All Sessions

This year ALAPlay combines gaming, comics, costumes, and your favorite Time Lords (and ladies)! We invite attendees to dress up in the style of the Doctors, Companions, aliens, and artifacts of Doctor Who OR with the gleaming gears, goggles, corsets and hats of the steampunk aesthetic. Feel free to combine the two (as fans know, Doctor Who has built in quite a bit of steampunk flair to its (?) universe over the years.) We welcome all kinds of costumes, from the simple to the more elaborate: we'd love to see fans takes on a Tardis dress or perhaps a Dalek hat. There are some excellent gender swapping opportunities out there as well -- why not a Time Lady instead of a Time Lord?

The point is to have fun! Games and activities will be provided by the Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT) while the costumed fun will be led by the Graphic Novel Member Initiative Group.

Did we mention there will be prizes? Because there will. All attendees can enter our raffle at the door for exciting prize packs from a variety of publishers.

Oh, and this year we're kicking off a conference ribbon game called These Aren't the Droids You're Looking for (http://ala12.scheduler.ala.org/node/4292). To play, you'll need to come to ALAplay to get your game packet and ribbon.

Join ALA's newest Member Interest Group as we discuss new projects to work on to grow the Happy Mutant community. Hear co-convener Jason Griffey talk about his latest project LibraryBox (http://jasongriffey.net/librarybox/), a self-contained digital resource sharing device that utilizes Free, Libre and Open Source software (FLOSS) to create mobile wireless file access networks where users can download digital content.

Libraries are usually organized for patrons who know what they want-the layout, guiding and catalogue all support the focused user. Research in the UK has demonstrated that many library patrons do not have specific authors and titles in mind; they are looking to be tempted while browsing. Rachel Van Riel will explore the implications of this research for managing library spaces, book collections and displays. She will show how to create an 'Impulse' area near the front door of the library can have a dramatic effect on both circulation and patron satisfaction.

In 2010, I undertook a project to help a scholar in Department of Film and Media at Kansas provide online access to his research data, hundreds of video interviews he conducted over the last 30 years with major actors, directors, musicians, and entertainers. Using our digital repository, KU Scholarworks, built on Dspace, the videos were converted to appropriate formats and uploaded under a creative commons license. In 2011, after over 100 videos had been uploaded to the repository, I experimented with placing a subset of 34 videos on YouTube in order to compare the usage statistics that Dspace generated against those of YouTube. I was sure we were missing an audience but wanted to have some idea of its size. Both resources are discoverable through searching Google. However the smaller set of 34 videos on YouTube has received over 100,000 views compared with only a few thousand for the current set of over 150 videos in the repository. These results seem to indicate that making this resource widely available means providing access and ensuring discoverability through multiple channels and methods. Neglecting to provide multiple access channels, particularly for media, may deny thousands the chance to discover materials.

Graphic novels bring to mind the stereotypical male superhero, swooping in and saving the damsel in distress. This perception of graphic novels is due, in part, to a history of male novelists writing specifically for a male audience. Unfortunately, focus on only the hero in graphic novels ignores the rise of the strong female protagonist, and of an increasing number of talented female authors and artists. Librarians who are expanding or creating a graphic novel collection are provided with criteria for evaluating the positive representation of women in these novels. An examination of how women have been represented historically in graphic novels offers librarians additional background helpful in selecting graphic novels that will appeal to girls. The poster enhances the presentation with enlarged pages from several recommended titles, visual representations of women through graphic novel history (1920-2012), and a timeline of the graphic novel's development. Resource lists and examples of recommended titles from multiple genres are provided.

Ignite speakers present for exactly 5 minutes, accompanied by 20 slides. Each slide is displayed for 15 seconds, with slides advancing automatically. This is one of six Ignite sessions in this time slot.

Use photography to create, collaborate, curate, celebrate literature and life. Share you passion for photos with students and introduce them to a lifelong skill.

Readers old and young have grown up fans of animation, cartoons, comics, and graphic novels. Given the renaissance in graphic novels in recent years, it’s no surprise that animators are turning to the printed page to tell their stories. Animation flourishes on TV and in film from Fairly Oddparents! to The Iron Giant to Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the rise of comics has led to all kinds of crossovers between traditional illustration, comics, and animation. Join a diverse panel of creators, including animators and comics creators, to discuss the state of animation and comics, how storytelling is both similar and different in each medium, and which stories belong on the screen or on the page (or both!).

In April 2010, the University of West Florida Libraries Marketing & Outreach Committee launched its bathroom newsletter with rather snarky Name-This-Newsletter Contest guidelines and graffiti-like graphics (e.g., sharpie writing warned students that "cuss wds=disqualified"). Receiving an overwhelming response of 339 entries, the Stall Street Journal continued in success with its zany style and subculture-type references. Demand for the back issues led to its archive on the library website, and one professor even stated she used the newsletter as a gauge to see if her students came to the library and if they were they staying long enough. The steady following is evidenced by email feedback to the author, student participation in publicized activities, and website hits. While the medium of a library bathroom newsletter is not unique, per se, the Stall Street Journal is published with nearly full freedom of content given to its creators: a reference librarian with a creative writing degree and a fine arts Photoshop-guru billing coordinator. It makes use of the talent in-house (a rewarding outlet for both staff members), retains an uncompromised tone, promotes services and new collections, and publishes student voices in a narrative full of mischief meant to entertain and inform.

Academic Libraries are increasing involvement in common reading programs and first year experience courses. At the University of Florida, librarians have the opportunity to participate in "Uncommon Reading" programs through the Honors College. These one-credit courses focus on one book for one semester. This gives faculty the opportunity to develop learning environments that engage students with a variety of literacies, including information literacy, media literacy, and technology literacy. This session will detail one such course, Uncommon Reading for the Undead, which was designed and taught by a librarian at the Marston Science Library. This course utilized frameworks for 21st century literacy proposed by Jenkins (2006) by employing an affinity culture (zombies) which was already very popular on campus. Centering on Max Brook's book The Zombie Survival Guide (2003), the course engaged students in collaborative team-based learning, critical thinking, creative media production, and collective communication. Technology and library organization skills integrated seamlessly into the course assignments in the form of wikis, concept maps, project management plans, multimedia projects, and technology activities. This session will share qualitative evaluation of the experience from both the student and librarian perspectives, as well as outline the syllabus, assignments, and innovative learning plans.

Science Fiction and Fantasy are ever increasingly mainstream genres. Is this because authors are gearing their works towards a wider audience, or is it because big budget films and television shows are spotlighting the genres? As a means for social commentary, what do modern works have to say about the society that gave them birth? Come listen to George R. R. Martin and Blake Charlton (both courtesy of Tor Publishing) speak on the subject.

Business meeting of the Graphic Novels and Comics member Initiative Group. The group will discuss the status of ongoing projects and plans for future activities.

This program focuses on the impact and future of Graphic Novels, Comics, and Magazines written primarily for and by Asian, Latino, and African-American authors, featuring David Inocencio, co-founder of “The Beat Within – A Weekly Publication of Writing and Art From the Inside”; Keith Knight, award-winning author of “The Weekly K Chronicles”; Rebecca Marrell, Diversity Resident Librarian, Western Libraries in Bellingham, WA, and Jason Shiga, award-winning author of Empire State: A Love Story (or not). Discover the heart-wrenching writing and artwork created by incarcerated teens, many of whom are disproportionately represented by youth of color. Hear graphic novelists talk about the revolutionary nature of their works. This program is sponsored by the Asian/Pacific Americans Librarians Association (APALA), http://www.apalaweb.org and National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA),http://www.reforma.org.

The presentation discusses the importance in using a convergence of literacies, collections, and experiential learning with students enrolled in a seminar course on Hip Hop History and Culture. The presenters highlight the importance of using multiple literacies to engage students through the context of Hip Hop Culture. The use of media, collections, and archives is the central focus of the presentation. Participants will gain familiarity with using popular cultural contexts in library and archival instruction.

Fan created works, from fan fiction to fan comics, are an increasingly visible and a richly rewarding way for fans to interact with their favorite stories from books, movies, and TV shows. At the same time, fan works raise a variety of sticky questions concerning copyright, the place of transformative work in literature, authorship, and what it means to be a writer and a reader. The ability to rewrite, recast, or redo a story or character has dramatically shifted the way readers process, share, and connect with works, authors, and other fans.

Writers, artists, and editors who have started out in the fandom world are making the transition to more traditional publishing. Is fan culture a boon to creators? A transgression against the original author’s intent and intellectual ownership? Is it hovering somewhere in between? Join a panel of authors, artists, librarians, and yes, fans, to explore the impact participatory fan culture has had and will continue to have on reading, literature, and how we encounter stories.

Presented by the Graphic Novels and Comics in Libraries MIG

Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be served along with a dynamic presentation from Mark Quigley, Manager of the Research and Study Center at the UCLA film and Television Archive and Stephen Davison, Head of the UCLA Digital Library Program. Both these leaders collaborated to create the UCLA silent animation preservation program. This program has produced a website which offers eleven animation films from the silent era, for viewing online or download along with the accompanying music files also available for download. The films cover a variety of silent animation productions, and are provided alongside authoritative technical and historical context.

Ignite speakers present for exactly 5 minutes, accompanied by 20 slides. Each slide is displayed for 15 seconds, with slides advancing automatically. This is one of six Ignite sessions in this time slot.

I will highlight some outstanding nonfiction in graphic novel format and show how the books effectively use the format to present information in an entertaining and concise way to help readers understand complex concepts of science, history, and more. Titles to include (but not be limited to) Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It's Necessary, How It Works and Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth.

Ignite speakers present for exactly 5 minutes, accompanied by 20 slides. Each slide is displayed for 15 seconds, with slides advancing automatically. This is one of six Ignite sessions in this time slot.

"God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka created over 150,000 pages of comics in his lifetime, planting him in the heart of manga history and influence. Instead of the Ken Burns rendition of Tezuka's biography, I want to share the most utterly unique moments from his catalog so that other librarians can see why Tezuka is as timely, weird, funny, and thought-provoking for every age as ever.