Skip to main content

Becoming a Comics Librarian and the Importance of Joining a Community of Practice

 

Originally published April 5, 2023


*****

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… after teaching a core, tested subject for fifteen years, I was just beginning to read young adult literature regularly – rather than “the canon.”

Luckily, near the end of graduate school, I’d discovered comics. 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” cache of funds, 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 the Texas Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List as a way of shoring up the skills I lacked and connecting with other like-minded library workers. And so, I applied to be a volunteer.

Whether you’re interested in project-based or career-spanning involvement, there are many vectors for professional networking and development as you become the hero in your own story of librarianship. The following list, albeit not exhaustive, can help you find your way. And although most of these organizations require an annual membership fee, there are untold FREE professional learning networks—formal or informal, big or small—that are eager for you to join:

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

ARSL 2024 Conference Recap

  Originally published October 25, 2024 Library Developments Blog  |  Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission Waiting outside Gate 21 where the scent of pizza from the nearby Eastside Pies booth filled the air, I excitedly chatted about the transitional weather with my new teammate – to quote James Hurst “summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born” – the logistics of traveling for work, and our preparedness to attend the 2024 Association for Small and Rural Libraries (ARSL) conference . Neither of us truly knew what to expect, but we had been told that ARSL is THE conference for rural and small libraries, with conference organizers who not only understand the constraints of these libraries but also the unique opportunities for their being chrysalises of change. The conference theme “Libraries are (r)Evolutionary” proclaimed the event aimed to provide an opportunity for exploring the transformative power of rural and sm...

Staff Highlight: Christina Taylor

Originally published July 28, 2021 Library Developments Blog | Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission **** As part of our effort to make sure you know who the staff here at the Texas State Library are, we would like to periodically highlight staff members that you may at some point come in contact with! For our next staff highlight of 2021, I interviewed Christina Taylor, Library Development and Networking (LDN)’s new Youth Services Consultant on the Continuing Education and Consulting (CEC) team)! What are your job responsibilities at TSLAC? As the Youth Services Consultant, I will work towards ensuring Texas libraries are knowledgeable about and have the resources to implement youth services that meet the needs of their communities. To that end, I will lead projects for internal, statewide, and national initiatives relating to youth services. What projects are you excited to get started with? As a fervent advocate for comics and graph...