One of the pleasures of attending an ALA conference is the exhibit hall. Vendors from all walks of library life fill these massive conference spaces with their booths, and it’s a busy, bustling place from opening till closing. I very much enjoy visiting publisher booths while at conference, as it offers a great opportunity to see what upcoming books you and your readers can look forward to.
I love browsing the booths, where more often than not a publisher employee will come over and start a conversation. I like to talk about what upcoming titles my kids and I are excitedly anticipating, and I also like to pose questions to the publisher reps to get an idea of what to expect in the upcoming publishing season. This conference, I’ve been asking particularly about books with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) connections. I’ve also spotted a few upcoming titles I really can’t wait to read–and often, when a galley is available, a publisher rep is happy to share a copy. Making time to wander and browse is definitely a highlight of my conference experiences.