SCOOP: Moni Barrette Is The New Executive Director Of ComicsPRO

Posted in: Comics | Tagged: comicspro, Moni Barrette

SCOOP: Moni Barrette Is The New Executive Director Of ComicsPRO

Moni Barrette, comics librarian, is the new Executive Director of ComicsPRO

Article Summary

• Moni Barrette is the new Executive Director of ComicsPRO, succeeding Marco DaVanzo in the retailer advocacy role.
• Barrette is the first librarian to lead ComicsPRO, bringing 16 years of library experience and comics expertise.
• Her background includes ALA leadership, Eisner judging, and national advocacy against comics censorship and stigma.
• Barrette also works with Comics Plus and Creators Assemble!, building stronger ties between libraries, schools, and comics.

I’ve just had the tip-off about the new executive director of comics retailer activist group ComicsPRO, appointed to replace the departing Marco DaVanzo. And it’s Moni Barrette, who will be the first librarian in the role, rather than a comic book retailer, as is traditional.

Moni Barrette is a comics librarian, advocate, and industry professional, best known for expanding access to comics and graphic novels in libraries and schools.⁠ She has about 16 years of public library experience, specialising in comics collection development and programming in the later years, and holds an MLIS from San José State University. She is the past president of the American Library Association’s Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table, working to reduce stigma around comics while addressing book challenges and censorship. She hosted panels and presentations on these topics at ALA conferences, San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic-Con, and elsewhere.⁠ Oh, and she was an Eisner Awards judge; add it all together, and those are quite the qualifications. Want more?

Well, Moni Barrette is also currently Director of Collection Development and Publisher Relations for the digital platform Comics Plus, part of LibraryPass, for libraries and schools. She co-founded Creators Assemble! in 2020 to connect educators, librarians, indie creators, publishers, and others to bring comics, tabletop RPGs, and related pop culture into libraries and classrooms during the whole pandemic thing. She has previously worked with ComicsPRO and publishers to bridge connections between libraries and retail, and has been involved in events and networking there. She contributed a short story to the Horror Not Hate anthology and is writing a book for Bloomsbury, Enhance Your Library, Enhance Your Wellbeing: How to Fight Burnout and Reclaim Library Joy. Oh, and she is also a part-time ghost hunter. Who knows what skeletons she will be able to dig up at ComicsPRO…

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