Comics and manga may already be among the most popular materials in your library. But a strong collection is only the beginning.
Thoughtful programming gives readers more reasons to discover new titles, talk about what they’re reading, and return for their next book. It can also help librarians connect high-interest formats to curriculum goals, creative activities, and shared experiences that reach beyond the library.
That programming doesn’t have to begin with a major event or complicated plan. A shared read, student-led book club, virtual book tasting, or friendly manga competition can all turn existing reader interest into greater engagement and circulation.
Here are three ways school and public librarians are using comics and manga to bring their collections to life, along with ideas you can adapt for your own community.
1. Bring Everyone Together Around One Story
A schoolwide or community read gives readers a shared experience to discuss, explore, and build upon. Comics and graphic novels are especially well-suited to this type of program because visual storytelling can make a title approachable for a wider range of readers.
Start by choosing a story with themes that connect to your community. Then look beyond a traditional book discussion. Readers might respond through writing, artwork, voting, trivia, or a project that connects the story to their own experiences.
At Salem Church Middle School in Virginia, Head Librarian Danielle Schafer used a schoolwide read of Svetlana Chmakova’s Awkward to bring students and educators together around a story about friendships, clubs, and finding where you belong.
Danielle began by defining clear goals for the program, including building community, inspiring creativity, supporting curriculum priorities, and ensuring every student could participate. She also used circulation data to strengthen her case: although graphic novels represented a relatively small part of the school’s physical collection, they accounted for 40–45% of library checkouts.
Students read for 20–30 minutes during morning enrichment periods and then used evidence from the story to propose new clubs for their school. The program inspired more than 920 essays, 40 student club applications, and 16 new clubs. More than 450 students participated in those clubs the following year.
“We were able to show our principal and teachers that graphic novels are valuable and can connect to their content.”
Danielle Schafer, Head Librarian, Salem Church Middle School
Comics Plus® made the shared experience possible by giving every student simultaneous access to the featured title. There were no holds, waitlists, or physical-copy limitations to prevent an entire class or grade level from reading together.
2. Connect High-Interest Formats to Learning
Comics, graphic novels, and manga programming don’t need to sit outside your school’s instructional goals. Graphic biographies, nonfiction, and literary adaptations can support research, strengthen comprehension, and give students new ways to approach complex material.
The key is to begin with an authentic need. Ask educators where students are struggling, which units could benefit from additional formats, and where choice could increase participation. Then use your collection to build a bridge between instructional goals and the materials students already want to read.
At Wyandotte Public Schools in Michigan, Library Director George Purdu saw strong demand for comics and graphic novels across all six of the district’s schools. When the district introduced Comics Plus, he worked with educators to turn that interest into learning opportunities across all grade levels.
Fifth-grade students used graphic nonfiction for biography projects. Eighth-grade teachers incorporated a graphic adaptation of Frankenstein into ELA instruction, while Special Education teachers used a graphic adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo to make the classic story more approachable. Graphic novels were also featured in the schools’ Battle of the Books, and the high school Comics Club used Comics Plus to select its monthly reads.
Teachers found that some students were better able to process the stories and complete related classwork when graphic adaptations were available. At the same time, students gained more opportunities to explore the formats they enjoyed, and Comics Plus became one of the district’s most highly circulated resources.
George’s experience shows that comics and manga can support far more than independent reading. They can become flexible tools for research, shared reading, curriculum support, Special Education, and student-led programs.
3. Turn Reader Interests Into Social Experiences
For many readers, especially teens, comics and manga are already social. They trade recommendations, debate favorite characters, follow creators, and look forward to the next installment in a series. Library programming can build on that energy by giving readers a place to connect.
Try offering several ways to participate rather than relying on one traditional book club. Creator visits, drawing workshops, book tastings, informal recommendation sessions, and voting programs can reach readers with different interests and comfort levels.
At The New York Public Library’s Pelham Parkway–Van Nest branch, Young Adult Librarian Tabrizia Jones began building programs around what her teen patrons were already excited to read: comics and manga.
Through author talks and creative workshops, teens learned how a comic develops from an initial idea and script into a completed panel. Virtual book tastings introduced readers to recommendations from librarians across the NYPL system, while a recurring Teen Comics Chat created space for informal monthly conversations.
Tabrizia also turned manga enthusiasm into a systemwide event. Her library’s Manga March Madness invited teens to vote for their favorite titles across 12 categories. The program expanded to 15 NYPL branches and generated more than 5,000 votes.
“These programs give patrons a chance to interact
with books in a different way.”
Tabrizia Jones, Young Adult Librarian,
The New York Public Library
Programs like these do more than create a moment of excitement. Each recommendation, conversation, and vote introduces readers to titles they may not have discovered on their own. That helps programming become a pathway into the collection, encouraging both immediate use and future circulation.
Turn Programming Into a Pathway Through Your Collection
The strongest comics and manga programs don’t treat the collection and the event as separate experiences. They use programming to help readers discover what’s available, find an entry point that feels right, and continue exploring after the event ends. A few ways to build that pathway include:
- Creating digital reading lists connected to each event
- Featuring read-alikes after a shared read or book discussion
- Letting readers vote on future club selections
- Pairing creator events with related titles and genres
- Using book tastings to introduce lesser-known parts of the collection
- Tracking which titles or categories gain interest during a program
- Following a large event with smaller, recurring opportunities to participate
Circulation is more likely to grow when readers don’t simply hear that a resource is available. They need a reason to explore it and an easy way to keep reading once they do.
How Comics Plus Supports Comics and Manga Programming
Comics Plus gives schools and libraries unlimited, simultaneous access to thousands of digital comics, manga, graphic novels, and picture books. Because there are no holds, waitlists, or borrowing limits, every reader can access the same title at the same time. That flexibility makes it easier to support:
- Schoolwide and community reads
- Comics and manga book clubs
- Classroom lessons and research projects
- Virtual and in-person book tastings
- Reader-advisory programs
- Battle of the Books and voting events
- Creator talks and workshops
- Independent reading before and after a program
Comics Plus can also help libraries expand programming without purchasing dozens or hundreds of copies for a single event. Readers gain immediate access, while librarians gain a collection that can support new ideas throughout the year.
Start With What Your Readers Already Love
Salem Church Middle School, Wyandotte Public Schools, and The New York Public Library took different approaches to comics and manga programming. One brought an entire school together around a shared story. Another embedded graphic texts throughout the curriculum. The third transformed teen interests into creative, social, and systemwide experiences.
Each began in the same place: listening to readers and paying attention to what they were already choosing.
You don’t need to launch a large-scale initiative right away. Start with one title, one group, or one program idea. Give readers an opportunity to participate, make discovery easy, and use what you learn to shape what comes next.
When comics and manga programming connect reader interest with welcoming experiences and immediate access, the collection becomes more than something readers can borrow. It becomes a place to gather, create, learn, and belong.
Bring Comics Plus to Your Community
Interested in using comics and manga to engage more readers and bring your library’s programming to life? Contact our team today to learn how Comics Plus can support your school or library.
