I want to introduce you all today to a fun thing we did and a really cool non-profit!
Carolina Manga Library is a traveling library that “was started to promote the use of graphic novels, comics, and Japanese manga as genuine tools for improving literacy.” Super cool, huh? Visitors to the library, which sets up at events like cons, have free access to more than 5,000 books! Volunteer staff help run the library at the events.
Over the years, BtT has collected dozens and dozens of manga provided to us as review copies for full reviews and Reader’s Corner, and some of you have donated to us as well. While we’ve given some away through giveaway events, donating to Carolina Manga Library seemed like an even better opportunity, a way for us to partner with a cool institution for an important topic.
And so, we sent our manga out! Here’s a quick video showing the process:
Literacy is also a topic close to my own heart. I’m a former schoolteacher who still participates in tutoring elementary school children. Last year, I met weekly with two 2nd graders at a nearby school in a poor community. Our church organizes this project in which we don’t proselytize—we just read. It was a wonderful, enriching time.
I encourage you to get involved in literacy advocacy if time allows and your heart is similarly bent toward it. And certainly, a good way to dip your feet in is by donating to Carolina Manga Library! We also encourage you to follow the library on Facebook, Instagram, Patreon, Discord, and Twitter.
Let’s invest in reading, otaku!
Featured illustration by 和遥キナ (reprinted w/permission)
Yay! What a wonderful way to give back to the community while helping kids find the love or reading! Yes, reading is so vital to broadening a person’s horizons, opening up opportunities, and gaining a better understanding of the world and the people around them, yet sadly in North America literacy rates have been trending downward in recent years. I love hearing about how different groups are stepping up and fighting back against illiteracy and empowering kids to read more and a bigger variety of books. Manga and comic books are such a great stepping stone to help kids learn that reading can be fun.