C2E2 Panel: Novels, Gaming and Information Literacy

Back at the beginning of April on a Friday night and Saturday all day, I attended the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (or C2E2). My postings for this event will be short, closer to the expected writing style of the Internet.

On Saturday, I spent most of it attending panels, three of them to be exact. I took fairly copious notes. Instead of writing in an expository form and expanding on ideas and topics, I’m just going to provide bullet points that I took during the panels. If I expand on the bullet points, I’ll probably make it brief.

The “Graphic Novels, Gaming and Information Literacy” panel was the last panel I attended during the day. Barbara Jones, Director of the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom hosted the event. This woman knew her stuff about the potential of graphic novels and all types of gaming encouraging information literacy in people. She makes a great source of information, but such a large amount of information gushing out of one woman can prove difficult to record.

Handouts, list of "how to" books to bring graphic novels and games into the library and a list of great graphic novels for teens at the bottom of this entry, below the usual "Links of Interest" section.

That being said, here are the bullet points:

• American Library Association - wholeheartedly believe these formats work a lot to help learning and increase information literacy (IL) 


• IL - set of abilities for figuring when information needed, how to find it and analyze information for use 


• Staff in library to help people become lifelong learners - some skills library people have that laypeople don't 


• Neo-nazi Website, kids don't know if pro or anti - same with Global Warming Website - should know what's in it, who wrote it and be able to present accurately 


• Librarians ethically and professionally bound to keep patrons’ searches and use confidential 


• Ms. Jones is a librarian 


• Ms. Jones’s opinion that not getting graphic novels is a shortsighted collection policy 


• Will Eisner, The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, preferred by Ms. Jones - excellent presentation of information at hand - hoax information becomes social fact 


• Also use Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, Guy Delisle - describes brilliantly and ironically hotel that allows CNN, no other hotels receive Western media 


• American Association of School Librarians - younger students - K-12 u inquire, make decisions, interpret, make new knowledge, share know take part in knowledge discussion 


• Discussion of following curriculum and librarians complaining about restrictions, even strictest school allows some latitude for individual students - time as restriction, graphic novels and game great use of time - research shows it, great amounts of information 


• New aesthetic, whole new art form rather than dumb down - award organizations seeing just that by giving them their own categories in award contests 


• ALA Webinars on this topic - friend says that not just English classes but social and history classes - graphic/historic fiction 


• The Resistance appropriate for Middle School and High School kids 


• Not showing edgy books because sometimes have to convince teachers administrators are good sources for information literacy 


• Ayo - globalization, normal people (not downtrodden people), not patronizing and stereotypical 


• Gaming - ALA - major role in child development - gaming not just for reluctant learners - game design used with reluctant learners engages them 


• Wiliams College in Massachusetts - Thursday night game night - some University Libraries prohibit games – Ms. Jones will help provide scientific documentation of use for it - just don't want to play 24/7 - need variety and good content 


• ALA sees content as content (content, itself, doesn't have moral value, use of content does) 


• Gamers in Library - legal issues, setting up games 


• Office for Intellectual Freedom want to help educators, experts on controversial topics - vast number of cases, all content treated the same but follow legality when addressing content - up to individual to know state rights - most attorneys are terrific, but sometimes patron will know more than attorney - call her office in this case, not risk averse like attorneys - This Office thinks of the kids, have to think for kids - encourage proactivity for adding books - access to information to learn 


• Office of Intellectual Freedom is anti-labeling of content - parents, librarians and teachers responsible for discriminating content 


• Cataloguing matters a lot. Some libraries may not catalogue comic books. Segregation may make difficult to find. Do it by subject heading, give it subject heading. All formats are important.


• Graphic novels by duodecimal. Are by Library of Congress - depends on library - can be separated and put in its own section and categorized by their own methods - depends on users & crafting it for users - graphic novels used by so many authors can be organized in so many different ways


• Pathfinder some kind of cataloguer [couldn’t find a link to Pathfinder]
• Shelf life of video games (and other products) - how do librarians make decisions? Video games expensive - how people consuming, as trend, tool for learning or content for hermeneutics?


• Compare to VHS tapes - video games for library purchasing decisions, same resistance at first but went down over time


• Make connections for stores to try getting discounts and tips on purchasing as assets


• Blockbuster as competition when first came out? Library doesn't see it as such. Get people interested (library) then send them to Blockbuster/shop to get access to content that libraries can't get


• Games and gaming community - where to ask questions of people and gather info


• Librarians Guide to Gaming - Why and how to incorporate games

LINKS PROVIDED BY MS. JONES LISTED UNDER “LINKS OF INTEREST”

LINKS OF INTEREST: Graphic Novels, Information Literacy, Barbara Jones, Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association, Will Eisner, The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, Guy Delisle, American Association of School Librarians, The Resistance, Wiliams College, duodecimal, Library of Congress, hermeneutics, Librarians Guide to Gaming

LINKS PROVIDED BY MS JONES

• Banned and Challenged Books


• The First Amendment Center


• The McCormick Freedom Project


• The Freedom to Read Foundation


• The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression


• The National Coalition Against Censorship


• The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund


• The American Civil Liberties Union


• The Freedom to Read Foundation


• The West Bend Parents for Free Speech

Interactive Software for Kids:

• ItzaBitza


• Left Brain/Right Brain 2


• Professor Layton and the Curious Village


• Zula World

LIST OF "HOW TO" BOOKS FROM MS JONES

• Lesley Farmer, Teen Girls and Technology: What’s the Problem, What’s the Solution? (New York: ALA and Teachers College Press, 2008).


• Jennifer Burek Pierce, Sex, Brains, and Video Games: A Librarian’s Guide to Teens in the Twenty-First Century (Chicago, American Library Association, 2008).


• Eli Neiburger, Gamers in the Library?! The Why, What, and How of Videogame Tournaments for All Ages (Chicago: American Library Association, 2007).

LIST OF GREAT GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR TEENS FROM MS JONES

Nonfiction

• Butzer, C.M. Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel. Harper Collins.


• Geary, Rick. Trotsky: A Graphic Biography. Hill and Wang.


• Gulbert, Emmanuel. Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors without Borders. Roaring Brook/First Second.


• Neufeld, Josh. A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge. Pantheon.

Fiction

• Asada, Hiroyuki. Tegami Beach: Letter Bee, vol. 1. Viz Media.


• Asano, Inio. solanin. VIZ Media.


• Benjamin. Orange. Tokyopop.


• Butcher, Jim and Ardian Syaf. Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle. Del Rey.


• Carey, Mike and Sebastian Flumara. Ender’s Shadow: Battle School. Marvel.


• Cavallaro, Mike. Parade (With Fireworks). Image/Shadowline.


• Chmakova. Nightschool, vols 1 and 2. Yen Press.


• CLAMP. Clover Omnibus Edition. Dark Horse.


• Davis, Eleanor. Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook. Bloomsbury.


• DeFilippis, Nunzio, Christina Weir and Kevin Cornell. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Quirk.


• Eiki, Eiki. Train*Train, vol 1. DMP/Doki Doki.


• Erb, Greg, Jason Oremland and Wook-Jin Clark. The Return of King Doug. Oni Press.


• Fraction, Matt and Salvador Larroca. Invincible Iron Man: The Five Nightmares. Marvel.


• Fujino, Moyamu. Animal Academy: Hakobune Hakusho, vol 1. Tokyopop.


• Gaiman, Neil and P. Craig Russell. Sandman: The Dream Hunters. DC Comics/Vertigo.


• Goddard, Drew and Georges Jeanty. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, vol 3: Wolves at the Gate. Dark Horse.


• Hama, Larry and Jim Clark and Tom Feister. G.I. Joe: Origins. IDW.


• Hamilton, Tim. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Edition. Hill & Wang.


• Hardison, Jim and Bart Sears. The Helm Dark Horse.


• Hill, Joe and Gabriel Rodridguez. Locke &
  . VIZ Media.


• Ishikawa, Masayuki. Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture, vol 1. Del Rey.


• Jenkins, Paul and Paolo Rivera. Mythos. Marvel.


• Jensen, Van and Dusty Higgins. Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer. SLG Publishing.


• Johns, Geoff and Ivan Reis. Green Lantern: Secret Origin. DC Comics.


• Johns, Geoff and Gary Frank. Superman: Brainiac. DC Comics.


• Kanno, Aya. Otomen, vol 1. VIZ Media.


• Kelly, Joe and J.M. Ken Nimura. I Kill Giants. Image.


• Komura, Ayumi. Mixed Vegetables, vol 1. VIZ Media.


• Kovac, Tommy and Sonny Liew. Wonderland. Disney Press.


• Kneece, Mark and Chris Lie. Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone: Deaths-Head Revisited. Walker & Company.


• Kumeta, Koji. Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: The Power of Negative Thinking, vol 1. Del Rey.


• Lansdale, Joe R. and Nathan Fox. Pigeons From Hell: Based on the Short Story by Conan Creator Robert E. Howard. Dark Horse.


• Lee, Tony and Sam Hart. Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood. Candlewick.


• Lemire, Jeff. The Nobody. DC Comics/Vertigo.


• Lethem, Jonathan and Farel Dalrymple. Omega the Unknown. Marvel.


• Love, Jeremy. Bayou, vol 1. DC Comics/Zuda.


• Matsumoto, Nina. Yokaiden, vol 1. Del Rey.


• Millar, Mark and Tommy Lee Edwards. 1985. Marvel.


• Nakashima, Kazuki and Karakara Kemuri. Takeru: Opera Susanoh Sword of the Devil, vol 1 and 2. Tokyopop.


• Navgorodoff, Danica. Refresh Refresh. Roaring Brook/First Second.


• Obata, Yuki. We Were There, vol 1, 2, 3 and 4. VIZ Media.


• Ottaviani, Jim and Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon. T-Minus: The Race to the Moo. Simon & Schuster/Aladdin.


• Pak, Greg and Carmine Di Giandomenico. X-Men: Magneto Testament. Marvel.


• Phelan, Matt. Storm in the Barn. Candlewick.


• Powell, Nate. Swallow Me Whole. Top Shelf.


• Pyle, Kevin C. Katman. Macmillan/Henry Holt.


• Runberg, Sylvain and Serge Pelle. Orbital, vol 1: Scars and Orbital, vol 2: Ruptures. Cinebook.


• Ryukishi07 and Karin Suzuragi. Higurashi When They Cry, vol 1 and 2: Abducted by Demons Arc. Yen Press.


• Sala, Richard. Cat Burglar Black. First Second.


• Saito, Ken. Name of the Flower, vol 1. DC Comics/CMX.


• Schweizer, Chris. The Crogan Adventures: Crogan’s Vengeance Oni Press.


• Shan, Darren and Takahiro Arai. Cirque du Freak, vol 1. Yen Press.


• Shanower, Eric and Skottie Young. Oz: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Marvel.


• Shelley, Mary and Clive Bryant. Frankenstein: The Graphic Novel. Classical Comics.


• Shiina, Karuho. Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, vol 1 and 2. VIZ Media.


• Siddell, Tom. Gunnerkrigg Court, Vol 1: Orientation. Archaia Studios.


• Simone, Gail and Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson. Wonder Woman: The Circle. DC Comics.


• Stzepek, Kazimir. The Mourning Star, vol 2. Bodega Distribution.


• Suzuki, Julietta. Karakuri Odette, vol 1. Tokyopop.


• Telgemeier, Raina and Dave Roman and Anzu. X-Men: Misfits. Del Rey.


• Thomas, Roy and Sebastian Fiumara. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Marvel.


• Urasawa, Naoki and Takashi Nagasaki. Pluto, vol 1, 2 and 3. VIZ Media.


• Vehlmann, Fabien and Dennis Bodart. Green Manor: Assassins and Gentlemen. Cinebook.


• Waid, Mark, editor. Cthulu Tales, vol 2: Whispers of Madness. BOOM! Studios.


• Yoshinaga, Fumi. Ooku: The Inner Chambers, vol 1. VIZ Meida.


• Yost, Christopher and Paqual Ferry. Ender’s Game: Battle School. Marvel.


• About, Marguerite and Clement Oubrerie. Aya. Montreal: Drawn & Quarterly: 2007.


• Phelan, Matt. The Storm in the Barn. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, forthcoming.


• Sturm, James and Rich Tammaso. Satchel Paige: Strike Out Jim Crow. White River Junction, VT: Center for Cartoon Studies: 2007.