The SIBA Annual Meeting on October 30th was attended by approximately 50 booksellers. The SIBA Board acknowledged the service of outgoing board member Jamie Anderson (Downtown Books, Manteo, NC) and welcomed incoming board member Dave Lucey (Page 158 Books, Wake Forest, NC) whose term begins in January. Board members reported on the work they have been doing in 2025, and the SIBA Staff reported on the state of the organization and plans for its upcoming transition to a new member platform and redesigned website.

Meeting Highlights:

SIBA Governance Policies Under Review

After SIBA members voted to adopt newly revised Bylaws in 2024, the board turned its attention to SIBA's governance policies; reviewing them to ensure they are in line with the bylaws relevant to SIBA's current situation, and responsive to member feedback. SIBA is run on the Carver Method of governance, and all board members receive Carver training.

Committees to be Established

In order to a create stronger connection between the Board and SIBA member bookstores, committees will be created to allow bookstores to provide their priorities to the board. Committees may be comprised of board members, booksellers, or a mix of both. The first will be a "Benefits Committee" tasked with looking at what other regional organizations offer and what SIBA members want. Other committees will be created based on member need and feedback.

State of SIBA Report

SIBA grew rapidly in 2025, experiencing almost a 30% growth in membership, and now stands at 290 Bookstore members. Member engagement is high for SIBA programming, including record-breaking attendance at the spring March Madness Bookseller Series and the annual New Voices New Rooms conference in Atlanta in August. SIBA has also produced well-received bookseller resources including a Banned Books Week Toolkit and an Anti-Racism Training Kit. SIBA's catalog program also received an increase in store participation compared to previous years.

Financial Stability

SIBA is likely to show some losses for both the annual New Voices New Rooms conference, which faced high prices in the Atlanta market, and for the holiday catalog, which is experiencing waning publisher support. However organization remains financially stable, thanks to its commitment to building reserves over the past five years.

A Bright Future

SIBA's plans to transition to a new membership platform and new website design are on schedule for mid-November. The new site will be more user-friendly with easier access to programs and member benefits.

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