Choose a session: Registration deadlines March 23, 2027 or July 15, 2027.
4 Self-Paced Course Modules
16 Credit Hours
Recommended for school librarians (grades 3-12) and public youth services librarians.
$299 (Save with group rates.)
Manga gets a weird double standard in libraries. Students love it, circulation proves the demand, and adults still ask if it “counts.” This course helps you answer that well and use manga more intentionally in your library work.
Clearer ways to talk about manga as a legitimate literacy tool
More confidence building a stronger manga collection without second-guessing every title
Practical ideas for using manga in programming, readers’ advisory, and classroom support
THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU IF...
Students keep asking for manga,but you don't feel like you know enough to guide them.
You have had to answer “but is this really reading?” more times than you’d like.
You want manga to support literacy, not just circulation.
This course helps you make the case for manga, build the right collection, and use it more confidently in real library work.
Need flexibility? Once materials are released, you can start any time during your 6-month access period and move through the course at your own pace.
Invoice or PO options: Orders of $600 or greater can choose invoice at checkout. For orders under $600, please do not check out online. Submit this form, and we will process your order manually.
Help everyone in your library makestronger collection decisions, answer concerns more confidently, and build more consistent support around manga and literacy.
Multi-seat discounts are automatically calculated in the cart.
Identify and differentiate key manga genres, formats, and stylistic conventions.
Advocate for the value of manga in library collections.
Build and manage a manga collection that is age-appropriate, diverse, and tailored to your readers.
Plan manga-themed programs and events tailored to your community.
Explore manga-based ideas to strengthen reading engagement, literacy development, and disciplinary learning.
This course is especially helpful for:
School librarians in grades 3-12 who are expected to support literacy while also answering to teachers, principals, and families
Public librarians serving children and teens who want to grow manga collections and better support what schools are doing
Library staff responsible for collection development, especially when manga demand is high and confidence is lower than they want it to be
Librarians handling readers’ advisory who want to speak more fluently about manga with students and patrons
Educators and library workers who want to connect popular reading with real literacy outcomes in a way others will take seriously
If that sounds like your job, you will probably see yourself in this course.
If you are someone who:
Feels the pressure to get kids reading and suspects manga could be part of the answer
Has had to justify manga to adults, even while students are checking it out nonstop
Wants a stronger collection but worries about age ratings, content concerns, and what belongs on the shelf
Needs better ways to talk about manga as a literacy tool, not just a format kids happen to like
Is looking for practical ideas you can use in collection development, programming, readers’ advisory, or classroom support right now
This course was built for that kind of real-world pressure.
THIS COURSE CONSISTS OF 4 ON-DEMAND MODULES:
Module 1: Manga 101
This foundational module provides you with essential knowledge to confidently integrate manga into your collections, programs, and literacy initiatives. You'll gain a comprehensive understanding of manga as a diverse and engaging genre, exploring its various formats, stylistic conventions, and key terminology. You’ll also learn how to effectively advocate for the inclusion and value of manga within your library collection, addressing common misconceptions and highlighting its significant role in fostering literacy and reading engagement among young readers.
Module 2: Manga Collections
Building any library collection involves the same steps—selecting, purchasing, labeling, shelving, and weeding—and manga is no different. In this module, you’ll learn about helpful resources that assist with selecting and purchasing manga that align with your readers’ interests. You’ll gather ideas for organizing and managing this unique collection type so your readers can discover stories that resonate with them. Whatever stage of collection development you are in—starting, expanding, or reviewing—you'll come away with new ideas for tailoring your manga collection to your community of young readers.
Module 3: Manga-Based Programs
Manga is a fantastic springboard for engaging library programs. This module will help you develop exciting manga-based events for children and teens in your school and community. You'll explore a wide range of program ideas and learn how to leverage this popular genre to foster a love of reading. Get ready to brainstorm ideas, consider classroom or community partnerships, and create programming plans that excite your diverse readers.
Module 4: Teaching with Manga
When thoughtfully included in collections, manga can enrich learning and foster literacy. This module equips you with the knowledge and tools to effectively integrate manga into diverse literacy development and educational contexts across multiple disciplines. You’ll explore tools for reader’s advisory and ideas for book talks, as well as lesson plans for classroom use. School librarians will learn how to partner with classroom teachers to design engaging lessons using manga as a relevant text, while public librarians will explore how manga is used in schools and how they can support it. By the end of this module, you'll be ready to champion manga as a powerful educational resource.
COURSE INSTRUCTORS
Sara Campbell, District Librarian in California’s Central Valley
Sara is the District Librarian in California’s Central Valley. Previously, she was a high school teacher librarian and a high school English teacher. She has read and professionally reviewed over 1,000 manga and graphic novels for multiple sources, including her website, The Graphic Library, where she provides collection development content for libraries, as well as Booklist and School Library Journal. She has written articles for California English, Diamond Bookshelf, and Booklist and is a frequent podcast guest on School Librarians United. Sara regularly speaks at conferences, including the annual conferences of the American Library Association and the American Association of School Librarians.
Emily Ratica, High School English Teacher in California
Emily has been in education for over eighteen years as both a teacher and a school librarian. She holds a BA in English Teaching from BYU and an MLIS from San Jose State University. She currently teaches high school English in southern California, where she integrates comics, graphic novels, and manga into her curriculum. Emily is deeply passionate about literacy instruction and strongly believes that incorporating visual literacy through graphic literature is essential for student success.
This course starts with a very real library problem. Students love manga. They ask for it constantly, recommend it to each other, and often reach for it before anything else. Meanwhile, the adults around them are not always convinced. Librarians end up caught in the middle, trying to support reading engagement while also answering questions about value, appropriateness, and how manga fits into broader literacy goals.
Across four modules, you will learn how to handle that tension with more clarity and confidence. The course covers the basics of manga as a format, strategies for building and managing a strong collection, programming ideas that build on student interest, and practical ways to connect manga to readers’ advisory, literacy instruction, and classroom learning. It is built to help you do the job better, not just know more trivia about manga.
This is a fully self-paced, asynchronous online course consisting of 4 modules. Each module includes video instruction, slides, readings, and reflective exercises designed to connect concepts directly to your daily work.
EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT
Each module is designed to take approximately 4 hours to complete, for a total of 16 hours. You may move through the course at your own pace and on your own schedule.
COURSE ACCESS
You will have access to all course materials for six months from the material unlock date.
CREDIT & CERTIFICATE
Complete all modules to earn 16 professional development credit hours and a School Library Journal certificate of completion, which will be emailed to you.
ACCESSIBILITY
All video recordings feature auto-captioning. If you require accommodations, please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration and we will make our best efforts to support your needs.
"Thoughtful advocacy on incorporating manga into everything from regular readers advisory to collection development to literacy skills in classrooms.
– Alicia A. , Spring 2026 attendee
"My biggest takeaway is how to advocate for manga in my school. Manga is a great tool for introducing readers to rare words, teaching them to make inferences and draw conclusions, and helping them become literate in both text and visuals. Additionally, EduManga can be used to further a student's understanding in a wide variety of school subjects. It has wide appeal, from struggling readers to avid fans, and with careful collection development, the school manga collection can become a great resource for both independent reading and curriculum support."
– Faith K. , Spring 2026 attendee
"Excellent overview on promoting manga within the library world and working with school librarians. The information is tremendous and the experience from all the speakers shows that more than one person can make the process of promoting literacy a success.”
