It’s shaping up to be an inspiring fall here at the Library as Incubator Project when it comes to fabric arts and quilting!  Last week, I attended the Wisconsin Quilt Expo with my mom, a school librarian– not only did we come away with a TON of new fabric and ideas, my blog on the subject also helped us reach out to libraries and librarians who support this wonderful American craft tradition in their communities. Nann Blaine Hilyard, a quilting librarian who co-founded the ALA BiblioQuilters was one of them! Read on to learn more about the group’s work and how you can get involved, and stay tuned for more quilting features on the site! ~Erinn

Meet the ALA BiblioQuilters

by Nann Blaine Hilyard

The ALA Biblioquilters (ALABQ) began in 1998 at the Annual Conference in Washington, DC, when I met Connie Jo Ozinga (then in Rochester, MN) by chance outside the convention center. We had met virtually on a public library listserv and through quilt newsgroups, but had not met in person.

For the 1999 Annual Conference in New Orleans we announced a fabric shopping expedition and invited other attendees to join in the fun. Since then, the ALABQs have met at ALA and PLA conferences from San Francisco and Seattle to Greensboro, NC, and Philadelphia to shop for fabric, visit quilt shows, and tour textile museums.

In 2000, the BiblioQuilters created our first collaborative quilt for the Exhibits Round Table silent auction to benefit the Christopher Hoy Scholarship Fund.  The 24 quilts we contributed to the silent auction from 2000-2012 have raised more than $8,000.

Membership in the ALA BiblioQuilters is open to any quiltmaker who works in or with libraries:  librarian, support staff, trustee, friend, or vendor.  Conference attendance is not required (but the meet-ups are great fun!).  Auction quilt planning happens online through our Yahoo Group.

Want More?

  • GET INVOLVED | Anyone who is interested in participating in the ALA BiblioQuilters group can check out their Yahoo Group, or get in touch with Nann Blaine Hilyard:  nbhilyard [at] zblibrary [dot] org
  • CONNECT ON FACEBOOK | Like the ALA BiblioQuilters Facebook page, explore their albums of beautiful quilt pictures from past Conferences, and chat with other quilters and librarians.
  • SCHOLARSHIP | Find more info on ALA’s general scholarships, including the Christopher J. Hoy / ERT Scholarship that the BiblioQuilters sponsor each year through their beautiful contributions to the Exhibits Round Table silent auction.
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