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In light of the recent focus on diversity in books for youth as exemplified by movements such as "We Need Diverse Books" and "Reading Without Walls," the authors sought to understand how race is depicted in graphic novels for teens. A textual analysis was conducted on a sample of books from the Young Adult Library Services Association's 2015 "Great Graphic Novels for Teens" booklist to answer the questions: How many people of color are depicted in the sample of graphic novels? How are people of color characterized as main character, supporting character, or background characters? What are the races of the authors and illustrators of these graphic novels? Analysis of the data suggests a higher-than-expected number of characters who are people of color are depicted in this sample of graphic novels, and that those characters often play central or significant supporting roles. The researchers also found that this sample of graphic novels was, for the most part, produced by white authors and illustrators.

While experiential learning is recognized as an important pedagogical approach in Library and Information Science education, logistical hurdles can make implementing meaningful experiential projects challenging, especially in online courses. This paper will describe a project in which Library Science instructors were able to overcome common obstacles in experiential projects by partnering with instructors of undergraduate courses and leveraging the university's online course management system. In the Embedded Librarianship Project, graduate-level, online Library Science students at Appalachian State University functioned as virtual embedded librarians for several undergraduate Composition classes. This article provides an analysis of quantitative and qualitative data that describes the Library Science students' perception of this project and their learning experience. In the process, the paper will illustrate the pedagogical value of providing Library Science students with intensive and extended experiential learning opportunities such as this one. It will also highlight the benefits received by the undergraduates by virtue of having access to embedded librarians. From this project, Library Science educators might find inspiration to create meaningful collaborative ventures in their own universities and programs.

According to American Community Survey data compiled by the Migration Policy Institute (as cited in Zong, Batalova, & Hallock, 2018), the United States was home to approximately 47.7 million immigrants, [...]

This paper describes the design of an innovative educational experience that took place during the summer of 2011 with a cohort of library science students at Appalachian State University. This group of students, working online in their own virtual public libraries, engaged in an extended epistemic game that required the participants to undertake the experience as if they were practicing professionals in charge of a library. The paper describes, through analysis of an end-of-course questionnaire and follow-up interviews conducted one year after the completion of the course, students' perceptions of the ways in which the epistemic gaming format employed in the course affected their learning experience.

To discover how school libraries are dealing with the current explosion in the young adult graphic novel market along with the increased number of challenges that accompanies this soaring popularity, the authors conducted interviews with ten high school librarians in North Carolina, USA, where high schools serve students in 9th through 12th grades who are roughly 14-18 years of age. The researchers found that while librarians are creating special graphic novel collections in response to student demand, many of them are also working hard to avoid titles that might provoke criticism from the community., Introduction The North American graphic novel market for has been exploding, growing from about '$805 million in sales in 2012 to more than $1 billion in 2017' (Reid, 2018) and [...]

School librarians are challenged with selecting and organizing a rich, diverse collection of materials, which include graphic novels. However, those materials considered to be potentially problematic are sometimes overlooked during the collection development process. The increasing rate at which graphic novels are being challenged in school libraries suggests that this format may be one of those considered to be potentially problematic. This research sought to understand how school librarians in the southeast region of the United States thought about graphic novels and their use in schools. Through four focus group interviews, participants described their personal and professional perspectives about graphic novel reading and how they approach the graphic novel collection development process. The findings suggest that school librarians have a complex relationship with graphic novels as library materials, rooted in both lack of understanding about how the format functions and perceived external pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the applicability and adaptability of service-learning pedagogy to online and distance education teaching environments. More specifically, it looks at the community-embedded learning model (CEL), which asks distance students to conduct service projects in their local communities, as manifested in a project undertaken by online graduate students in the library science programme at Appalachian State University, a mid-sized university in the United States of America. For this assignment, students, who are located throughout the state of North Carolina and surrounding areas, performed service work in libraries located within their own communities and neighbourhoods, coming together to discuss their experiences in regular synchronous course meetings conducted online. In addition to describing this project, this paper will offer analysis of student reflections, describing what students perceived as challenging, important and rewarding about the experience. Through this study, the researchers highlight the potential value of community-embedded learning experiences for classes conducted in online environments.

The purpose of this study is to better understand the reading patterns and preferences of rural teen readers and the cultures of reading that do or do not exist in the rural communities in which the teens reside. In addition, the researchers sought to discover, by conducting a series of focus groups, whether rural teen readers felt connected to mainstream young adult literary culture and in what ways this connection might manifest itself. The results suggest that rural teens enjoy reading books, followed by magazines and online content; that they obtain their reading materials through borrowing from friends and family and purchasing from retail outlets rather than from local libraries; that they talk to family, friends, and teachers about books and reading; and that they feel strongly connected to the current world of young adult literature, using it as a vehicle through which to explore and develop their evolving identities.

Graphic novels are one of the most popular formats of literature that circulate in school libraries today; however, the high demand for these books may leave librarians scrambling to purchase new graphic novels to fulfill the needs of their patrons. The researchers interviewed 20 school librarians working in elementary and middle schools in the southeastern United States to better understand their collection development practices with regard to graphic novels. They found that the librarians' collection development practices and familiarity with regard to graphic novels differed from that of traditional novels and that the participants often engaged in self-censorship in the selection and maintenance of their graphic novel collections. Reasons for engaging in self-censorship are discussed, as well as additional censorship-related issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers insight to Young Adult Library Services Association's Future's Report and Recommendations, Local and Legislative Advocacy, Leadership Activities, and Diversity examining challenges facing teen librarians. Topics include providing library services to young adults; engaging teens in a variety of leadership activities; and considering the lack of diversity revealed by demographic data collected in the survey.

The article presents the author's views on Breakfast Book Club at St. Tammany Parish Library that offers a meeting with children and their grandparents in Louisiana. The club offers a way to get tweens to eat breakfast and chat about the book. For each meeting families are registered and before the meeting date, they are offered to read the selected book. The article also offers some books including "Mr. Lincoln's Way" and "Charlotte's Web" that are a part of the meeting. The author presents some tips to make a meeting successful.