This is a preliminary agenda for the 2008 Books, Bytes, and Beyond TLA conference.

Conference Meetings and Events Schedule*

Tuesday, April 15
8:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m. Preconference Programs
1:00 p.m. Golf Tournament
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. All-Conference Welcome Party
7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Storytelling Showcase & Story Swap

Wednesday, April 16
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. General Session I
11:00 a.m. - 4:50 p.m. Net Fair I
11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Technology Showcase I
12:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. Opening Author Session
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Bk Cart Drill Team Competition
8:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. President's All-Conference Party
8:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. Storytelling Concert

Thursday, April 17
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Diversity Fair
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Net Fair II
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Technology Showcase II
12:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. Author Session-TBA Winner
4:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. General Session II
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Texas Media Awards
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Evening with the Authors
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. SCLRT Dessert Social

Friday, April 18
8:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. Author Session-Christopher Paul Curtis
12:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m. Closing Author Session

*Note: A more comprehensive listing of the TLA 2008 conference schedule will be available in December 2007.

Exhibit Hall Schedule

Wednesday, April 16, 10:15 am - 5:00 pm
Thursday, April 17, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday, April 18, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Today’s Post is from Maryanne Moore, web developer for TLA :

A Little History
In years past, TLA has provided an internet service, called Jobline, on its website which allows employers to post information about available jobs. Prior to each conference, those seeking jobs could also enter resume information about themselves. Employers and job seekers attending the conference could log on and view the information, send limited messages back and forth, and set up interviews. Once conference began, the internet service was no longer available and users had to go to the Placement Center to view or enter information.

Enhancements for 2008
In an effort to improve the usefulness, accessibility, and reliability of the Placement Center at the next conference, the employer and job seeker web pages will be available on the internet through the TLA secure website. This will allow conference registrants to view jobs and/or job applicants from their homes, hotel rooms, or any other internet hot spot. Job seekers will still be able to request that their personal information be hidden. The computers in the Placement Center will be connected to the internet so that those registrants who do not have their own computer can access the same resources.

Placement Center web pages will only allow access to those users who are registered for the conference. (If you register for the conference on-site you’ll need to stop by the Placement Center to get a username and password.)

Using the internet will also enable employers and job seekers to communicate with one another via email. This will be an improvement over the messaging service provided in the Placement Center in the past. A simple messaging service will still be provided in case there are users who do not have access to their email accounts. If an employer wishes to use the Placement Center for an interview, there will be a web interface set up where they can see what spaces are available when and make a reservation in real time.

The Placement Center will still provide face-to-face services such as resume advice as before.

If you have questions please contact Jeffrey Levy, Business co-liaison in the Research and Instructional Services Department, Willis Library, University of North Texas Libraries.

To volunteer for the placement center please fill out the volunteer form.

Today's post is from Annie Frank , a librarian at Parr Library in Plano:

The Welcome Party for the TLA Conference will be held at the Nasher Sculpture Center on April 15th. Located in the Dallas Arts District, the Nasher is an oasis of peace and beauty in the middle of downtown. The collection contains works by Rodin, Matisse, Picasso, Miro, Giacometti, Liechtenstein, among many others. The pieces are positioned both inside the gallery and outside. The sculpture garden is lovely and reflective, surrounded by crepe myrtles, willows, and magnolias, with three fountains, benches, and numerous sculptures. Don’t miss the “skyscape” room, called Tending (Blue) by James Turrell. A serene retreat.

Nasher Sculpture Center
2001 Flora St.
Dallas, Texas 75201
(214) 242-5100

The 3rd Annual Book Cart Drill Team Texas Championship is set for Wednesday afternoon, April 16th, 5-6pm. I can't wait for this event. It's always so fun to see how creative my colleagues can get. If you don't know what to expect at a Book Cart Drill Team event check out this video from the ALA national competition. If you are interested in participating be sure to read the team rules. The winning team from Texas will be invited to compete nationally at ALA 2008.

This event is sponsored by DEMCO, Inc.

Today's post is from Cindy Batman at the University of North Texas:

The program schedule is now available on the website for the TLA 2008 Annual Conference in Dallas so that you can see the program, preregister and sign-up for volunteer hours online. One of the services available through TLA Annual Conference is the Placement Center which coordinates interview appointments between employers and job seekers.

In order to use the Placement Center beginning April 1, the job seeker must be preregistered for the conference, and a representative from the employer must be preregistered for the conference. Once they are preregistered, they may start corresponding and the employers can start to view the job seeker information.

For those folks registering for conference onsite, they will need to come to the Placement Center at the Convention Center and register in order to use the Placement Center services either locally or via the internet. The employers’ postings may be viewed now on the TXLA.ORG web site under JOBLINE and View Listings.

The Placement Center is also hosting the following Resume Workshops where job seekers will receive advice on resume writing, common mistakes in resumes, and suggestions on ways to stand out from the crowd. These workshop presentations will be made by experienced library directors who will be available after their presentations to critique your resume.

Tuesday, April 15th from 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
(Presenter TBA)

Wednesday, April 16th from 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Cindy Scroggins, Director of the Baylor Health Sciences Library

Thursday, April 17th from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Marcia Trent, Interim Assistant Director of the Dallas Public Library

The Placement Center is being co-chaired by Jeff Levy, UNT Reference Librarian, and Cindy Batman, UNT Dallas Campus Librarian, call or email if you have any questions
•Cindy Batman cbatman@unt.edu
•Jeffrey Levy jeffrey.levy@unt.edu
•Leora Kemp lkemp@unt.edu

If you would like to volunteer in the Placement Center please fill out the volunteer form.

I was going to hold off on this post until April but I realized that a lot of people are in the process of making plans and part of those plans include transportation.

(Picture provided by Lilly Ramin, UNT)

You have several choices for getting to the convention center:

Shuttles
If you are in a conference hotel there will be shuttle buses running throughout the day.
Tuesday, April 15 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Wednesday, April 16 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Thursday, April 17 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Friday, April 18 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

DART
If you live in the area and you are close enough to the DART light rail you might consider taking the red or blue line to the Convention Center. It is the stop after Union Station if you come down from the north and the stop after Cedars if you come up from the south. The cost for a day pass is $3.

Driving
If you want to drive in you can park at the convention center for $8 per entry. You can enter the convention center from Griffin. The lots around the convention center are privately owned and usually charge more than $8.

Join your fellow runners for a marvelous time at Winfrey Point on White Rock Lake. Anyone registered for the conference is welcome to participate in the Hetherington Fun Run/Walk on Thursday morning, April 17th. The entrance fee is $18 and a shuttle bus will get you from the conference center to White Rock Lake.

Not a runner? Volunteer! Volunteers will hand out juice, help set-up, and encourage the runners. Please contact David Rathvon for more information.

This event is sponsored by ProQuest.

The conference committees have decided to celebrate viva la difference in reading by eschewing the same old One Book/One (fill in the blank) this year. Instead, celebrate your privilege of choice by reading whatever you want. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone came to this annual conference with a great, unique, and different book to talk about? Let’s aim for that!

A good place to start in creating your 2008 book list is this year’s conference authors:

Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Peter and the Starcatchers)
Tomie dePaola (My First Passover)
Kevin O’Malley (Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates)
Denise Fleming (The Cow Who Clucked)
Rosemary Wells (The Gulps Go Green)
John Erickson (Hank the Cowdog)
Jenna Bush (Ana’s Story)
Elizabeth Noble (Alphabet Weekends)
Deborah Crombie (Dreaming of the Bones)
Cornelia Read (The Crazy School)
Kathy Patrick (Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life)
Gail Giles (What Happened to Cass McBride)
Maureen Johnson (Girl at Sea)
Susan Vaught (Trigger)
Will Weaver (Full Service)
Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) (2007 Michael L. Printz award winner)
Rod Espinosa (Neotopia) (TTR.08 artist)

Check out the program to see who else we have lined up.

(Written by Annie at Parr Library in Plano)

After registering, step into the TLA store. The committee has found some fun objects for you including:
Conference mug-white with the blue conference logo on the front
New scarves and neckties - very colorful with the names of writers on them
Small radio with the conference logo

If you're planning to get books signed at conference there are a few things you should know about the Authors Area:

*Each person can have five books signed per author.

*Some authors will sign name only and others will personalize. It depends a lot on time.

*There will be a handout at the Information Booth, giving the times the authors are signing. Also, there will be a big sign at the Authors Area.

*Authors are scheduled for up to 2 hours to sign. The schedule is very tight and the authors will not be able to sign beyond their time limit.

*For popular authors, people get in line hours before the author is scheduled. This is true for authors like Tomie De Paola, Rosemary Wells, Kevin Henkes-the Caldecott winner, Lynne Rae Perkins-the Newbery winner, and the Bluebonnet winner-Lucy Nolan Marshall.

The Authors Area is sponsored by Librarian's Yellow Pages.

Today's post is from Jeanette Larson of Larson Library Consulting:

Once again, ladies and gentleman, you are invited to take a chance on art and help Texas libraries at the same time. Our fabulous Texas-born author and illustrator Diane Stanley has donated an original piece of art from the book, Charles Dickens - The Man Who Had Great Expectations. The 13 in. by 12 in. original full color gouache illustration features a Christmas holiday scene. This would look great in any library or home. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the upcoming TLA conference or by mail (must be received by the TLA office by March 31). The drawing will be held at the conference in Dallas and you could be the lucky winner. But even if you don't win, Texas libraries that suffer disasters will thanks to the generosity of Diane Stanley and all of you who participate in the raffle. Go to www.txla.org/html/wells/gallery.html to see the beautiful piece of art and get additional details.

Visit www.txla.org/groups/committees/relief/index.html#activities to learn more about the Disaster Relief Fund and the libraries that have been helped by the fund (including many following Hurricane Rita). You don't have to be present to win (although we do love to hear you scream with delight) so sell tickets to your friends, neighbors, and loved ones. Please take a chance on art.

Today's post is from Connie Moss at the William T. Cozby Public Library in Coppell:

Little Brown's Maximum Ride Internet Room is the place for checking email and keeping up with conference, local and world events. Available in Hall A near the TLA Store, the 32 computers in the "Maximum Ride Internet Room" are sponsored by James Patterson's bestselling teen sci-fi adventures.

Four printers will be available to print web content at no cost to the user. Look for electronic handouts for most sessions!

Conferees needing wireless access will find it outside the Starbucks in Lobby C. Business productivity software is available in the conference Business Center.

We have the signing times! You can now plan your conference days around when your favorite authors will be in the Authors Area, located in Hall B behind the exhibits. Check out http://www.txla.org/conference/exhibits/AuthorsList2008.pdf. It is a link to the authors signing list as of Thursday, February 28th. Please note that the final/updated times and aisle number will be available onsite. Also (AA) means authors area and (#XXXX) is a 4 digit booth number.

For information about the Authors Area's process visit my previous post.

I recieved this information from Jennifer Smith at Legacy Middle School in San Antiono. She read about it in the Big Deal Book of Technology Biweekly E-letter (March 3, 2008).

Put a Poem in Your Pocket
Invite students and colleagues to choose a favorite poem and carry it in their pockets to celebrate the first national Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 17, sponsored by the Academy of American Poets. During the day, encourage readers to unfold and read their pocketed poems in celebration of the visions of poets.

Hmmm, I'm partial to Kubla Khan by Coleridge but it's a bit long so I might have to find something else. Will you participate? What will your poem be? Leave a comment to this post and let me know what your favorite poem is.
(Image courtesy of Dan Shirley at SXC)

From the Conference Overview Page:

(Image courtesy of Artem Zhushman(R-tem) at SRX)

MEAL FUNCTIONS
Tickets for all conference meal functions must be purchased in advance as part of the conference preregistration process. Tickets will not be sold onsite. Encourage friends, family, and colleagues to join you to hear a favorite author. While meal function tickets must be purchased in advance, conference registration is not required to attend these events. Ticket prices are based on the cost of menu selections, catering service charges, room set-up charges, speaker fees, and other expenses. The banquet hall doors will be open 30 minutes prior to the starting time of each meal function. Space permitting, gallery seating will be available 30 minutes after the meal function begins for attendees without meal tickets who wish to hear the speaker. For details, see the daily schedule. For Meal Function Menus see page 12 of the conference program.

Have you recieved your conference program guide? You'll want to bring the guide with you to conference if like having full descriptions of the programs. On-site you will recieve a pocket program with the event names, locations, and times.

Check the message center in the registration area and the daily conference newsletter, The Conference Times for last-minute announcements. We will also try to post announcements on the blog.

Today's post is from Gretchen McCord Hoffman at WongCabello:

The Doo Wop Intergalactic Round Table invites all Conference-goers to kick up their heels and kick up Conference a notch! Come dance the evening away with old and new friends to the live tunes of Kenny and the Kasuals at the hottest trend-free night spot in Dallas. Like the Kinks? The Beatles? Sinatra? The Stones? The Doors? The Kasuals have something for everyone!

(Photo courtesy of Dan Shirley at SRX)

Doo Wop Sock Hop
8:00 pm till midnight
The Pearl, the "hands-down best music venue in Dallas," corner of Pearl & Commerce
(Ponytail and poodle skirt not required.)
Pre-purchase tickets when you register for Conference.

Did everyone get the voting and conference email from TLA? You might want to look at it if you haven't had a chance yet. You can email me, jennifers@plano.gov, if you didn't get it and I'll be happy to forward it to you.

One thing I hope you noticed and followed up on is the session preference form for conference:

If you haven't already, please submit a session preference form in the next few days indicating the programs that you will attend. These forms are critical for assigning appropriate-sized meeting rooms in the convention center. You may find the session preference form on the TLA website.

Alumni Reception information is tucked away on page 82 of the Conference Program Guide. Except for UT alums (Woo hoo! Hook 'em Horns!) the reception tickets must be purchased by March 25th.

The Univerity of Texas at Austin
Thursday, April 17th
6:00-8:00pm
The Magnolia Hotel
1401 Commerce Street
(Non-ticketed event but please RSVP by April 10 to Luke Dunlap, luked@mail.utexas.edu, or 512.471.8421)

Texas Woman's University
Thursday, April 17th
6:30-9:30pm
Hyatt Regency
300 Reunion Boulevard

Sam Houston State University
Thursday, April 17th
6:30-8:00pm
The Magnolia Hotel
1401 Commerce Street

University of North Texas
Thursday, April 17th
6:00-8:30pm
City Club
6900 Bank of America Plaza
(or send check by April 11, see comments for details)

University of Houston
Thursday, April 17th
6:00-8:30pm
Iron Cactus Restaurant
1520 Main Street #101

The Exhibits Only passes are available for $20/day and can be purchased on-site in the Registration Area of Exhibit Hall A. These passes are available to anyone in the community, not just those working with libraries.

If you are a non-professional you can volunteer for 4 hours and receive a complimentary Exhibits Only pass for that day. This option is available on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

(Image courtesy of Michael W at SRX)

(Image courtesy of Christian Benacer at SRX)

Today is a big day. Most conference deadlines are today. Be sure to check out the TLA Conference page and send in any registration forms and checks for events you want to attend.

Preregistration postmark deadline is MARCH 25, 2008.

All tickets (except tickets for the Doo-Wop Sock Hop) must be purchased by March 25th. No preconference or event tickets will be sold onsite.

Most Alumni dinner tickets must be purchased by today.

Book Cart Drill Team applications and music need to be sent today.

At conference, both the Hall A Café and the Starbucks beside it will serve breakfast food as well as your morning cuppa.

(Image courtesy of claudio alagia at SRX)

Check out my post on eating at conference for more information on where to find food at conference.

Do we have some parties planned for you!

Start the conference off right by attending the Welcome Party at the Nasher on Tuesday. Harpists and a string quartet will serenade you while you stroll the grounds and view the art in the building and on the lawn. Nasher Representatives [wearing Nasher badges] will be available in the Indoor Galleries to answer questions from 6:30 to 8:30pm. And be sure to pick up some of the amazing food from Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant that will be served on the outside patio where you can enjoy the cool evening breeze. Drinks will be available from a cash bar.

All-Conference Welcome Party
Tuesday, April 15th, 6:30-8:30pm
Nasher Sculpture Center
(Shuttle buses will be provided from the convention center)
2001 Flora St.
Dallas, Texas 75201
(214) 242-5100
This event is sponsored by Ingram Library Services Inc.

And then, for something completely different on Wednesday, get down at the President’s All-Conference Party sponsored by Baker and Taylor at the legendary Eddie Deen's Ranch.

EBSCO and Encyclopedia Brittanica will be providing appetizers as well as alcoholic beverages fortifying enough to loosen you up for the complimentary Butt Sketch Artist! (Does the “complimentary” part mean the final sketch will be attractive, no matter what?) Live music will be provided by Brave Combo. This promises to be a true slice of down-home Texas—big, rowdy, and lots of fun—so don’t miss it.

President’s All-Conference Party
Wednesday, April 16th, 8:00-10:30pm
Eddie Deen’s Ranch
(Shuttle buses will be provided from the convention center)
944 South Lamar
Dallas, TX 75202
888-535-DEEN
214-741-4211

(Thank you, Annie Frank for help with the wording of this post!)

Everyone seems to be going green these days and in honor of Earth Hour tomorrow, I thought I'd tell you about 2 items we'll have in the TLA store to help you go green too.

We have a lovely blue TLA water bottle. Having water on hand is a great way to stay refreshed all during conference.

We also have the READ lunch bag. These lunch bags compress to almost flat when not in use and open up to a size that will fit most plastic lunch containers.

The TLA store is sponsored by Sentry Technology Corporation & Library Design Systems.

(Photo courtesy of Steve Todey at SXC)

On Friday, there will be a volleyball convention on the other side of the convention center. Because the garage can house only 1000 cars we strongly encourage you to take advantage of DART and the shuttle buses.

Trying to figure out how to get to the convention? Check out the previous post on Parking and Transportation.

TRE:
Those of you coming in from Ft. Worth, Arlington, and Irving might use the Trinity Railway Express (TRE). You can check out their schedules at this web site: http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/newweekeb.html. At Union Station you'll want to switch to the DART Rail Red Line or Blue Line going south to the Convention Center. The Dart schedules are available on this web site: http://www.dart.org/schedules/schedules.asp

Driving:
The driving directions from everywhere are too complicated to put on this blog so I'm going to refer you to the Convention Center's Driving Directions page: http://www.dallasconventioncenter.com/driving_directions.php You can also call the Convention Center's Direction Line: 214.939.2700

If you plan to MapQuest it, the address is:
Dallas Convention Center
650 S. Griffin St.
Dallas, Texas 75202

For those using taxis these are the going rates:

(from http://www.dallastaxi.com/rates.html)
FARE SCHEDULE
$2.25- Initial Meter Drop
.20- For each 1/9 mile
.45- Per 1-1/2 Minute Traffic Delay/ Waiting Time
2.00- For each extra passenger (Up to rating seat capacity)
8.00- Minimum for trips originating at Love Field Airport
1.00- Love Field loading fee
18.00- Flat rate for each trip either originating at Love Field Airport and terminating within the Dallas Central Business District or originating within the Dallas Central Business District and terminating at Love field Airport
40.00- Flat rate for each trip either originating at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and terminating within the Dallas Central Business District or originating within the Dallas Central Business District and terminating at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
15.00- Minimum for trips Originating at Love Field Airport and terminating within the Dallas Market Center Area or originating within the Dallas Market Center Area and terminating at Love Field Airport
32.00- Flat rate for each trip either originating at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and terminating within the Dallas Market Central Area or originating within the Dallas Market Center Area and terminating at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Look at this page for a list of Taxi companies in the area: http://www.visitdallas.com/visitors/visitor_resources/category.list.php?category=1713&location=&search=&x=6&y=6

A few things you might want to know about:

(Photo courtesy of Dean Washington at Ft. Worth Public Library)

Internet Room
Look for the c: drive folder with the program handouts if you need them at conference.

Information Booth
The Information Booth is in Exhibit Hall A across from Registration. Here you'll find the Fun Run packets, lost-and-found, DART information, and more.

Bag Check
Bag Check will be in the lobby outside of Hall B. Remember that you won't be able to take rolling carts into the exhibit hall. This is a good place to store them until you are finished with the exhibits.

Recharge Zone
If you find your cell phone losing bars in the middle of the conference, there will be a convenient Recharge Zone (a table with several power strips) in the lobby outside of Hall B. Or you can avoid lines and recharge your electronics in your hotel room.

Tomorrow or Friday I'll tell you more about the Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson General Session.

Annie Frank from Parr Library in Plano wrote this one for me:

Aargh, Mateys, ye won’t be wanting to miss General Session I! Dave Barry, the Pulitzer prize winning humorist, and Ridley Pearson, bestselling novelist, will be regaling the audience with tales of their Peter Pan prequel collaboration, Peter and the Starcatcher, now three books into the series. And, if we’re lucky, they’ll bring free eye-patches!

If you’re an early riser, you will have an opportunity to queue up to purchase a book and get it signed by both guys! Hyperion will be distributing tickets on a first-come basis beginning at 7:45 a.m, Wednesday, in the Arena/Ballroom A Lobby near the glass windows. Immediately following the General Session I, the book-purchasing and signing queue will begin forming in the lobby for those with tickets. You must have a ticket to queue. One book per person, no personalizing. The guys will be able to sign until 11:15, when they have to leave for other obligations.

General Session I is sponsored by netTrekker d.i..

(Image courtesy of Ann- Kathrin Rehse at SRX)

On Thursday, plan to stay for General Session II. We'll open up with Dennis Gonzalez and Yells at Eels from 3:40 to 4:00. Then, at 4:00, we'll start the session including the Transforming Libraries Panel.

Join Stephen Abram, Joe Janes, Karen Schneider, and Roy Tennant as they debate and discuss the latest and most contentious issues in Libraryland. As our library community takes up the challenge of Transforming Texas Libraries, this general session will be like no other: entertaining, enlightening, energizing, and (most importantly) all about the future of libraries and what we, as a professional community, need to do to control our destiny.

General Session II is sponsored by Brodart Company.

(Image courtesy of Loretta Humble at SRX)

I can't believe that conference is next week! Because I'm an Events co-chair I won't be able to blog about the conference. But have no fear, Star Hoffman has agreed to let you know what is happening next week.

At conference, feel free to stop by and let me know what you think of the conference and if the blog helped you prepare for it. I'll be at one of the booths by the meeting rooms. You won't be able to miss me because I'll be one of those goofy people with a headset on.

I'll write a wrap-up post after conference and, if you didn't catch me at conference, you can leave comments or email me with suggestions about the conference. I'll take them to the Local Arrangements Committee's follow-up meeting. Or you can fill out the survey that will be posted.

See ya' there!

So how did you like the conference?

I heard over 8100 people attended. That's more than the population of some of our Texas towns! From Star's posts it sounds like it was a fun conference.

The Local Arrangements Committee will be meeting on May 2 for a debriefing of the conference. Feel free to send me an email or post a comment and let me know what you thought. I'll compile a list of the suggestions and bring it to the meeting. If you want me to include your name let me know, otherwise the suggestions will be anonymous. So far there have been two suggestions:

-Create a wiki for people to post restaurant reviews, information on programs they will be presenting, and anything else needed for conference.

-"a big freakin' map to the convention center or a clear and obvious address to the place, right smack dab in plain and open view of all."

I was at the Meeting Rooms kiosk in the A Lobby. I hope you found your rooms! I know I'll be bringing the A area signage issues up at the meeting.

Some people said they would send me pictures so, hopefully, I will get them soon and be able to post them next week, either Tuesday or Friday.

The Pulpwood Queen gives the Texas Library Association Convention FIVE Diamonds in her Pulpwood Queen Tiara! Thank you so much for the privilege and the honor of being asked to speak! TLA was the highlight of my first ever book tour!

(Image courtesy of shyle zacharias at SRX)

Tiara wearing and Book sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick
Founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs and Author of "The Pulpwood Queens' Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life", Grand Central Publishing Beauty and the Book, the ONLY Hair Salon/ Book Store in the country!

608 North Polk Street
Jefferson, Texas 75657
903-665-7520

www.pulpwoodqueen.com, for daily blogs and recap of TLA with photos!
www.beautyandthebook.com, official website!
www.southernauthors.blogspot.com, contributing author columnist!
www.ReadingGroupGuides.com, contributing author columnist!
www.hachettebookgroupusa.com, my publishers website!

Check out Dale's photos on flikr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14384940@N05/sets/72157604608690382/

I've really enjoyed working on this blog with Star, Ruth, Dreanna, and Jackie. Y'all have been a great team to work with!

We started on this blog at the same time my system started work on our PlanoReads blog. Both have been a huge learning experience for me. Thank-you to the Local Arrangements Committee and TLA for letting me experiment and