Update on the 2006 ALA Annual Conference

Due to the tragedy that has befallen New Orleans and the fact that it is scheduled to be the site of ALA's 2006 Annual Conference, there have been many questions regarding our plans for this conference.

Most importantly, there will be an ALA 2006 Annual Conference. If it is not held in New Orleans, it will be held elsewhere. Conference Services has been in talks with other cities and there are other alternatives. We will advise attendees of the exact location before Early Bird registration opens December 1, 2005.

The consensus from the members is to stay in New Orleans, if at all possible, because this would help the people and the economy to recover from this sad situation. However, at this point there is no timetable available from New Orleans regarding the rebuilding of the city, so we don't know if this is possible. We will be talking to the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and other government officials to make a determination very soon on what our course of action will be. As soon as we know, we will pass the information on to the membership.

In the meantime, we hope you will continue praying for the victims and donate generously to the various funds set up to help them. Also watch the ALA web page for more information on what ALA is doing to help all the Gulf Coast libraries and librarians.

Statement from ALA President Michael Gorman on impact of Hurricane Katrina

News on Libraries Impacted by Hurricane Katrina

Information on How to Help Impacted Libraries, and Information on Recovery