Speakers

Brandon Sanderson -- Breakfast Speaker
Wednesday, 30 April, 8:00 a.m.

Brandon Sanderson is the author of the Mistborn series and Elantris, which Orson Scott Card called "the finest novel of fantasy to be written in many years."

Alacatraz Verses the Evil Librarians is Brandon's first book for children. "The original inspiration for this book came years before I wrote it . . . "<more>

Jim Rettig -- Keynote Speaker
Wednesday, 30 April, 9:00 a.m.

Jim Rettig serves as university librarian at the University of Richmond in Virginia. He has written extensively on reference service and reference sources. From 1981 through 1995 he wrote the Wilson Library Bulletin’s “Current Reference Books” column. It continued online as “Rettig on Reference,” first on the H.W. Wilson’s Web site and later on Gale’s through 1999. . . . <more>

Dr. Camila Alire -- ROSSA
Wednesday, 30 April, 11:00 a.m. (Cnyn2/B)

Dr. Camila Alire is Dean Emerita at the University of New Mexico and Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. She has served as Dean/Director of Libraries at University of Colorado at Denver. She currently serves as Professor of Practice (adjunct) for the Simmons College’s PhD program in library . . . <more>

Carole D. Fiore
Wednesday, 30 April, 11:00 a.m. (Cnyn3/C)

Carole D. Fiore holds a BS in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Temple University and an MS in Library Science from Drexel University. She has worked in both school and public libraries in Philadelphia and in various locations in Florida.

Until recently, Carole was a public library consultant . . . <more>

Carolyn G. Hart -- Author Luncheon
Wednesday, 30 April, 12:00 p.m.

Carolyn Hart is often hailed as America’s Agatha Christie. The author of 36 novels, she has won numerous awards and accolades for ingeniously plotted mysteries. She is the only author to be nominated eight times for the coveted Agatha Award for Best Mystery Novel.

Born in Oklahoma City in 1936, she began her love affair . . . <more>

Curt B. Witcher
Wednesday, 30 April, 1:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.

Curt B. Witcher is the Department Manager for the Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Allen County Public Library is preeminent in their exploration of Web and Library 2.0 activities. He is a member of the Genealogy Committee of the American . . . <more>

Mark Shurtleff
Thursday, 01 May, 10:15 a.m.

Mark Shurtleff was re-elected as the Utah Attorney General in November 2004 with 70% of the vote; and now serving his second term. Since taking office, the number of meth labs has been decreased by two-thirds and he has talked to thousands of students and parents about the dangers of drugs. . . . <more>

Chris Finan
Thursday, 01 May, 10:15 a.m.

Chris Finan is president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the bookseller’s voice in the fight against censorship. Chris has been involved in the fight against censorship since 1982. He is Chair of the National Coalition Against Censorship and a trustee of the Freedom to . . . <more>

Susan Patron -- Lunch Speaker
Thursday, 01 May, 12:15 p.m.

Susan Patron specialized in Children's Services for 35 years at the Los Angeles Public Library before retiring in 2007, the same year her novel The Higher Power of Lucky was awarded the John Newbery Medal. As the library's Juvenile Materials Collection Development Manager, she trained and mentored . . . <more>

Emily Sheketoff
Thursday, 01 May, 1:45 p.m.

Emily Sheketoff is the Associate Executive Director of the American Library Association (ALA), managing the Washington Office. In that capacity, she directs lobbying efforts before Congress and the Executive Branch, and works on initiatives important to the library community such as family . . . <more>

Kathleen Gear & W. Michael Gear-- Awards Banquet Speakers
Thursday, 01 May, 7:00 p.m.

Winners of the MPLA Literary Contribution Award for 2008, Kathleen and Michael Gear are authors of dozens of international bestsellers including The First North Americans series, Anasazi Series, Forbidden Borders Trilogy, Genetic Thriller Series, and Spider Trilogy.<more>

David Lee King -- Breakfast Speaker
Friday, 02 May, 8:30 a.m.

David Lee King is the Digital Branch & Services Manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, where he plans, implements, and experiments with emerging technology trends. He has spoken in the U.S. and Canada about emerging trends, website usability and management, digital experience . . . <more>

Susan Guevara
Friday, 02 May, 10:00 a.m.

Latina artist Susan Guevara has created illustrations for a wide variety of books for young readers, from traditional European fairy tales to stories set in the modern Los Angeles barrio. In books ranging from Virginia Haviland's anthology Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Italy to works by award-winning Chicano writer Gary Soto, Guevara reflects and enhances the vision . . . <more>