Held in Chicago, ALA 2026 celebrated the American Library Association’s 150th anniversary, bringing together thousands of librarians, publishers, educators, and authors. After spending several days walking the exhibit hall and chatting with attendees, a few themes kept coming up again and again. I came home with pages of notes—and even more ideas about how AdBiblio can help publishers connect books with the right audience!
Here are four trends from ALA 2026—and how AdBiblio can help publishers take advantage of them:
Discoverability Doesn’t End on Publication Day
One of the biggest themes I noticed throughout ALA (and the U. S. Book Show) was the continued focus on backlist titles. I had several conversations with librarians about keeping older titles relevant through book clubs, themed displays, staff recommendations, curriculum tie-ins, and community programming. Discoverability doesn’t end on publication day! The right audience—and the right moment—can give an older title a second life.
From Pride Month reading lists to nostalgic children’s book fans, there are countless opportunities to help backlist titles find new readers. In fact, one of our biggest areas of focus right now is finding creative, budget-friendly ways we can help publishers breathe new life into their backlists. Stay tuned!
Gaming Is Becoming a Bigger Part of Book Discovery
The rise of manga and graphic novels has been impossible to ignore over the past few years, but I was genuinely surprised by how much gaming was woven throughout ALA. At times, it felt like I was back at Comic Con! From Scholastic’s AFK imprint to an enormous Pokémon booth, it was clear that libraries are embracing gaming as a way to connect with younger readers.
It makes perfect sense. Gaming communities naturally overlap with fantasy, sci-fi, horror, manga, graphic novels, and middle grade readers. That’s why we’ve continued expanding our audience targeting with groups like Roblox and Minecraft players, anime fans, D&D players, RPG gamers, Studio Ghibli fans, and LitRPG and manga readers—helping publishers reach these fast-growing reader communities.
Books Are Becoming More Than Just Books
Another trend I noticed was the emphasis on programming. Publishers were constantly promoting discussion guides, classroom activities, educator resources, and companion materials alongside their books. Libraries are creating author events, STEM activities, StoryWalks, wellness programs, and hands-on experiences that really help bring books to life.
That’s something we’re thinking about more, too. Instead of simply promoting a title, we can help publishers reach the teachers, librarians, homeschool families, and educators who are actively looking for resources like these. I think there’s such an opportunity to make those materials part of the campaign and part of the ad itself, not just something tucked away on a landing page.
Nostalgia Is Here to Stay
One thing that really stood out was just how popular nostalgic brands and classic children’s books continue to be. Mattel’s booth celebrating American Girl’s 40th anniversary was constantly busy throughout the conference, showing just how much these beloved characters still resonate. With so many librarians, parents, and grandparents having grown up with these stories, it’s no surprise that nostalgia continues to influence which books are shared with the next generation.
We’ve been seeing the same trend, which is why we’ve expanded our proprietary audience targeting to include readers interested in nostalgic children’s literature. Whether it’s a movie tie-in, a beloved backlist title, or a modern revival, we can help publishers reconnect timeless stories with the readers who grew up loving them.
And that’s a wrap on ALA 2026! If you’re interested in the many unique ways we can reach librarians and library communities, you know where to find me – marybeth@adbiblio.com!
