Graphic Novels had a strong presence at the American Library Associations' annual conference, held on July 9-15 in Chicago IL.

Graphic novel-related programming included Reading Outside the Box: Collaborating with Graphic Novels and Audio Books, which explored graphic novels as a tool to develop students' visual literacy; and Ban those @#$*%!: Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and Censorship, a discussion of recent censorship cases relating to graphic novels. Attending graphic novelists included Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Coraline), Craig Thompson (Blankets) and Eleanor Davis, whose TOON Book Stinky received an Honor Medal for the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award.

Additionally, the exhibit hall featured a Graphic Novel Pavillion, where attendees could meet publishers and cartoonists. Exhibiting publishers included IDW Publishing, Silverline Books, Top Shelf Productions, Moonstone, Tokyopop and Viz Media.

The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 64,000 members. For more information, visit the American Library Association's website here.