Graphic Novel Friday Forum: Not Just Sex and Violence - Adult Graphic Novel Collections

Friday, June 22

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Location: Morial Convention Center, Rm 353-355

ALA Unit/Subunit: ALA
Meeting Type: Discussion Group,Interest Group
Cost: Included with full conference registration.
Open/Closed: Open

Adult graphic novel collections can seem like an afterthought to many in the library-world, so we’re putting them front and center in this series of panels! Our expert panelists, a mix of librarians, comics creators, and comic book industry professionals, will help you learn about what differentiates “adult” comics from those for other age groups, how you can develop and justify specialized graphic novel collections in academic and public libraries, and how to make sure that your collections are reaching their target audience (adults!).

11:00am - Panel 1: Building and Justifying Adult Graphic Novel Collections in Public and Academic Libraries

Despite all the progress we have made putting comics in libraries, there is still work to be done. The substantial audience for adult comics remains too often hidden and underserved. Our creators and professionals will discuss the demand for adult comics, how that audience is best engaged, and why a visible and eclectic adult collection shouldn’t be an afterthought. Library professionals will dig in to developing adult public and academic graphic novel collections, justifying those collections, and creating specialized collections. We will also cover advocating for institutional support, the best sources for reviews (including credible non-library-journal reviews), and how to get indie and crowdfunded titles into your library.

Panelists: Amanda Melilli (Head, Teacher Development & Resources Library, University of Nevada, Las Vegas); Ezra Daniels (McDuffie Award-winning creator and author of Upgrade Soul from Lion Forge); Eric Shanower (Eisner Award-winning creator of Age of Bronze from Image Comics); Moderator: Andrew Woodrow-Butcher (director of Library Services for the Beguiling Books and Art)

12:20pm - Panel 2: Don't Hide Your Adult Comics

You’ve carefully curated your adult graphic novel collection, but it’s just not circulating. Find out how you can fix that problem in this “best practices” session. Library staff will discuss book lists and displays, readalikes, cataloguing, and call numbers. Everyone will weigh in on how and why patrons search for comics in libraries, how design and format affect how readers identify and locate titles, and how important placement and location is for visibility and circulation.

Panelists:Julia Pohl-Miranda (Marketing Director at Drawn & Quarterly); Chloe Ramos Peterson (Library Market Sales Representative at Image Comics); Julie Rocheleau (artist for About Betty’s Boob from BOOM! Studios and the French Comics Association); Allison Bailund (MLIS student at the University of Washington iSchool and co-author of the Comics Cataloging Survey) Moderator:Lindsay Gibb (Coordinator for E-Reserves & Learning Zone at Dorothy H. Hoover Library, OCAD University, Co-Programmer for Librarian & Educator Day at Toronto Comic Arts Festival, and author of National Treasure: Nicolas Cage)

1:40pm - Panel 3: What makes a book "adult"?

Figuring out whether a book belongs in a public library’s adult, teen, or children’s collection, or if a book is suitable for an academic library can be tricky. This session will discuss things you should look out for, what publisher ratings mean, and how to consider the differences in comics from countries outside your own with different cultural references and expectations. Our panelists will discuss fanservice, nudity, violence, language, themes, LGBTQIA content, sophistication versus content, and teaching your community and staff about visual media.

Panelists:Mariko Tamaki (writer for Skim, This One Summer, and the forthcoming DC Ink title Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass); Jason Latour (writer for Black Cloud and artist and co-creator for Southern Bastards from Image Comics); Pauline Mermet (Dargaud/French Comics Association ); Tee Franklin (writer for Bingo Love and Jook Joint from Image Comics) Moderator:Christopher Butcher (Consulting Editor-At-Large at Viz Media and co-founder of Toronto Comics Arts Festival)

Speaker(s)

AM

Amanda Melilli

Head, Teacher Development & Resources Library
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Eric Shanower

Artist / Author
Image Comics, Inc.
ED

Ezra Daniels