The Value of Comics in Libraries
Date attended: 9 March, 2022.
Content Focus: Promoting literacy and reading through Comics and Graphic Novels
Type: Webinar
Length: 1 hr
Audience: Any library professional, with a focus on Collections and Programs teams
Organisers: Bibliotheca
Presenters:
Moni Barrette (Director, collection Development & Publisher Relations, LibraryPass and President-Elect, American Library Association’s Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table),
Karen Dwarte (Library Collections Coordinator Inner West Council Library & History Services),
Iurgi Urrutia (Librarian at Kingston Libraries and Convenor, ALIA Graphic Novels & Comics).
Reflection:
The objectives of the webinar were the need for advocation of comics in libraries, due to prejudices and the medium being challenged as “literature.”
The webinar aimed to share why comics are excellent collection items for libraries across all ages and reading types, with data surrounding the high retention rates when reading comics, and how they are starting to be used in some universities as part of studies.
The webinar highlighted the need for comics as they are great for reluctant readers due to less text, more achievable goals, and supported by visuals, whilst also being great for advanced readers as they have concise and efficient writing, an interaction of visuals and texts, with multiple elements to decode. The presenters referred to these elements as multiliteracies within the comic medium, with a mix of linguistic, visual, gestural, spatial, and aural elements for readers to comprehend. The objective of the webinar was also to demonstrate the need for libraries to become “comic champions,” advocating for comics and their benefits to readers.
I attended this webinar due to my interest in the various collections held within libraries, as well as my interest in programs and activities.
This webinar was highly relevant to both my study goals and work goals as it gave advice on building networks to run successful programs, such as communication with publishers, local comic shops and focusing on community-specific interest by communicating with patrons. The webinar also highlighted many program ideas which I could help to build and incorporate into my own workplace or to further study during my course, such as holding comic conventions, community book clubs, school programs and library theme days. They also highlighted how to achieve interesting and engaging events on a range of budgets and patron dynamics.
By attending this webinar I gained a lot of knowledge, namely, skills to identify selection criteria for collection development, and why and who libraries buy new collection items for. I also gained insight into relevant webpages and databases, such as ozcomicsdb, which provide information to engage with collections and patrons.
I plan to use this knowledge in my workplace by developing ideas to promote our collections, such as utilising social media, creating themed reading lists and holding events. I also hope to use the information and knowledge gained to further develop connections across professionals, patrons and other groups in order to provide the best service in the workplace and bring a diverse perspective to my library studies.
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