ALA Midwinter 2011 Preview: A Better Place
American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, San Diego, January 7–11 Dec 15, 2010There’s been an effort to make the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting “member-friendly,” so that more ALA folks will attend, and it shows. Held January 7–11 in beautiful San Diego, the conference program is loaded with interesting events that look suspiciously like entertainment, plus learning opportunities, and the usual parties and celebrations.
So despite ALA policy that Midwinter is “convened for the primary purpose of expediting the business of the Association through sessions of its governing and administrative delegates serving on board, committees and Council” there is plenty at Midwinter to educate and entertain you. We have listed our picks of the (mostly) free sessions here. Holding Midwinter in southern California is certainly a fine way to begin.
The exhibits
A huge attraction is the Exhibits in the San Diego Convention Center. They begin with a Friday night (Jan. 7) Opening Reception, sponsored by the exhibitors and ALA from 5:30–7:30 p.m. on the exhibit floor. It features food, music, and some 30 gifts that are much more that the traditional baskets of the past. To get a chance at winning a gift, visit the exhibitor’s booth during the reception to register.
The exhibits will then be open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Monday from 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
A Wrap-up, Rev-up Celebration on Monday from 2:15–3:30 p.m. aims to get you focused on ALA’s Annual Conference this summer.
Books for grownups
The Spotlight on Adult Literature (that is, literature for grownups), hosted in conjunction with ALTAFF, takes place in the exhibits (Sat., Jan. 8, 2–4 p.m.). The two-hour concentration of author appearances and giveaways will surely draw a crowd, so plan your attack. There will be prize baskets and goodies at ReferenceUSA (booth 933). You’ll find ARC giveaways and book signings at Perseus (booth 1741) featuring Steven Arnston (The Wikkeling) and Sherry Shahan (Purple Daze). Consortium Book Sales & Distribution (booth 1745) will give away 75 copies of Gerbrand Bakker’s 2010 IMPAC Award-winning The Twin. Workman (booth 1810) will feature book signings by Brian and Gerri Monagahn (The Power of Two), Debra Lee Baldwin (Succulent Container Gardens and Designing with Succulents), and Richard Louv (The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods). Random House (booth 1816) will give away ARCs that include Jo Nesbo’s The Snowman (Knopf), Jean Auel’s The Land of Painted Caves (Crown), and Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife (Ballantine). W.W. Norton (booth 1905) will give ARCs of Andre Dubus, III’s Townie: A Memoir, while supplies last. Penguin Group, USA (booth 1917) will feature author Avery Aames, who will be signing copies of her book The Long Quiche Goodbye, as well as ARCs of upcoming titles and other giveaways. Macmillan (booth 2026) will host author signings and giveaways of ARCs and books. as will Hachette Book Group (booth 2127).
Two of these authors (Louv, McLain) will also be on hand at the ALTAFF Gala Author Tea (Mon., Jan. 10, 2–4 p.m., Convention Center, Room 29 A–D; tickets $49, onsite $55), along with Elizabeth Adler (It All Began in Monte Carlo), Conor Grennan (Little Princes), and Luanne Rice (The Silver Boat).
Rhodes, Gaiman, and Pearl
The impressive Richard Rhodes will deliver the 12th Annual Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture (Sat., Jan. 8, 4–5 p.m., Convention Center, Ballroom 20D). Author and editor of 22 books, Rhodes’s oeuvre includes the Pulitzer-winning The Making of the Atomic Bomb and the Pulitzer-finalist Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb.
At Special Afternoon with Neil Gaiman and Nancy Pearl (Sun., Jan. 9, 2–3 p.m., Convention Center, Ballroom 20D) the two will discuss Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, the first book to win both the Newbery and Carnegie Medals; Coraline, recently made into an animated film; and adult novels American Gods, Stardust, and Neverwhere. Librarian Pearl, of the librarian action figure and Book Lust fame, speaks about the pleasures of reading to library, literacy organizations, and community groups worldwide.
Activist, actor, author
ALA president Roberta Stevens will interview Ted Danson, the actor turned environmental activist about his forthcoming book Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do To Save Them (Rodale, April 2011) at the ALA President’s Program (Sun., Jan. 9, 3:30–5:30 p.m.). In Oceana Danson tells how he progressed from participating in small local protests to become a globally influential environmental activist, testifying before committees of the U.S. Congress, addressing the World Trade Organization, and helping found Oceana, the largest organization focused on ocean conservation.
Featured authors for the ALA/ERT Booklist Author Forum, Literary Fiction Panel (Fri., Jan. 7, 4–5:15 p.m. in the Convention Center, Ballroom 20D) include David Levithan (The Lover’s Dictionary, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, with Rachel Cohn); Stewart O’Nan (A Prayer for the Dying, The Night Country, The Good Wife, and with Stephen King, Faithful and Wish You Were Here); Armistead Maupin (Tales of the City, Maybe the Moon, The Night Listener); and Susan Vreeland (What Love Sees, Girl in Hyacinth Blue, The Passion of Artemisia).
ALA’s Sunrise Speaker Series (Convention Center, Ballroom 20D) features Kathy Reichs (Temperance Brennan series, VIRALS) on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 8–9 a.m. and Andre Dubus III (Townie, The Garden of Last Days, House of Sand and Fog) on Sunday, Jan. 9 at 8–9 a.m.
ALA governance
Those involved or interested in the governance and workings of ALA that are the stated purpose of Midwinter will find hearings seeking membership reactions and meetings of Council, committees, and boards all wide open to observers of ALA policy.
After the Information Session for the Council, Executive Board, and members (Sun., Jan. 9, 9–10:20 a.m.) comes the ALA Council sessions (Sun., Jan. 9, 10:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.; Mon., Jan. 10, 10 .a.m.–12:15 p.m.; and Tues., Jan. 11, 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m.). Attend the ALA Executive Board if you are a glutton for organizational process (Fri., Jan. 7, 8:30 a.m.–noon; Mon., Jan. 10, 2–4:30 p.m.; Tues., Jan. 11, 1–5:30 p.m.).
At the ALA Presidential Candidates Forum (Sat., Jan. 8, 11 a.m.–noon) Sue Stroyan and Maureen Sullivan will present their campaign promises to ALA voters. Another forum to hear Candidates for the ALA Executive Board (Mon., Jan. 10, 12:30–1:30 p.m.) makes less difference to most, since they are elected by the Council.
Placement center
The Placement Center, provided by the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR), will be open: Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. An orientation is scheduled on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at the Placement Center.
Job seekers should register and search for jobs on the JobLIST website at joblist.ala.org. All services are free to job seekers. Registration is not required but is recommended to give registered employers access to your resume information. It will also allow for direct communication between job seekers and employers. Employers can post positions on the JobLIST website, too. Employers can use the interviewing facilities if they have an active ad on JobLIST. Employers that want a booth in the Placement Center should contact Beatrice Calvin at bcalvin@ala.org, or 800/545-2433 ext. 4280.
Free or fee
Though time is running out, you can check the ALA website for Midwinter to find “Tips for Funding,” a list of pretty good ideas to get money to attend, and to save money there.
For free you can attend more than 200 discussion groups, hundreds of unit meetings, and a host of interactive sessions of ALA round tables listed in the Midwinter program. LJ decided not to list the many expensive institutes run by ALA units because they add too much to the cost of Midwinter, often much more than they are worth. PLA, for example wants you to pay $200 to hear how great PLA is. Most give you more and better, and many feature strong speakers and things you may want to learn about. We assume the divisions and units (and the ALA website) will publicize them.
Enjoy San Diego and remember it is only money, it is January, and you could be in Chicago!
| Author Information |
| John N. Berry III is Editor-at-Large, LJ |
