While the west’s largest pop culture convention is just a mere month away, San Diego’s other big deal this summer happens to carry the distinction of world’s largest convention celebrating libraries. The American Library Association’s (ALA) Annual 2024 Conference & Exhibition descends upon the San Diego Convention Center June 27 to July 2 with an impressive lineup of resources and networking opportunities for library professionals as well as dedicated programming reserved for comic books, graphic novels and manga.
“The Annual Conference empowers library professionals and beyond with unparallelled professional development and connection. The event is a platform for attendees to explore and discuss crucial issues and develop innovative solutions that will strengthen libraries for the future,” says ALA President Emily Drabinski.
Featured speakers will discuss upcoming projects throughout the weekend in Ballroom 20. Friday’s opening session will kick off with comedian and former “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah shilling for his illustrated fable, Into the Uncut Grass. On Saturday, Academy Award-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson will debut her new picture book You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!) and Kwame Alexander will discuss Black Star, the second book of his New York Times-bestselling trilogy “The Door of No Return.” Maggie Nichols, MSNBC’s Ali Velshi and “New Girl” actor Max Greenfield will speak about their own projects during special programming sessions on Sunday.
Panels will touch on a vast array of issues and trends affecting library professionals and hot button topics such as AI, intellectual freedom and social advocacy. The Beat’s Deb Aoki has teamed with Benjamin S. Applegate, Joe Pascullo, Leslie Flynn and Andrew Woodrow-Butcher to discuss developing library collections of adult manga in Saturday’s “It’s Not Just for Teens! Building Great Manga Collections for Adults” (Room 4).
Offsite (ticketed) events will include the Printz Awards (Marriott Marquis, Marina Salon D), the Newberry-Caldecott-Legacy Awards Banquet (Hilton Bayfront, Sapphire Ballroom) and ALSC Awards (Marriott Marquis, Pacific Ballroom Section 18). The ALA’s Graphic Novel and Comics Round Table (GNCRT) will host a “Magical Comics Tea” at the Marriott Marquis Grand Ballroom Saturday.
Within the Library Marketplace (aka exhibit hall), readers will have opportunities to connect with their favorite authors and collect ARCs galore. Comics creators signing books at ALA 2024 include Jeremy Lambert and Alexa Sharpe (The Night Mother), Jeremy Whitley (The Unstoppable Wasp), Thi Bui (The Best We Could Do), Svetlana Chmakova (The Weirn Books), Zack Kaplan (Break Out), Molly Knox Ostertag (The Deep Dark), Ru Xu (Status Royale), and Thien Pham (Family Style).
Also within the Library Marketplace are large stages occupying the sides of the exhibit hall and where publishers will announce upcoming titles. Manga and graphic novel publishers will discuss Fall releases on either the Graphic Novel/Gaming Stage (Booth 250) or the Book Buzz Theater (Booth 3027).
Readers will not want to miss the star-studded library event of the season where the written word reigns supreme.
ALA Annual 2024 registration is currently open at 2024.alaannual.org. Single day prices are $395 for non-members; the four-day pass costs $720 for non-members and $520 for ALA members. Exhibits only pricing for Saturday, Sunday and Monday is $179. Day-by-day panels and events are available at 2024.alaannual.org/schedule-glance.
