The Clyde Fitch Report Spotlights Columbia U Librarian Karen Green

 Click here to read an interview with the influential librarian who has had much success integrating comics collections into the stacks at that most-excellent of Ivy League institutions!

Warren, NJ, Librarian Talks about Comics and Critical Thinking

Meet the Graphic Novel Gurus

Mary Klucznik works in New York state's Chttenango High School and builds her graphic novel library with the help of student experts. Great idea!

"Graphic Novels Big Draw at Mountain View Public Library"

Or so says the title to an article posted on Mountainviewpatch.com. The Mountain View of focus is in California. Thanks to facebook friends Comic Book Literacy for the link.

ALA hosts Artist's Alley

For the first time ever, the American Library Association has hosted an artist's alley -- a place where comics creators can sit and sell their stuff while also chatting up fans -- at its national convention. New Orleans was the premiere of the happening, which surely suggests the interest in comics and literacy is still going strong among those who have been among the earliest and staunchest advocates of the sequential art form.

Kudos to my librarian friends for keeping up the great work!

Texas Librarian Wins $20G Worth of GN's!

At the recent Texas Library Association's state conference, Eduardo Zepeda won the "Great Graphic Novel Giveaway" prize, which contained more than 700 graphic novels. Zepeda is the librarian for Weslaco Public Library. Click here to learn more.

Decatur, TX, Librarian Talks GN's, Rural America

Denice Herrera talks access, comics, and teen readers from the perspective of a rural librarian.

Thanks to Everyone at TPLA!

Thanks to the participants and organizers of the Trans-Pecos Library Association event last Friday. We all seemed to have a good time, and at the very least, there are some librarians in West Texas who know more about graphic novels now than they ever wanted to know. :)

I also hope that if any of you are reading, you'll remember to stay in touch! :)

Come See Me This Friday!

This Friday I'll be presenting a 4 hour workshop on graphic novels and literacy issues for the Trans-Pecos Library Association. It'll be my longest, largest presentation yet and will combine some of my "classic" spiels with some examinations of my most recent work. And we'll be raffling off books specific to graphica and libraries too, so hopefully it'll be a fun time had by all.

Comics., Libraries, and Columbia University

Karen Green, research librarian, "set up the first university-based graphic novels and comic book collection in the city. New York University has since established its own." Green also writes the "Comic Adventures in Academia" column for Comixology.

Texas Tech Professor Rob Weiner Talks Comics, Libraries, and Catalogues

Rob Weiner, my Lone State State colleague at TTU, and author of Graphic Novels and Comics in Libraries and Archives, speaks with Graphic Novel Reporter about comics in libraries and how to get them well-situated on the shelves and in readers' hands.

Weiner might just be the best thing to come out of Lubbock since Mike Leach. Give the article a read via clicking the title of this post!

CFP's: Sequential Art, Graphic Novels, and Comics in Education/ Spidey Anthology

CFP: Sequential Art, Graphic Novels, and Comics in Education

Edited by Robert G. Weiner and Carrye Syma of Texas Tech University Library

In recent years the use of graphic novels, comics, and sequential art in education has exploded. This is due not only to the boom in superhero movies that are based on comic book characters, but also to the wide literary range that graphic novels now have. There are now literally hundreds of college and university courses all over the world that are using graphic novels in their curriculum. The days when comics were just seen as children’s trash, with no redeeming literary or educational value, are hopefully behind us.

Contrary to the idea that comics “dumb” down material, it takes both sides of the brain to read and interpret sequential art stories: the right side to interpret the pictures and the left side to understand the narrative text. Our goal with this collection is to provide the educator and scholar with a collection of essays that show how graphic novels and comics are being used in the classroom today, as well as some historical pieces that detail how the educational fields often have and have had a “rocky” relationship with the use of comics in educational settings. We want both theoretical and practical essays showing how sequential art can be and is being used to teach and illustrate concepts and ideas.

We are especially keen on pieces related to higher education, military and government uses of comics to educate, but all aspects of comics and education are under consideration. In addition, we would like to have educators from a wide spectrum of the educational fields from K-12, to undergraduate and graduate educational levels. Those using sequential art in adult education and pre-school are encouraged.


Some possible questions/ideas that could be addressed include:

The Military’s use of comics to teach.
Graphic Novels and comics in library science education.
How relationships can be understood through the use of graphic novels in human science education.
Teaching mathematical concepts using graphic narrative.
Grade school use of comics.
Middle school use of comics.
High school use of sequential art (say something like Maus to teach the Holocaust).
Comics and Film to teach about blockbuster cinema.
Philosophical issues raised by graphic novels (The Watchmen in a philosophy class about ethics).
Biological and scientific concepts using graphic novels.
The use of mainstream superhero stories in the classroom.
Superman, Batman, Spider-Man to further understand the concept of the hero Mythology (i.e., Odysseys, Hercules etc.).
Graphic Novels and history, how effective a tool is the graphic novel in teaching a historical concept?
Sequential art in teaching foreign language or English as a second language.
Comics in literacy and adult education programs.
Graduate courses using graphic novels.
The History of sequential art in education.
Medical education using comics

Please send 200 word abstracts by January 15th 2011 to Rob Weiner Rob.weiner@ttu.eduFinal papers will be due February 28th 2011. No exceptions.

Please note the submission of an essay does NOT necessarily mean publication in the volume.

Essays will be going through a rigorous peer review process and we have asked a number of scholars to serve in this capacity. We are striving to put together as an excellent collection with diverse viewpoints covering all aspects of comics and education. Authors are also expected to follow the editor’s style guide and be willing to have their work edited.

Thank you,

Carry Syma, Texas Tech University Library
Rob Weiner ,Texas Tech University Library

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, remember the Spidey collection for which Dr. Weiner is currently seeking submissions!

San Diego Librarian Extolling Comics and Literacy Links

Deborah Ford advocates for comics in the library and in the classroom -- and San Deigo Comic Con just happens to be right in her back yard every year!

Librarian Recommends GN's for Book Club Selections

See why Bonnie Brzozoski of the Austin Public Library (TX) says they're so good for'em!

Michele Gorman Profiled at GNR

Graphic Novel Reporter has an OP-Ed up by Michele Gorman, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based (if only I'd known!) librarian who has been working with graphic novels for years. I'm super-excited to see her get some recognition, as her book Getting Graphic!: Using Graphic Novels to Promote Literacy with Preteens and Teens, was one of the very first resources I learned about when starting my graphic novels-and-education love fest.

Alas, she and I seem to be in the boat of good works on comics and education that continually go uncited, but perhaps this write-up will get her more of the attention she deserves.

Kids' Graphic Novel Section at Alameda Free Library Gains Attention from ICV2

Swiped from the article (Click the title to this post to go to the rest of the story):

When we saw a picture of the new children’s graphic novel collection at the Alameda Free Library in Alameda, California in a tweet from Supervising Children’s Librarian (and ICv2 reviewier) Eva Volin, it looked to us like the kind of place where new comic readers were being created on a regular basis. We were intrigued and asked for more information. Here are Volin’s answers, giving some great info on the kids’ graphic novel collection and how it’s developed....

Graphic Novel Reporter Has Been Bringin' It

While I was traveling, GraphicNovelReporter.com kept working hard to bring the world comics-and-education-related journalistic goodness. To wit:

Allen Porter, a high school teacher in Michigan, discusses his recent "Graphic Novels as Literature" course at Skyline High. Dore Ripley from Cal State-East Bay talks more about using comics in her intensive writing courses. Sari Wilson is profiled for her work as a comics consultant and an education consultant. Uber-sessy librarian Jordan Boaz talks about the graphic novel workshops for teens at her Avondale, Arizona book-slinger's.

Good readin' all around!