The 2018 Public Library Association Conference was a rousing success! From March 21st to the 24th 2018, librarians from all over the country gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend educational programming, have luncheons with authors, and visit booths in the exhibit hall to see the latest vendors had to offer.
This year we were excited to feature some of our 33 ALA award winners at the Books on Tape booth, like We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, the winner of the Michael L. Printz award as well as Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman and A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig which both received Odyssey Honors. We also featured winners of the 2018 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults, presented by the Young Adult Library Services Association and the Association for Library Service to Children’s 2018 Notable Children’s Recordings. Recipients included Turtles All The Way Down by John Green, Jake the Fake Keeps it Real by Adam Mansbach and Craig Robinson and The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. You can see the full list of our ALA Award Winners here.
As we approach spring and summer, it’s been hard to keep our minds off warm weather activities. We know librarians love to have recommendations for all occasions, so we gathered audiobooks that are great for gardening, running outside, and taking family roadtrips. Among them was Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package by Kate DiCamillo, who also happened to be our author guest of honor.
Kate DiCamillo at her FLORA & ULYSSES signing at the BOT booth
Kate is the author of many well-loved children’s books such as Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux. We had a wonderful time watching her interact with people from the library world at her audiobook signing of Flora and Ulysses. Kate also spoke to a full house at the Audio Publishers Association’s Audiobook Dinner, sharing personal stories and reminiscing about one of her favorite childhood reads, Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins.
Overall, it was great getting the chance to chat with librarians one on one about their experiences with audiobooks in their libraries. Just as every library is unique, so is the way that every librarian interacts with their patrons. We can’t thank librarians enough for sharing the creative ways they use audio to further promote the enjoyment of stories in communities around the country. We’re already looking forward to PLA 2020!
