Comics for the Public Library (Phase 1)

GNLM would like to donate comics and graphic novels to the Central Public Library to help promote literacy and inspire children to read. As an NGO we strongly believe that education can be fun. Comics help children discover new worlds in a different story telling format.

Graphic Novels Library Malta (GNLM) Culture May 6, 2016 at 4:10 pm
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Project Description

GNLM would like to donate a number of comics to the Central Public Library in Floriana. GNLM wants to develop the graphic novels section at the Junior’s Library to increase the selection of comics children can borrow and read. To achieve this, we are asking the public to donate as much as they can to this cause. With such an initiative, we want to promote literacy and to encourage children to read and start loving books.

Who Are We?

Education through Comics & Pop Culture

We, as an NGO and Youth Organization, work towards the creation of a physical library of Graphic Novels, Comics and Pop Culture related books.

In the classroom, comics can be used as a complementary tool to students’ studies, allowing students who do not relate to textbooks and novels as easily as others, to have a combination of visuals and text as an aid and inspiration. Comics also make lessons more interactive. GNLM’s aim is to promote this practice in classrooms around Malta, providing another classroom tool to reach out to all students. Using comics and pop culture to educate on various topics to students of different ages, GNLM would like libraries to start collecting the medium, to encourage students to read something they can relate to. GNLM is actively helping out the Central Public Library to develop its graphic novels section in the Junior’s Library in Floriana.

Our Aims

  • To promote literacy and information literacy tools through comics and graphic novels.
  • To promote cultural awareness in other mediums such as films, arts and literature.
  • To have a place where educators or interested parties can meet and discuss topics of interest while connecting and engaging people with similar interests.
  • To inspire children to read by exposing them to the medium of comics and help them discover new worlds, which will stimulate their imagination and curiosity.
  • To be a resource to teachers, parents, academics, etc…. aiding people to better understand the culture of comics and how they can use comics to educate or teach skills that are essential to a National Literacy framework.
  • To promote local artists who want to collaborate with us in creating a market for comics, films and art produced locally.
  • To organise workshops to students and educators alike on how comics, films, arts, literature can be used as an educational tool in any related subject.
  • To provide support for presentations, discussions, talks and deliver public lectures open to the general public or specific audiences.

Comics are a good education tool for a variety of reasons. Comics can be a useful tool to help children deal with a number of issues when it comes to reading. Comics also offer more visual stimulation. Thus, they can help children, who might find reading boring or difficult, to still practice reading while enjoying a good narrative.

For more information about comics as educational tool, one can check our series of articles explaining and discussing the benefits of reading comics.

The Use of Graphic Novels in Information Literacy Instruction

The Benefits of Reading Comics – Part 1: The Language of Comics

The Benefits of Reading Comics – Part 2: Will Eisner – The father of the graphic novel

The Benefits of Reading Comics – Part 3: Serious Comics

The Benefits of Reading Comics – Part 4: The Library and Graphic Memoirs

What do we want to achieve?

  • GNLM wants to buy a number of graphic novels to further add to the Central Public Library’s collection. The comics in the list below will be donated to the Central Public Library to be included with the Junior’s Library already existing collection of graphic novels.
  • These graphic novels can be borrowed by the general public without restrictions. This will give patrons a wider selection to choose from and provide library users with more comics for them to borrow.

Some of the Graphic novels we want to buy:

  1. 300
  2. Alice in Sunderland
  3. All Star Superman
  4. American Born Chinese – DONATED to the library
  5. American Widow
  6. Are You My Mother?
  7. Asterios Polyp
  8. Astonishing X-Men:Ultimate Collection Vol 1
  9. Astro City: Volume 1: Life In The Big City
  10. Authority: Volume 1: Relentless
  11. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
  12. Batman: The Long Halloween – DONATED to the library
  13. Batman: Year One (Titan Edition) – DONATED to the library
  14. Black Hole: Collected Edition
  15. Blankets
  16. Bones
  17. Boxers and Saints
  18. Building Stories
  19. Calling Dr. Laura: A Graphic Memoir
  20. Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday
  21. Daredevil: Frank Miller Collection Volume 1-3
  22. DMZ: Volume 1: On The Ground
  23. Dockwood
  24. Drama
  25. Drinking at the Movies
  26. Epileptic
  27. Ex Machina: Volume 1: The First Hundred Days
  28. Exit Wounds
  29. Fables: Volume 1: Legends In Exile – DONATED to the library
  30. Fear Agent Volume 1
  31. Fun Home
  32. Ghost World
  33. Goliath
  34. Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon
  35. Hellboy: Library Edition Volume 1: Seed Of Destruction/Wake The Devil
  36. Invincible Ultimate Collection Volume 1
  37. It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken
  38. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth
  39. Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography
  40. Marble Season
  41. March
  42. Marvels (New Printing)
  43. Maus: The Complete Maus – DONATED to the library
  44. Ms. Marvel: No Normal Volume 1
  45. My Friend Dahmer
  46. Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Stories (Hardcover)
  47. Powers: Volume 1: Who Killed Retro Girl?
  48. Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea
  49. Saga Of The Swamp Thing: book 1
  50. Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Boxset (Vol 1-7)
  51. Space Dumplings
  52. Stitches
  53. The Arrival – DONATED to the library
  54. The Books of Magic
  55. The Complete Persepolis
  56. The Essential Calvin and Hobbes
  57. The Immortal Iron Fist Ultimate Collection Volume 1
  58. The Invention of Hugo Cabret
  59. The Tale of One Bad Rat
  60. The Walking Dead: Volume 1: Days Gone Bye
  61. Ultimates: Volume 1: Super-Human
  62. Vietnamerica: A Family’s Journey
  63. WE3 – DONATED to the library

Classic literature (comic book adaptations)

(These comics will be in 2 versions; the original text version (Example Shakespeare’s original text) and, the plain text version (simplified English)

  1. The Canterville Ghost – DONATED to the library
  2. A Christmas Carol – DONATED to the library
  3. Dracula – DONATED to the library
  4. Frankenstein – DONATED to the library
  5. Great Expectations – DONATED to the library
  6. Henry V – DONATED to the library
  7. The Importance of Being Earnest – DONATED to the library
  8. An Inspector Calls – DONATED to the library
  9. Jane Eyre – DONATED to the library
  10. Macbeth – DONATED to the library
  11. A Midsummer Nights Dream – DONATED to the library
  12. Romeo & Juliet – DONATED to the library
  13. Sweeney Todd – DONATED to the library
  14. The Tempest – DONATED to the library
  15. Wuthering Heights – DONATED to the library

Other Titles we also want to buy, are books that are not graphic novels but discuss the comics book medium, the history, different types, analyse critical graphic novels from a literature point of view, or others that show how to create comics.

  1. Reading Comics
  2. 99 Ways to tell a story
  3. Alternative Comics
  4. How to Read Superhero Comics and Why
  5. The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels
  6. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
  7. Making Comics
  8. Mutants and Mystics: Science Fiction, Superhero Comics, and the Paranormal
  9. Supervillains and Philosophy: Sometimes, Evil is its Own Reward
  10. Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul
  11. Superman and Philosophy: What Would the Man of Steel Do
  12. Iron Man and Philosophy: Facing the Stark Reality
  13. Green Lantern and Philosophy: No Evil Shall Escape this Book
  14. X-Men and Philosophy: Astonishing Insight and Uncanny Argument in the Mutant X-Verse
  15. The Avengers and Philosophy: Earth’s Mightiest Thinkers – DONATED to the library

If we manage to go beyond our goal of 2,000 Euros we will buy even more comics and graphic novels. We would also like to point out that if someone might have any graphic novel he/she would wish to donate to the Public Library, please send us an email so that we can include all the donations together. GNLM believes that together we can all make this possible and we also have plans to further this project by doing future separate campaigns that focus on specific types or styles of comics, such as French and Italian, British, Manga, celebrity biographies, etc… We need all the support we can get to be able to provide children different reading materials for their development and curiosity.

If you wish to donate using other methods, please sund us an email at [email protected] so we can make the necessary arrangements. 

Thank you.

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Project FAQ

For an questions regarding GNLM or the project you can send an email at [email protected] or send us a private message on facebook.

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