I love independent creators, libraries and integrating alternative media into library collections and programs, so when I heard about the Toronto Public Library’s new game created to accompany Keep Toronto Reading and themed around TPL’s “One Book” — Fahrenheit 451 — I was excited. I was most excited when I…
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South Carolina Library’s Graphic Novel Banning Controversy
Last month the director of Greenville County Library in South Carolina made the decision to ban Alan Moore and Jacen Burrow’s graphic novel Neonomicon from the library system. The book, which was released in 2011, was challenged in June by library patron Carrie Gaske after her 14-year-old daughter borrowed the…
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The Zine Fair: A Librarian’s Guide to Independent Press
Canzine is a large zine fair put on every year by Broken Pencil magazine. This Sunday marks the 17th Canzine in Toronto and the seventh Canzine I have co-programmed. In order for librarians to get a first-hand view of what is happening in alternative media and what their users are…
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Cleveland Library to Unveil Harvey Pekar Statue
On October 14, the Lee Road branch of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library will be unveiling a bronze Harvey Pekar statue. According to Comics Alliance, Pekar’s widow, Joyce Brabner, decided to start a Kickstarter to fund the statue to raise awareness for comics as a literary artform. Before his…
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A Queer Archive
During the Canadian Library Association National Conference and Tradeshow in Ottawa this past June, I met Chatham-Kent Public Library Board member, Mark Reinhart, who was on a panel discussing how to reach LGBTQ audiences in libraries. An artist as well as a library board member, Mark was on the panel…
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My Feliciter Debut
For the past week I have been on a trip through New Brunswick and P.E.I. checking out the beautiful scenery, delicious seafood and various neighbourhood libraries. Upon my return to Toronto I noticed that a digital version of the Canadian Library Association’s Feliciter was released featuring a few articles I…
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The Will Eisner Graphic Novel Prize for Libraries
Earlier this week The Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation announced the launch of a new prize for libraries that will see over 100 graphic novels donated to three libraries each year. The Will Eisner Graphic Novel Prize for Libraries will give each winning library a collection of graphic novels…