CHICAGO—Librarian stops by Pathfinder booth at 2009 American Libraries Association conference held here July 11-14. More than 6,000 exhibitors had displays in the exhibit hall.

Ninety-one participants, including many who work at public and college libraries, signed up to be contacted by a Pathfinder representative for more information on how to order Pathfinder books. Twenty-three Pathfinder titles were sold.

Pathfinder titles in Farsi received a lot of interest. One Iranian woman who stopped by the booth returned and bought all of the Farsi titles about women’s rights.

According to conference organizers, 41 percent of U.S. states reported declining state funding for public libraries in fiscal year 2009. The reduced funding comes at a time when library use nationwide has soared.

—ALYSON KENNEDY