I’ll be talking about comics in the library with Mariko Tamaki and David Brothers!
BAYA: The Bay Area Young Adult Librarians presents a unique opportunity for librarians working in any environment to learn about next-level graphic novel collection development, with a special emphasis on building a diverse collections. In this special presentation – led by two veteran graphic novel selectors and general comic book enthusiasts – you will learn best practices and procedures to further grow and diversify comic and graphic novel collections. Everyone who works with graphic novels in their library or wants to learn more about these wildly popular materials will have something to gain at this half-day workshop.
We’ll begin with a presentation by Jack Baur (Berkeley Public Library) and Amanda Jacobs Foust (Librarian and Consultant), two longtime graphic novel selectors and the co-hosts of the In the Library with a Comic Book podcast. The duo will share their collection development best practices, favorite resources, and philosophical approach to building and curating a diverse graphic novel collection. Jack and Amanda will also release their annual, annotated Top Ten Favorites list for kids, teens and adults.
This will be followed by a presentation by author and Library of Congress’ National Ambassador for Young Adult Literature: Gene Luen Yang. Yang’s debut graphic novel American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to be considered as a finalist for the National Book Award and won the American Library Association’s (ALA) Printz Award for best young adult graphic novel. His 2013 graphic novel diptych Boxers & Saints was also a National Book Award finalist.
The second half of our program will feature a special panel of comic book professionals who will share their creative process and discuss the power of comics as a means of telling diverse stories, and as educational tools. Guests on the panel will be Gene Luen Yang (writer of The Shadow Hero and Secret Coders), Mariko Tamaki (writer of This One Summer and Skim) and David Brothers (Branding Manager at Image Comics, editor of Lazarus by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark).
Books will be available to purchase for your library (home or otherwise).
An informal hosted field trip with Jack and Amanda to nearby local comics shop Fantastic Comics (just up the street at 2026 Shattuck Avenue) will be offered post-program.
All this for just $25 ($35 at the door)!