A presentation on comics for health literacy and library support for these endeavors, as prepared for a joint meeting of the ACRL Virtual Worlds Interest Group and the ALA Virtual Communities in Libraries MIG.

1. Discovering Graphic
Medicine:
Before and Beyond the
Leopardskin Librarian and her
Second Life Adventures
PF Anderson / Perplexity “Lexi” Peccable
ACRL/VWIG Joint Meeting with the ALA Virtual
Communities in Libraries MIG
January 17, 2016

2. Once upon
a time …A

3. Once upon a time …
… a somewhat interesting, well, slightly interesting
woman wrote a book with some friends.
It was a big book.
A long book.
Actually, it was more than one book.
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kenyon_Cox_nude_study2.jpg

4. Once upon a time …
It was not an interesting book.
Not a beautiful book.
Not a story book.
Not a funny book.
Not a spiritual book.
Not an important book.
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anatomical_Man.jpg

5. Once upon a time …
And that slightly interesting woman didn’t want the
BIG,
long,
multi-volume book
to be any of those things,
because what it tried to teach WAS important.
Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rosefirerising/2232297208

6. Once upon a time …
… a woman wrote a book with
some friends.
It was a bo-o-o-oring book.
A boring book to try to help
people who would never read it.
And that is how this story begins.
Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rosefirerising/3314010233/

7. The story
beginswith imagining a different kind of book,
different ways to teach, a different way
to tell stories for learning.

8. Instructional Design SIG
● Cognitive load theory (2009)
● Cognitive literacy
● Advance organizers
○ Graphical organizers
○ Narrative organizers
○ Story grammar
● Storytelling
● Scenario-based elearning
● The “science of surprise”

9. Digital Storytelling
StoryCenter http://www.storycenter.org/
My “StoryCenter Story > The Way to Cajun Country (2011)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnQT7BKpz-g

10. Storytelling for Learning
“There is consensus in literature that storytelling offers a highly
natural and powerful means to convey, learn, and retain
information. A variety of educational researchers offer learning
theories that support storytelling from a number of perspectives
including brain-based learning theories, experiential learning theories,
reflective learning theories and transformational learning theories.
Several studies are available that underscore the ability of learners to
learn, retain and retrieve information when presented in a story format.
Furthermore, neuroscience research reports that the human brain
is naturally wired to receive and remember every human experience
within a structure of a story.” (J. Eck, 2006. <http://www2.uwstout.
edu/content/lib/thesis/2006/2006eckj.pdf> )
Images: https://openclipart.org/detail/167359/raised-hand-in-silhouette | https://openclipart.org/detail/221679/man-
head | https://openclipart.org/detail/147847/geometric-zebra-heart

11. Visuals for Learning Retention
Bruff D. Everyone’s a Visual Learner – A Conference Report. (2011) https://cft.vanderbilt.
edu/2011/11/everyones-a-visual-learner-a-conference-report/
Bulgatz MG, Lehman D. Visual Statement Learning: A Preliminary Study. National Social Science
Association (2007) http://www.nssa.us/journals/2007-28-1/2007-28-1-03.htm
Gutierrez K. The Power of Visuals in e-Learning. SHIFT - Disruptive Learning (2014) http://info.
shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/350326/Studies-Confirm-the-Power-of-Visuals-in-eLearning
Kouyoumdjian H. Learning Through Visuals: Visual imagery in the classroom. Psychology Today
(2012) https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/get-psyched/201207/learning-through-visuals
Majumdar A. Heightening Learner Engagement and Retention through Visual Learning. G-Cube
(2015) http://www.gc-solutions.net/blog/heightening-learner-engagement-and-retention-
through-visual-learning/
Images: https://openclipart.org/detail/3455/hands | https://openclipart.org/detail/167173/ear | https://openclipart.
org/detail/181455/eye |

12. Visuals for
Learning
Retention
Gutierrez K. The Power of
Visuals in e-Learning. SHIFT
- Disruptive Learning (2014)
http://info.shiftelearning.
com/blog/bid/350326/Studi
es-Confirm-the-Power-of-
Visuals-in-eLearning
Images: https://openclipart.org/detail/3455/hands | https://openclipart.org/detail/167173/ear | https://openclipart.
org/detail/181455/eye |

13. Combining Visual & Narrative
Learning
Success Story, by Billy Burg http://www.peteburg.
com/bill/comics/success.html
Images: https://openclipart.org/detail/181455/eye | https://openclipart.org/detail/90745/111 | https://openclipart.
org/detail/203137/grandma-storytelling

14. The story
continueswith discovering community around
these imaginings.

15. Discovery
Comics & Graphic Novels Librarian & Libguide http:
//guides.lib.umich.edu/comics

16. Discovery
Our institutional repository librarian writes comics? http:
//www.lib.umich.edu/users/hellpop = http://www.gt-labs.
com/writers.html

17. Discovery
Storytelling for
Health https:
//etechlib.wordpress.
com/2013/03/06/st
orytelling-for-
health/

18. Discovery
“How Many Hives?”: Social Media Can
Prevent a Crisis with Storytelling,
Engagement, & Training https://etechlib.
wordpress.com/2013/09/04/how-many-
hives-social-media-can-prevent-a-crisis-
with-storytelling-engagement-training/
I Have Food Allergies: http:
//ihavefoodallergies.tumblr.com/

19. Discovery
Transnational Comics Studies Workshop (University of
Michigan) https://www.facebook.
com/transnationalcomicsstudies/

20. Discovery
Cheap and Easy Ways to Make Comics or
Cartoons for Digital Storytelling https:
//etechlib.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/cheap-
and-easy-ways-to-make-comics-or-cartoons-
for-digital-storytelling/ | http://www.slideshare.
net/umhealthscienceslibraries/cheap-and-easy-
ways-to-make-comics-or-cartoons-for-digital-
storytelling

21. The struggle
Try. Fail. Try. Fail.
Watch the experts.
Try again. And again.

22. Foot of the Mountain
Digital Storytelling https://etechlib.
wordpress.com/2015/11/17/teach-
feast-engaged-learning-through-
internships-badges-e-portfolios-
storytelling/
Teach Feast 2015: integrative tools
for engagement at Michigan http:
//www.slideshare.
net/umhealthscienceslibraries/teach
-feast-2015-integrative-tools-for-
engagement-at-michigan
Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/evdg/9727111416

23. Foot of the Mountain
A Wrinkle in Time, a Graphic Novel, by
Madeleine L’Engle and Hope Larson: http:
//www.hopelarson.com/portfolio-item/a-
wrinkle-intime/

24. Foot of the
Mountain
On Purpose, by Vic
Strecher: http:
//www.dungbeetle.
org/

25. Foot of the Mountain
Graphic Medicine http://www.
graphicmedicine.org/
The Bad Doctor https://thebaddr.
wordpress.com/
Comic Nurse http://www.
comicnurse.com/

26. Foot of the Mountain
Comic Reviews: Oh Joy, Sex Toy (by PF
Anderson) http://www.graphicmedicine.
org/comic-reviews/oh-joy-sex-toy-2/

27. Foot of the Mountain
1) REAL, by Takehiko Inoue http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_(manga)
2) Graphic Medicine Manifesto, by by MK Czerwiec, Ian Williams, Susan Merrill Squier, Michael J.
Green, Kimberly R. Myers, Scott T. Smith http://www.graphicmedicine.org/book-series/graphic-
medicine-manifesto/
3) The Bad Doctor, by Ian Williams http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-06754-4.
html
4) On Purpose, by Vic Strecher http://www.dungbeetle.org/
5) Neurocomic, by Hana Ros, Matteo Farinella http://www.neurocomic.org/
6) Epileptic, by David B. http://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/books/reviews/10851/
7) CancerVixen, by Marisa Acocella Marchetto http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/14/books/a-
vixen-cartooning-in-the-face-of-cancer.html
8) Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant, by Roz Chast http://www.nytimes.
com/2014/06/01/books/review/roz-chasts-cant-we-talk-about-something-more-pleasant.html
9) Second Avenue Caper: When Goodfellas, Divas, and Dealers Plotted Against the Plague, by
Joyce Brabner and Mark Zingarelli http://boingboing.net/2014/11/30/second-avenue-caper-
when-good.html
10) Diary of a Teenage Girl, by Phoebe Glockner http://www.npr.
org/2015/08/13/431997207/a-diary-unlocked-a-teenage-coming-of-age-story-put-on-film
11) The Spiral Cage, by Al Davison http://the-toast.net/2014/11/03/disability-and-the-work-of-
al-davison/
12) Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud http://scottmccloud.com/2-print/1-uc/
13) Oh Joy, Sex Toy, by Erika Moen http://www.ohjoysextoy.com/
14) Chop, Sizzle, Wow, by The Silver Spoon and Adriano Rampazzo. https://www.
forewordreviews.com/reviews/chop-sizzle-wow/

28. The
breakthroughMaking a story with meaning AND
purpose.

29. Breakthrough
The Rise of
Superheroes and
Their Impact On Pop
Culture https://www.
edx.org/course/rise-
superheroes-impact-
pop-culture-
smithsonianx-popx1-
1x-0

30. Breakthrough
Inspired by Seshat …

31. Breakthrough
The Leopardskin Librarian is born http:
//leopardskinlibrarian.wordpress.com/
And she even teaches information lessons &
skills along the road!

32. Breakthrough
First, as Stella River, public librarian …

33. Breakthrough
Later, as Madrigal …

34. Breakthrough
I got to be a TA for the
second run of “The
Rise of Superheroes
and Their Impact On
Pop Culture”!

35. Breakthrough
The world of the Leopardskin Librarian
grows to include new heros …

36. Breakthrough
… and new villains.
And leads to new opportunities …

37. A new
mountainWhen the student becomes a teacher.

38. Progress
Comics, Graphic
Medicine, and Creating
Stigma Awareness
https://etechlib.
wordpress.
com/2015/10/12/comi
cs-graphic-medicine-
and-creating-stigma-
awareness-a-panel/

39. Progress
Graphic Medicine Interest
Group
Emergency Medicine
Nurse Training
Outreach / Patient
Education Materials
Student Projects
Libguide

40. Contact:
@pfanderson
<pfa@umich.edu>
Patricia F. Anderson
Perplexity Peccable