WASHINGTON—Nearly 20,000 librarians from around the country attended the American Library Association conference here June 24-29, held at the Washington Convention Center. Hundreds stopped by Pathfinder Press’s attractive booth. “I like Pathfinder books, because they help my students think for themselves,” said one high school librarian from the Bay Area, commenting that many Pathfinder titles are speeches and writings by revolutionary and working-class leaders themselves, not books about them. He placed an order for four titles on the spot.

The economic crisis was reflected at the conference in several ways, including workshops on how to survive the budget cuts and a busy job referral booth in the exhibit area. It was common to see librarians sporting badges that said they were looking for work. More than 100 librarians signed up to be contacted by Pathfinder to discuss future orders. In addition, conference participants bought $217 in books, including four copies of Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power. A Farsi-language distributor decided to place five of Pathfinder’s many titles in that language on his Web site.

—SUSAN LAMONT