Legends of the Library Ninjas: New Frontiers in Library Instruction

Librarians can become disheartened when carefully prepared handouts go in the recycle bin, or are left on chairs and tables when an instruction session ends. The realization that the instruction has become stale is even more discouraging. Recognizing a need for innovative library instruction after reading Matt Upson and Michael Hall’s Library of the Living Dead, and experiencing such student apathy towards their own instruction, the librarians from Kansas State University Salina and Kansas Wesleyan University were inspired to collaborate to create a graphic novel to use as part of library instruction since neither of us felt we could tackle this project alone. The goal was to create something unique, memorable, and that would give the reader the impression the library can be fun and lighthearted, while teaching basic research skills to encourage lifelong learning. This article will discuss the history and execution of the project, present survey results from both before and after using the graphic novel as part of library instruction, and look at the future of the project.