Conference Coverage

The fifth annual U.S. Book Show, sponsored by Publishers Weekly, was held on June 3 at the New York Academy of Medicine. The daylong publishing industry conference drew nearly 800 in-person registrants and sponsors and covered a range of bases.

ALA held its first Annual conference, in 1876, in Philadelphia. While the city has seen a number of Midwinters and Public Library Association meetings, Philadelphia has hosted only five Annuals in ALA’s history, the most recent in 1982. If any year called for reconnecting with American roots and ideals, however, this one is it.

The second Independent Publisher and Librarian Forum—IndieLib for short—was held on April 16 in downtown Manhattan, at New York University’s Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy. The event brought together public and academic librarians, representatives from indie publishers and their distributors, and others across the field to learn more about one another’s work and concerns and imagine new ways to move forward.

Although considerably smaller than ALA’s Midwinter and LibLearnX conferences of the past, there was a palpable sense of community and nostalgia around the last midwinter gathering.

The theme of the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2025 LibLearnX, “Reimagine, Refocus, Reset: Charting a Path for the Future,” has particular resonance, as this will be the final LibLearnX. The event, which replaced ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in 2022, had seen low attendance—just over 2,000 at last year’s conference in Baltimore—and ALA has opted to stop hosting the conference.

When thinking of how to best sum up this year’s Charleston Conference, held November 11–15 and available to view online December 9–13 (along with exclusive “online only” sessions), one word sprung to mind: collaboration. As a first-time attendee from a publishing technology background, it was wonderful to see so many professionals from the worlds of libraries and publishing come together to tackle challenges that are affecting the entire information industry.

About 100 lawyers, library professionals, educators, students, and activists attended the Banned Books and Libraries Under Attack Conference at the Cleveland State University (CSU) College of Law, which featured more than a dozen speakers and panelists.

The American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, held June 27–July 2 in San Diego, CA, was big and busy, with more than 8,400 attendees and 5,000 exhibitors, authors, illustrators, members of the press, and staff. And while those numbers didn’t top last year’s Annual in Chicago, which saw more than 15,000 guests, it felt busier—possibly because of the slightly smaller venue, and definitely because of the sense of engagement and enthusiasm throughout. The great weather may have kicked the mood up a few notches as well.

The American Library Association’s 2024 annual conference and exposition included many announcements from library vendors. Here’s a roundup of some of the news from this year’s show floor.