Comic Conference for Educators and Librarians: Library Panels

For the 2nd year, Comic-Con International and San Diego Public Library have teamed up for the Comic Conference for Educators and Librarians. This free five-day conference will take place during Comic-Con from July 19 - 23, and will explore the role comics play in promoting education and literacy for all ages. Library professionals and educators are invited to learn creative and exciting ways to incorporate comics and graphic novels into their work. Through presentations and panel discussions, the Conference aims to engage the community, promote comics as a powerful tool for learning, and celebrate the medium as an important literary art form. The Conference is free to attend, but space is limited and registration is required.

Here are today's programs:

10:00: Creators, Libraries, and Literacy -- Meet some of your favorite comics creators in a discussion about why librarians and libraries are important to them, featuring Raina Telgemeier, Mike Lawrence, Molly Ostertag, and Zander Cannon, with moderator Candice Mack (Los Angeles Public Library).

11:00: Picture Books for Grown-Ups: Why Graphic Novels Matter to Adults -- Why should your library invest in an adult graphic novel collection? Panelists will discuss the benefits of adult graphic novel collections to the library and community, give tips on how to justify these collections to library management and stakeholders, and explain the value of graphic novels in academic libraries. The session will also review the differences between adult and teen materials, provide guidance for creating a diverse and well-balanced collection, and share how graphic novels are used with adult learners to develop critical reading and writing skills. With panelists Monica Barrette (Escondido Public Library), Matthew Murray (University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries), Lalitha Nataraj (Escondido Public Library), Steven Torres-Roman (San Diego Public Library), and Amie Wright.

12:00: Read-Alikes: What to Suggest When Patrons Have Already Read Smile and The Walking Dead -- Read-alikes can be a librarian's best friend. In this session, panelists will help participants by sharing their experiences recommending titles to patrons who have finished reading popular graphic novels like Smile, Persepolis, American Born Chinese, and Deadpool. Panelists will also share their knowledge about upcoming comics and pop culture and recent genre trends that tie in with comics. With panelists Angela Ocana, Kelly Quinn Chiu (Santa Clara City Library), Matthew Murray (University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries), Ben Neal (Portsmouth Public Library), Jenny McCluskey (Ingram Library Services), and Anna Ferri.

1:00: Young Adult Graphic Novel and Manga Collection Essentials: What Titles Every Library Should Carry -- Librarians share their compiled knowledge on the best new and classic graphic novel and manga titles that are essential for any library's young adult collection. They will be discussing current trends in graphic novel publishing as it relates to greater diversity within the genre as well as discuss how to utilize individual comic book issues and webcomic selections in your collection. They will cover how to use graphic novels and manga as a way of supporting Common Core curriculum and as a method of encouraging hi-lo readers. They will also have a segment on crossover appeal: how to get your comic book reading patrons to like manga and vice versa. They'll conclude with some of their most anticipated graphic novels, comics, and manga for the rest of 2017 and the start of 2018. With panelists Loren Spector (Los Angeles Public Library), Marissa Thompson (Los Angeles Public Library), Jennifer Siron (Los Angeles Public Library), Danica Sheridan (Los Angeles Public Library), Angela Ocana (Santa Clara City Library), and Kelly Quinn Chiu (Santa Clara City Library).

2:00: Diversity in Comics: A Librarian’s Perspective -- We often hear about the importance of diversity in comics from the point of view of creators, but what about the librarians who provide access to the comics? How do library professionals face diversity and inclusion-or the lack thereof-in their comic collection development and programming? How can libraries better support the movement for more diverse and inclusive comics? With panelists Candice Mack (Los Angeles Public Library), Erwin Magbanua (San Diego Public Library), Lalitha Nataraj (Escondido Public Library), and Lisa Valdez (Pierce Community College).

3:00: Graphic Novel and Manga Programming for Tweens and Teens in our Diverse Communities for Any Budget -- Representing a vast geographical spread and diverse communities, librarians from the Los Angeles Public Library share their experiences with programming-presenting and promoting graphic novel and manga content-utilizing partnerships and free local resources. The audience will learn about hosting Free Comic Book Day as a library event or at any time during the year. Great programming ideas for tweens and teens include anime screenings, author talks, character visits, giveaways, and fun graphic novel/manga-related crafts, from button making to decoupage. They will give tips on how to make your programs and events a success and show examples from their programs, flyers, and displays. With panelists Corinda Humphrey (Los Angeles Public Library), Marissa Thompson (Los Angeles Public Library), Loren Spector (Los Angeles Public Library), Jennifer Siron (Los Angeles Public Library), and Danica Sheridan (Los Angeles Public Library).

4:00: Library Cons: Welcoming Deadpool into Your Library -- Library cons are all the rage! You'll learn about best practices from libraries that have made a splash with library cons in their communities. Panelists will also discuss ideas and programs that didn't work and what they learned in the process. From taking over an 80,000 square foot building and filling it full of superheroes to spending an entire month celebrating the arts, any con is awesome. With panelists Angela Ocana (Santa Clara City Library), Kelly Quinn Chiu (Santa Clara City Library), John Schlosser (Santa Clara City Library), Katherine Keller (UNLV, CBLDF, VVCBF), Lisa Valdez (Pierce Community College), and Darren Heiber (San Mateo County Libraries).

5:00: How to Judge What Is Appropriate in Comics: What Does T for Teen Really Mean? -- Cataloging and collection development practices for comic books, especially when it comes to age ranges and placement, can make librarians want to tear their hair out. In this session, the discussion will focus on understanding the content that justifies the labels of middle grade, young adult, or adult. It will also address the question of "Does 'T' really mean for teen?" The panelists will provide their insights on how to manage a series that starts in young adult and ends R-rated. Additionally, because comics are targets for censorship, they will also review how librarians can handle challenges to material and banned books and continue to fulfill the American Library Association's statement on access to library resources and services to minors. With panelists Angela Ocana (Santa Clara City Library), Kelly Quinn Chiu (Santa Clara City Library), Jenny McCluskey (Ingram Library Services), Ben Neal (Portsmouth Public Library), Steven Torres-Roman (San Diego Public Library). and Andrew Woodrow-Butcher