CBLDF Offers A New Tool Connecting Educators and Comics Professionals

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund just announced their new tool, the Comics Connector, a resource for educators and librarians to help them find comic professionals willing to speak with students and others. This is a great service that helps increase the access that librarians and educators have to people in the comics industry, and it may help get introduce comics to more people.

The CBLDF said this about the project:

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund continues the celebration of Children’s Book Week by launching its newest resource – the Comics Connector! CBLDF’s Comics Connector is a directory resource that connects educators and librarians with creators, editors and other comics professionals who are able to provide classroom or library visits. More than 50 comics professionals in 12 states and one Canadian province have signed up with the Comics Connector so far, and more will be added each week. Educators can view participating creators and creators can sign up for this free resource by visiting http://cbldf.org/resources/comics-connector/

CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein says, “At CBLDF, we believe that the best way to fight censorship is to increase understanding. It has led us to create proactive resources that increase the appreciation of comics and their value. With more communities making a place for comics in schools and libraries every year, it was natural for us to begin to build this resource. Our goal is to benefit the readers we all serve by helping foster greater interaction among the educators and librarians who are using comics and the talented people who make them.”

Comic creators who are interested in being included in this list can fill out this form about their specialties, their interests, the grade levels they can speak with, and their fees to travel or speak.

It's a great way to connect creators who are eager to share their love of comics with the educators and librarians who want to show kids and adults to how comics are made. Currently the states with the most people listed are, unsurprisingly, New York, California, and Oregon. Hopefully now that the initiative has been announced, more people will choose to be added.

It can be hard for comics pros to know how to get into the educational scene, especially if their work doesn't necessarily fall to the forefront of educators' minds as educational or kid-friendly. But since this list also covers colleges and general libraries, there's really room for every kind of comics creator. Hopefully lots of pros embrace this and we see an upsurge in appearances at schools and libraries thanks to this great tool.