91´«Ã½

CHICAGO - The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) will host Natalie Merchant: Leave Your Sleep—a Performance and Presentation at 4:30 p.m. on June 28 at the Washington Convention Center. The performance is part of the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference, held June 24 – 29, at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

Merchant, an acclaimed songwriter and performer, will share selections from her new release Leave Your Sleep, a 2CD set of songs adapted from the works by Ogden Nash, E.E. Cummings, Robert Louis Stevenson, Christina Rossetti, Edward Lear, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Robert Graves as well as anonymous nursery rhymes and lullabies. The album -- her first studio recording since 2003 -- is the culmination of six years of research and collaboration and is, in Merchant’s words, “The most elaborate project I have ever completed or even imagined.”

In addition to a new method of lyricism, Merchant stretches out musically on Leave Your Sleep by collaborating with a broad spectrum of artists including the Wynton Marsalis, Medeski Martin & Wood, The Fairfield Four, The Chinese Music Ensemble of New York, the Ditty Bops, members of the New York Philharmonic, The Klezmatics, Lúnasa and Hazmat Modine.

This event is made possible by Baker & Taylor, Nonesuch Records and WEA.

Press may record/photograph the first two songs of Merchant’s performance. Flash photography is not permitted and press members may only depart the event between songs. Attending media must register in advance with Macey Morales, 91´«Ã½ Media Relations, 312-280-4393, or mmorales@ala.org.

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.