When William Kuskin, professor and chair of the English Department, began informally gathering colleagues across disciplines who teach with comics and graphic novels, it revealed how widely visual storytelling is used in CU Boulder classrooms to engage students and expand critical analysis. Recognizing how campus-wide interest pointed to new directions in teaching and scholarship, the University Libraries joined Kuskin and other faculty on a collaborative research grant. Together, they examined how comics and graphic novels are used across disciplines — from language instruction to cultural studies — and how the Libraries can best support this work through collection development and instructional support.

What the Libraries did - Librarians as research partners

Librarians on the team contributed specialized expertise in research design, data collection and collections analysis. They also: 

• Structured the project to include focus groups and interviews with CU Boulder instructors who teach using comics and graphic novels and collaborated on developing questions that reveal how these materials shape pedagogy and student engagement.
• Hired student researchers to scan the graphic novel collections of other research libraries, analyze reading lists featuring award-winning titles and diverse perspectives and gather CU Boulder syllabi to map current uses in teaching.

Outcomes and impact - Building capacity for interdisciplinary teaching

• The collaboration will produce tangible outcomes for how the Libraries support instruction and research:
• A strategic library plan to grow the collection of comics and graphic novels.
• A foundation for future Libraries policies supporting interdisciplinary teaching and research.
• Plans to publish a case study and share curated lists and qualitative findings, extending the impact beyond campus.

For librarians like Literature and Humanities Librarian Amanda Rybin Koob, the project also opens up new ways of connecting with students. “We want to support students’ entire well-being. This is the type of material students want to read outside of class. How can we make it so students see the Libraries as a space where they can come and have fun and pick up something for leisure?”

Faculty perspective

“The library faculty have been visionary in their organization and execution of this collaborative effort, really bringing comics to the forefront at CU Boulder. I am so impressed by the way they’ve been able to integrate the Libraries into the teaching and research mission of the university.” – William Kuskin

For faculty, the project means stronger collections, better access to teaching materials, interdisciplinary connections, and a library that champions innovative pedagogy. For students, it means collections that support both leisure reading and academic success.

Interested in learning more about collaborative research projects with librarians? Attend the Libraries Research Grant Showcase on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Norlin Library. Registration is appreciated but not required.

Register now

_{Title photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash}