FAQs
ALA 2024 Annual Conference & Exhibition
Frequently Asked Questions
The conference will take place Thursday, June 27 through Tuesday, July 2 at the San Diego Convention Center.
Librarians, authors, publishers, business professionals, educators and students—anyone who is passionate about books, libraries, and eager to learn and shape the future of the industry.
Because the Conference serves as an open forum, opinions expressed and/or materials distributed by program participants do not necessarily reflect, or imply advocacy or endorsement by the American Library Association, its officers, or members.
The statements and opinions contained in the exhibitor descriptions in the Annual Conference Exhibits Guide are solely those of the individual exhibitors and not of the American Library Association. The appearance of advertisements in the Annual Conference Mobile App and Exhibits Guide are not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of the effectiveness or quality. To the extent permissible under applicable laws, no responsibility is assumed by the ALA for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a result of any actual or alleged libelous statements, infringement of intellectual property or privacy rights, or products liability, whether resulting from the negligence or otherwise, or from any use of operation, ideas, instructions, procedures, products, or methods contained in the material therein.
ALA relies on exhibitors to sponsor the appearance of top authors with forthcoming books. Potential speaker names are submitted to ALA for review by many groups including the Conference Committee. When selected, ALA then relies on the sponsor to lock in the speaking date and make many arrangements. Although this process often begins nine months prior to the conference, ALA does not always control the timeline and announcement date. Some speakers do not finalize their tour schedules until the spring and often other factors, like security, impact the release of information. ALA does not pay any speaker fees or honorariums and is grateful to the sponsors who provide a high level of speakers to the conference.
Yes, please see Community of Care at ALA Conferences.
Unfortunately, occasional scammers illegitimately use the name of an ALA event to try and extract money from attendees and potential attendees. Please verify the sender of any emails before replying and forward an email to us at [email protected] if you suspect a scam so we can try to stop it. Never provide credit card or other payment information unless you are sure it is directly to ALA, our tradeshow manager, Hall Erickson - heiexpo.com, or a legitimate service that you recognize.
If you are an author who publishes independently and wishes to exhibit a book at ALA Annual Conference or LibLearnX, please connect with a known service such as Combined Book Exhibit, or refer to this article about fake list vendors. Companies that promise you access to ALA awards, book reviews, coverage, or other special ALA access for a fee are unlikely to deliver on any of those promises as ALA does not sell such recognition opportunities.
- Legitimate marketing emails for ALA Annual Conference and LibLearnX are sent from [email protected].
- Legitimate exhibit, advertising, and sponsorship marketing emails for Annual Conference and LibLearnX are sent from [email protected].
- Legitimate registration confirmation and update emails for ALA Annual Conference and LibLearnX are sent from CompuSystems [email protected].
- Legitimate housing emails for ALA Annual Conference and LibLearnX are sent from onPeak [email protected].
- Legitimate emails to presenters at ALA Annual Conference and LibLearnX are sent from [email protected].
For exhibitors: For further information and more detail, please check the Official Contractors Reminder on the Exhibitor website at http://exhibitors.ala.org/.
Yes. The ALA Annual Conference Mobile App will be available in early June, 2024.
Onsite payments are accepted in the following formats: Check, MasterCard, Visa, and American Express.
Lost registration information can be requested by emailing [email protected].
If you need to edit your registration, please visit the dashboard found in your confirmation email. If you need additional assistance or cannot locate your confirmation, please email [email protected].
Cancellations must be made in writing to [email protected] by May 31, 2024. There will be a $50 fee for each registration canceled. Registrations purchased after May 31, 2024 are nonrefundable.
No, you may register and attend the conference at the Non-Member registration rate.
If you’d like to register a group, ALA is offering a Register 5 People and get 1 Free Registration option. To register your group, begin by signing in with the first person you’d like to register, then click the "Add Another" button on the Review Information page to add each subsequent registrant. Once you've completed registration for everyone in your group, click "Finish" on the Review page. Note: You will need to enter a unique email address for each person in your group. Also, when registering the group of six, the free registration will be reflected on the Payment page. The total cost for all five registrants can be paid via credit card, purchase order, or check. If paying by check, please include the check number in the purchase order number box.
Yes, after the conference, the letter can be accessed through your dashboard from your registration confirmation. An email containing your dashboard link will also be sent to you post-conference.
Yes. Exhibits-Only registrants can attend author signings in the Library Marketplace on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday only.
No, Exhibits-Only attendees will not be able to attend the ALA Awards ceremonies. Single-day attendees will be able to attend award ceremonies scheduled on the specific day they are joining the conference.
Yes, Non-Members who are registered for the day of the committee meeting or for the Full Conference can attend any meeting not listed as "Closed."
Yes, member leaders who plan to attend meetings in person will need to register for Annual Conference.
Yes, complimentary Shuttle Buses from official hotel locations and the San Diego Convention Center will be available. Stay tuned for more information.
Try the 4 L's:
Layers - Dress in layers, as you will be moving from the heat outside to the cool in meeting rooms and hotels.
Liquids - Drink plenty of "good" fluids; there will be water stations in the hotels and Convention Center.
Lighten - Lighten your load, and don't carry extra stuff with you as you'll likely be walking a lot. Plan your day for what you will need.
Leisurely - Walk at a leisurely pace, whether you are inside, or out.
Beginning May 7, 2025, every air traveler will need to present a REAL ID-compliant license or another acceptable form of identification for domestic air travel. A REAL ID compliant license is one that meets, and is issued by a state that complies with, the REAL ID Act’s security standards.
Please see TSA’s website for a list of acceptable forms of identification. Passengers who have licenses issued by a state that is compliant or that has an extension to become compliant with REAL ID requirements may continue to use their licenses as usual. For a list of states already in compliance or with an extension visit DHS’s REAL ID webpage. DHS continually updates this list as more states come into compliance or obtain extensions.
Travelers can check DHS’s REAL ID webpage at any time to learn if your state is compliant and can check with your state’s agency that issues driver’s licenses about how to acquire a compliant license. The earlier your state becomes compliant, the more likely you will be able to acquire a compliant license as part of the normal renewal cycle.