Even as libraries face the economic downturn, a record-setting number of people attended the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference in Chicago, July 9-15. The tough economy, however, was felt in the number of exhibitors, which declined from the previous record set in 2007 in Washington, DC, and in anecdotal evidence that suggested that many participants traveled on their own dime. ALA reported total numbers of 28,941, including 22,762 attendees and 6,179 exhibitors, compared to a 22,047 total in Anaheim last year and 28,635 in Washington, with more than 7100 exhibitors. Still, ALA did not tout the turnout, perhaps because news regarding library budgets and other conferences--such as the move of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) congress and the cancellation of the Ohio Library Council's annual meeting--was sobering. Authors and publishers abounded, with an ambitious lineup of auditorium speakers and many author programs--including first novelists and memoirists--presented by the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF). While certain high-profile events drew smaller crowds than in previous years, librarians looking to make the most of their services turned out in droves for programs ranging from technology to readers' advisory. Social networking forums such as Twitter enabled an informal parallel conference to occur as people traded insights from programs, things they overheard on the floor, and the facts of their daily movements. The biggest buzz concerned a canceled panel, "Perspectives on Islam: Beyond the Stereotyping," sponsored by ALA's Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT). The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said that three panelists withdrew in protest over the participation of Robert Spencer, whom CAIR calls "one of the nation's leading Islam-bashers." An online debate grew over how the panel was formed and when the panelists were informed of Spencer's role.