Raising scholarship funds with the Rock Bottom Remainders at ALA Annual Conference

CHICAGO— By day, they’re authors. Really famous authors. But once a year they shed their pen-and-pencil-clutching personas and become rock stars, complete with roadies, groupies and a wicked cool tour bus.

The ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash proudly welcomes the Rock Bottom Remainders for a special performance at 2012 ALA Annual Conference at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 23 in the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center Arena.

The Rock Bottom Remainders band includes some of today's most shining literary lights. Among them, they have published more than 150 titles, sold more than 150 million books and been translated into more than 25 languages. Scheduled to appear at the ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash are Stephen King, Amy Tan, Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Matt Groening, Scott Turow, Ridley Pearson, Greg Iles, James McBride, Roy Blount, Jr., Kathi Goldmark and Sam Barry. Roger McGuinn of The Byrds joins the band as special musical guest.

Of the upcoming ALA concert, Dave Barry, co-lead guitarist of the Byrds, says, “We love the ALA, and we love librarians. We love them so much that, for this performance, we're going to try to actually learn the songs before we play them.”

The group first appeared at the 1992 American Booksellers Association convention in Anaheim. Hailed by critics as having “one of the world’s highest ratios of noise to talent,” the Remainders have no music videos and no record contracts, but do have around 160,000 hits on Google. They have one original song, “Proofreading Woman,” and generally perform covers of favorite songs—you can find videos on YouTube.

The money raised from this year's Bash will provide scholarships for graduate students in library and information studies, including Spectrum. Tickets are $25 (nonrefundable) and are expected to go fast.

Find out about the many other ALA Annual Conference & Exhibits highlights as they’re added—speakers, events, networking opportunities, and more. And for general information about the meeting in Anaheim, Calif., June 21-26, 2012, visit us at www.alaannual.org. Save money with Early Bird Registration, open until midnight, Sunday, May 13, 2012.

ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition--Transforming Our Libraries, Ourselves