For three weeks in October, the American Library Association served as host for a legislative fellow from Morocco in an exchange program sponsored by the US Department of State.
Renowned author and media studies scholar Henry Jenkins set the tone for a weekend of dedicated learning at the opening of the 2012 Fall Forum of ALA’s American Association of School Librarians (AASL), held October 12–13. Jenkins characterized school librarians as central figures in the movement to reshape education.
Although Days 3 and 4 (Saturday and Sunday) of New York Comic-Con are designed for fans (Saturday normally features some star panels and screenings, and Sunday is the day for kids and families), I found interesting and engaging professional panels this weekend.
Librarian hat off; fan hat on! The Friday of NYCC is the first official day of the “con,” which means a lot more people and a lot more panels. Today I indulged in more of the fan aspect of NYCC, but one presentation—a history of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund—caught the librarian eye.
At last year’s NYCC, New Jersey City University Library’s Head of Acquisitions and (founder of the ALA Dance Party) J. P. Porcaro gathered every single librarian in the ALA booth for the Epic Librarian Photo Shoot. The tradition continued this year, and as you can see from the photo below, we crammed every possible librarian into the cozy ALA booth.
If the librarian is the original pop culture geek and the arbiter of taste for the library, then New York Comic-Con—the upstart sister to San Diego Comic-Con—is a librarian’s paradise.
As the two-day Midwest conference of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) comes to a close, it is clear that attendees believe they are taking part in something truly historic.
