My path to becoming a “Comics Librarian” and why you should join YART!

As a freshly-minted librarian, I was hired to serve at THE high school bearing my district’s name alongside an amazingly zany, veteran librarian who knew the current collection inside and out as she’d been the one to revitalize it with bond money just prior to my arrival. To say that I was intimidated about what I could possibly have to contribute is more than an understatement. So when the moment of truth arrived and I was handed a “small” purchase order to get my feet wet, I. Was. Stymied!

Her fingerprints were all throughout that collection, and what she didn’t read our assistant did. How would I ever fit into this team?! What could I possibly contribute?! To be honest, I was just beginning to read YA lit regularly.

Luckily, near the end of grad school, I’d discovered comics and graphic novels. My then-language-arts-teacher heart fell in love with graphic storytelling, the ways that it attracts readers, and its potential to support literacy efforts. Unluckily, I didn’t know much about this format; however... I was the only member of the library staff who, at the time, even read them at all.

I’d found my calling; graphics would be my contribution. By the time I’d exhausted that “small” PO, it was pretty clear to me that I’d need to develop myself in this area if I wanted to be a full partner on the library staff and better serve my community. Even luckier still, my new colleagues in the district pointed me toward YART’s Texas Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List as a way of shoring up the skills I lacked and connecting with other like minded library workers.

Whether you are interested in volunteering during Annual Conference, serving on a reading list, or becoming involved with round table leadership, opportunities to get involved with YART are available for any interest you may have, and commitments can range from one event to multiple years.

In addition to openings on all reading list committees—Lone Star, Maverick, Spirit of Texas (SPOT), and TAYSHAS—we're also in search of the following Board positions.

Chair-Elect (3-year Elected Term)
Councilor (3-year Elected Term)
Alternate Councilor (3-year Elected Term)
Webmaster (3-year Appointed Term)
Maverick List Chair (2-year Appointed Term followed by 1-year Advisory Term; must have served previously as a Maverick List committee member).

Deadline to Apply: October 1, 2022

This year's application form is located in

the "YART Volunteers" section of our website

or can be accessed directly at

https://tinyurl.com/YARTVolunteer-2023

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