid envelope that was included in the mailing.

On Sunday, April 15, the American Booksellers Association offered a Booksellers Forum -- including the education session "Participating in the Digital Revolution" -- in conjunction with the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association's (NCIBA) Spring Gathering, which was held at the Thoreau Center of the Presidio in San Francisco.

By now, all ABA member bookstores should have received a mailing, via the U.S. Postal Service, that included a ballot to elect directors for three-year terms on the ABA Board. The ballot must be postmarked by Tuesday, May 1, and returned in the postage-paid envelope that was included in the mailing.

The American Booksellers Association is inviting booksellers to a Booksellers Forum and Education Program to be held in conjunction with the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, May 6. The program will run from 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Chester County Book & Music Company.

The American Booksellers Association is sponsoring two Emerging Leaders Scholarships covering the cost of registration for this year's BookExpo America in New York City and up to a five-night hotel stay at Hotel ABA, the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge.

The American Booksellers Association hopes to see booksellers at a Booksellers Forum and Education Program to be held in conjunction with the Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA) and the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) on Tuesday, April 10, at the Louisville Marriott Downtown (home of ABA's 2008 Winter Institute) in Louisville, Kentucky.

This week, American Booksellers Association member bookstores are receiving, via the U.S. Postal Service, a mailing including a ballot to elect directors for three-year terms on the ABA Board. The ballot, which must be postmarked by Tuesday, May 1, and returned in the postage-paid envelope addressed to Marks Paneth & Shron LLP, features the names of three director candidates: Steve Bercu of BookPeople in Austin, Texas; Tom Campbell of The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, North Carolina; and Cathy Langer of Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver.

The American Booksellers Association's bookstore members should be on the lookout for an envelope coming next week via the U.S. Postal Service that includes the ballot to approve officers and elect directors to the ABA Board.

Registration Now Open

Although the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association's (PNBA) Spring Show, on Thursday, March 15, through Saturday, March 17, at the Holiday Inn, Portland Airport, was a hit with attendees, this spring's event will be the last for a while. The PNBA Board voted to place the spring trade show on hiatus for two years so the association can devote its resources to producing programs that will help bring customers into member stores.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business tackled the issue of health insurance for small-business employees on Wednesday, March 14, at a hearing on "challenges and solutions" to health insurance coverage for small businesses. Oren Teicher, ABA COO, attended the morning hearings, which featured witnesses from the small business community, health care experts, and the insurance industry.

The American Booksellers Association's Board of Directors is asking ABA bookstore members to consider changes to the association's bylaws that will be put to a vote at the Annual Membership meeting on Friday, June 1, at BookExpo America.