ABA/NEIBA Forum Program on March 27

The American Booksellers Association is inviting booksellers to a Booksellers Forum and Education Program to be held in conjunction with the New England Independent Booksellers Association [1] in Amherst, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, March 27. The program will run from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the National Yiddish Book Center on the grounds of Hampshire College.

All ABA and NEIBA member store owners and staff are welcome to participate in the free program, which will be facilitated by ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz, ABA COO Oren Teicher, BookSense.com and ABA Education Director Len Vlahos, and NEIBA's Executive Director Steve Fischer and Assistant Executive Director Nan Sorensen.

At 1:00 p.m., ABA will present "Participating in the Digital Revolution." Everyday the news is rife with stories about how technology is changing the way people interact and especially about how they acquire and consume information. "Participating in the Digital Revolution" will explore such phenomena as digitization of content, social networking, and open source and distributed computing and their effect on independent booksellers now and in the future. Participants will hear about the latest developments in the technosphere and will learn how they can remain plugged in.

Following the education program will be the "Booksellers Forum & Strategic Planning Session." Here, participants will get the latest updates on the association's programs and initiatives and will have an opportunity to voice concerns and to offer input on the future direction of ABA, which is currently formulating its next five-year strategic plan. The forum format fosters discussion of regional and national issues affecting independent booksellers, and ABA encourages all bookstore owners and staff to attend. The Booksellers Forum program can help provide a broader perspective on how individual stores fit into the larger industry, provide valuable information, and serve as an opportunity to meet and talk with fellow booksellers.

For planning purposes, booksellers who will be attending are asked to contact either ABA's Margaret Nafz at margaret@bookweb.org [2] or (800) 637-0037, ext. 6614, or NEIBA's Nan Sorenson at nan@neba.org [3] or (800) 466-8711. Booksellers are also invited to contact Domnitz [4], Teicher [5], or Vlahos [6] prior to the forum with questions, suggestions, or comments.

The National Yiddish Book Center [7] is located in the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building at 1021 West Street in Amherst; (800) 783-9272.