Librarian & Educator Tools

Graphic Novels: Suggestions for Librarians

An introduction to graphic novels: what they are, a brief history, how to develop a collection, and facing challenges.


Adding Graphic Novels to Your Library or Classroom Collection

This ongoing feature from CBLDF provides specific resources for librarians and educators who may need to justify and defend the inclusion of the book in library and classroom collections. Each column provides specific information about a book, including a summary of challenges it has faced,  reviews, awards and other recognitions, and additional CBLDF resources that educators and librarians can provide to their administrators when they want to add the book to their collections.


Using Graphic Novels in Education

Using Graphic Novels in Education is an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of graphic novels and to help parents and teachers raise readers. In this column, we examine graphic novels, including those that have been targeted by censors, and provide teaching and discussion suggestions for the use of such books in classrooms.


CBLDF Discussion Guides

Given their visual nature, comics are easy targets for would-be censors. CBLDF Discussion Guides are tools that can be used to lead conversations about challenged graphic novels and to help allay misconceptions about comics. CBLDF Discussion Guides can be used by librarians, educators, retailers, or anyone who wants to lead a conversation about a graphic novel.


CBLDF Webinar Series

CBLDF’s webinar series is intended to provide practical advice, strategies, and resources to help educators and librarians include comics-based curriculum and programming into their classrooms and libraries and to help comics retailers better serve their communities.


2019 Comics in Education Survey

Results of a survey released by Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, the industry’s leading voice for free speech advocacy and education, offers concrete evidence of what has been long been believed true but unverified: teachers and students are embracing comics as valuable tools in the classroom. This groundbreaking work offers one of the first data-driven looks into the important role comics are playing in classrooms all over the country. Across ages and demographics, this study shows who’s using comics, what comics they’re using, what obstacles comics face in classrooms, and a path forward for how educators and the industry can work together to advance the format in the education environment.


Panel Power: Using Comics to Make Lifelong Readers

Inspire kids to become lifelong readers with Panel Power, a CBLDF resource that provides an introduction to comics and background on why they’re good for kids! A tool for battling misconceptions about the format and filled with information about the benefits of comics, activities, and reading recommendations for engaging kids with comics, Panel Power is an essential resource for retailers, educators, librarians, and parents! Panel Power features all new cover artwork by Matthew Loux (SideScrollers, The Time Museum). Read Panel Power below and at comiXology, or pick up a copy at comic book stores around the country! Bundles are also available in the CBLDF Rewards Zone.


Raising a Reader! How Comics & Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Love To Read!

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is proud to offer Raising a Reader! How Comics & Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Love To Read!, a resource for parents and educators about the learning benefits of comics! This resource is written by Dr. Meryl Jaffe, with an introduction by three-time Newbery Award honoree Jennifer L. Holm (Babymouse, Squish) and art by Eisner Award winner Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Drama) and Eisner Award nominee Matthew Holm (Babymouse, Squish). Graphic design was handled by Brooklyn-based designer David Herman. Raising A Reader! was made possible by a grant from the Gaiman Foundation.


CBLDF Banned Books Week Handbook

The CBLDF Banned Books Week Handbook is a free resource that gives you the scoop about what comics are banned, how to report and fight censorship, and how to make a celebration of Banned Books Week in your community! CBLDF’s Banned Books Week Handbook is an essential tool to assist librarians, educators, and retailers in planning their Banned Books Week celebrations, while also being a vital reference to help readers everywhere fight censorship.


Comic Book Club Handbook

Learn how to start and make the most of book clubs for comics and graphic novels with the Comic Book Club Handbook, a resource produced by Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in collaboration with Comic-Con International! Designed for librarians, retailers, and individuals alike, the Comic Book Club Handbook goes inside the how’s and why’s of creating a graphic novel book club. The handbook provides proven strategies for getting started, selecting books, engaging your community, managing discussions, and much more, including a helpful table of books to get you started!


Manga Book Club Handbook

The Manga Book Club Handbook is an invaluable resource, created in partnership with VIZ Media, which will help you start and make the most of book clubs for manga! The Manga Book Club Handbook lays out the basics of manga and provides the tools you need to start a book club for manga, including suggested readings to get you started!


CBLDF Comics Connector

This resource is under construction, so please bear with us as we bring you new, useful resources! Comics Connector is a database to connect comics creators with educators and librarians interested in bringing someone in to talk with students or lead a workshop. If you’re looking to update your existing information or add new information to the comics connector email us at submissions@cbldf.org.


Comics – Start Here!

Comics – Start Here! offers librarians an introduction to developing a graphic novel collection, including new research on cataloging graphic novels undertaken by Staci Crouch, Hallie Clawson, and Allison Bailund at University of Washington iSchool. Download your copy or read it for free here, plus we’ve collected all the links mentioned in the publication for your convenience to delve deeper into this subject.


Working With Libraries! A Handbook For Comics Creators

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is proud to release Working With Libraries! A Handbook For Comics Creators. Working With Libraries! provides comics creators with a valuable insider’s perspective on the library world and the systems librarians have to navigate to bring comics to their patrons. The handbook details the basics of public, school, and academic libraries, explains the collection development process, and offers suggestions for ways creators can collaborate with libraries in developing events and programs.