At right, our discussion moderator/comics crusader, Gina Gagliano. 
Panelists Tracy White (author) and Liz Frances (publisher) greet the librarians. 
Author Tracy White 
Cover of Unaccompanied: Stories of Brave Teenagers Seeking Asylum by Tracy White. 
The Trinity Lower School Library was a feast for the eyes! 
Members of HVLA gathered on March 7, 2024 for their annual Winter Meeting at the Trinity School on East 91st St, followed by a buzzy social at nearby Bodega 88. After navigating Trinity’s beautifully decorated hallways smelling of cinnamon rolls, members were greeted by Trinity librarians Bethany Martin, Olivia Kim, and Grace Zell. The opening half hour gave us a chance to explore Olivia and Grace’s library, fill up on some delicious snacks, as well as catch up with old friends.
One of my favorite things about HVLA is the opportunity to draw inspiration from how other librarians decorate and curate their collections, and Olivia and Grace’s library proved to be a treasure trove of inspiration. It would be easy to spend an entire meeting just poking around and soaking in their terrific ideas about signage, messaging, and collection development.
Before we knew it, though, our meeting was officially called to order by our President, Amy Chow, of the Brearley School. Amy started by reminding everyone that registration had officially opened for the HVLA Library Symposium on May 21 – a dynamic, all-day event at Brearley focusing on Academic Freedom, Sanctuary, & Teaching Practices. This symposium promises to be an exceptional and transformative experience, bringing together a diverse array of voices. The conference aims not only to explore and advance the crucial role of libraries as sanctuaries and champions of intellectual freedom but also to offer practical insights for teaching applications. Featured speakers include Dr. Chelsea Clinton and Mr. Tony Marx, and one can follow this registration link to ensure your spot!
Amy also reiterated that HVLA was still accepting calls for proposals to those wishing to offer a workshop at the event. Applicants are request to complete this form by March 15, 2024.
She also spoke on behalf of the Sora Consortium committee to encourage anyone interested in having their school join the HVLA Sora Consortium to reach out to consortiumhvla@gmail.com HVLA’s hard working Consortium committee continues to provide member schools with access to a thousands of e-books and e-audiobooks, and collateral materials to help maximize student usage. You can learn more about the Consortium here: https://sites.google.com/view/hvlaconsortium/home?authuser=0
Last, but not least – Amy introduced the panel of speakers for yesterday’s meeting. Gina Gagliano, former leader of the Graphix imprint at Random House moderated a wonderful discussion regarding why it’s important for schools and libraries to continue to support graphic novels alongside Liz Frances, the publisher and founder of Street Noise Books, and Tracy White, creator of the graphic novel, Unaccompanied: Stories of Brave Teenagers Seeking Asylum.
Some highlight included Liz’s keen observation that graphic novels have always been “subversive” and “inherently queer” in terms of offering a different approach into a text. Liz’s publishing company, Street Noise, endeavors to contend with messy subjects in an “unapologetic” way, offering a pathway to empathy that makes it harder to hate people in these divisive times. “It’s harder to hate someone when you know their reality,” Liz noted.
Meanwhile, author Tracy White offered suggestions for helping students comprehend graphic novels in an educational setting. She discussed some drawing exercises she uses with students to activate their visual literacy/comprehension skills, and also pointed to the utility of study guides at the end of nonfiction graphic novels for providing a scaffold for difficult, unfamiliar subject matter. Members can contact her about visiting their schools via info@traced.com. (I know I will!)
The discussion ended with some suggestions from the audience and panel about how to cope with parents of students who discount the value of graphic novels. They included Olivia Kim’s idea of having parents compare the graphic and non-graphic version of a text (e.g. Coraline) as well as someone’s suggestion to promote and share amazing adult graphic novels with parents so that they can understand the appeal, or “what all the fuss is about.”
Tellingly, none of us wanted the discussion to end. Fortunately, the lure of some snacks and drinks at nearby Bodega 88 kept the exchange of ideas going long into the evening!
– Natasha Goldberg, HVLA Board Secretary, Librarian at the Chapin School (NYC), and Reporter-at-Large!