91´«Ã½

CHICAGO - Less than 24 hours after Sarah, Duchess of York canceled her appearance at the forthcoming 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., revered actress, author and children's advocate Marlo Thomas has stepped in to fill her Sunday morning slot.

Often remembered for her 1960s television series “That Girl,” Thomas is more recently known for her work as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Thomas's forthcoming memoir about her childhood as the daughter of legendary comedian Danny Thomas is titled “Growing Up Laughing” and is being published this fall by Hyperion. Thomas is the author of five bestselling books, including “The Right Words at the Right Time” and “Free to Be . . . You and Me." She is the recipient of numerous awards, including four Emmys, a Golden Globe, a Grammy, and a Peabody, and is an inductee into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. She lives in New York with her husband, Phil Donahue.

Sterling Children’s Books is announcing that signed copies of the Duchess' Helping Hand Books series will be distributed to the Duchess's readers at noon on Sunday, June 27 at Sterling's booth at the 91´«Ã½ conference in Washington D.C.

"The Duchess greatly regrets that she will be unable to appear in person at the conference but hopes that the books will speak for themselves," stated the publishing group. "Sterling Children’s Books and the Duchess thank you for your continued support."

The 91´«Ã½ is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members. Its mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information.

For more information on the 2010 Annual 91´«Ã½ Conference, please visit the 91´«Ã½ Conference Web site at , or contact 91´«Ã½ Media Relations Manager Macey Morales at (312) 280-4393, mmorales@ala.org, or 91´«Ã½ PR Coordinator Jennifer Petersen at (312) 280-5043, jpetersen@ala.org.