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Friday, June 3
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Two companies participating in ABA's affinity program have announced important new updates for ABA member booksellers. According to PartnerShip, which offers a money-saving freight program exclusively for members of the American Booksellers Association, rates for shipping by different carriers have increased an average of 5.75 percent. On the bright side, Bank of America Merchant Services is decreasing its rates for credit card and check card transactions, effective June 1.
Rate Decreases for Credit Card and Check Card Transactions
 The Quills Literary Foundation has extended its invitation to all booksellers with Book Sense to be part of the inaugural Quill Awards Nominating Board. Launched this year by Reed Business Information (RBI) and the NBC Universal Television Stations, The Quill Awards will honor excellence in book publishing and will include consumers in the voting process.
POS vendor WordStock recently announced that it has developed an interface to support full access to the Book Sense Gift Card Program. Booksellers must have high-speed Internet access and WordStock version 4.20C in order to integrate with WordStock. Installation fees will vary, and there is a $20 monthly fee in addition other Book Sense gift cards fees.
 ABA is currently seeking to determine the demand for a 2005 print edition of the ABA Book Buyer's Handbook. Since the launch of the ABA Book Buyer's Handbook online at handbook.bookweb.org/ in April 2002, publishers, distributors, and wholesalers have been updating their company data on an ongoing basis.
 The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) is sponsoring its first-ever publishers' "Trunk Show" on Tuesday, July 26, 2005, at the Holiday Inn Carrier Circle in East Syracuse, New York. The Trunk Show will feature formal catalog presentations by major publishers, along with display tables from a variety of publishers, wholesalers, and independent rep groups.
 To further its member booksellers' community involvement, the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) has created a nonprofit entity for its annual signature event, "Books By the Bay" (BBTB). As a charitable organization, BBTB can promote literacy programs in partnership with bookstores through grants administered by the nonprofit group.
Here's an important reminder for all booksellers with Book Sense: Effective June 1, less than a week away, bookstores must stop selling Book Sense paper gift certificates. Any Book Sense Paper gift certificate sold and dated after June 1, 2005, will not be valid and will not be considered for reimbursement. However, in order to protect consumers, booksellers will still be required to accept valid paper gift certificates sold prior to that date as per local/state laws and other criteria set forth by Book Sense.
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By Joan Airoldi
It was a moment that librarians had been dreading.
On June 8, 2004, an FBI agent stopped at the Deming branch of the Whatcom County Library System in northwest Washington and requested a list of the people who had borrowed a biography of Osama bin Laden. We said no.
2004 Figures Surpass Previous Two Years' While Industry Remains Flat
Building on the success of Book Sense Best Books: 125 Favorite Books Recommended by Independent Booksellers, Newmarket Press and Book Sense are teaming up once again -- to publish Book Sense Best Children's Books: Favorites for All Ages Recommended by Independent Booksellers. The new title, to be published in September 2005, will feature more than 200 "favorite book" recommendations from independent booksellers with Book Sense.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's closed session "mark up" of legislation that would re-authorize and further broaden the powers of the USA Patriot Act, including Section 215, scheduled for today, has been postponed until next Thursday, May 26.
On Wednesday, May 18, officials told the New York Times that the Bush administration and Senate Republican leaders are looking to "significantly expand the F.B.I.'s power to demand business records in terror investigations without obtaining approval from a judge."
Looking to better represent the nature of children's bookselling and publishing, Book Sense has revamped its Children's Bestsellers List by breaking out bestsellers into three categories: "Children's Interest," "Illustrated," and "Series Fiction."
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About ABA
American Booksellers Association is a national trade association that supports and advocates for the success of independent bookstores. We provide members with education, networking opportunities, advocacy, resources, and technology. In turn our members support local schools through book fairs, donations and author visits; promote literacy; provide inclusive community centers; connect readers and books; add character to neighborhoods; champion and center diverse and new voices; and contribute to the local economy. We feel honored to support them in their work.
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