Objectives: Graphic medicine refers to the discourse of healthcare by way of the medium of comics and is a growing field with far-reaching impact. The objective of this outreach program was to provide educational opportunity to librarians on building graphic medicine collections and the creation of related programming. Methods: The outreach program proceeded on several fronts over the course of a six-month period, beginning with a two-part webinar series targeted to librarians both in-and-out of the region. These webinars sought to provide background information on graphic medicine, materials to aid with collection development, including key title lists, and serve as brainstorming opportunities for programming, including potential partners. At the same time, outreach was conducted with libraries in the local region, seeking to build community ties and support for the creation of new collections and programming. The program, in this iteration, concluded by creating a series of book club kits, that target specific medical conditions and include graphic novels, suggested questions, further readings, and more. These kits are available to regional groups for borrowing, including libraries who may find them valuable as a trial before building a new collection.

Background: Graphic medicine is defined as the “interaction between the medium of comics and the discourse of healthcare”. We seek to understand the ways in which comics are currently being employed in healthcare settings and what effects, if any, these practices have on physician, patient, and their experiences and health outcomes. Methods: Our scoping review is following the six-stage methodology laid out by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) in order to map the field – an appropriate methodology, as graphic medicine is a relatively new field that thus far lacks clear boundaries. We built, tested, and conducted searches in six databases: (1) PubMed, (2) CINAHL, (3) SCOPUS, (4) ERIC, (5) Web of Science (Core), and (6) Google Scholar. Preliminary Findings: Search results netted 5,097 unique citations, which highlights a clear problem with current indexing of comics in medical databases, as at least 80% of the citations were in fact NOT comics at all. In-depth screening and analysis of relevant results is ongoing. Potential Impact: Graphic medicine shows potential as a tool in medical and patient education and may help bridge the health literacy gap. Next Steps: Our next steps include synthesis of relevant studies and ongoing hand-searching for results outside of typical scholarly publications. Questions for the MTL Community: How might you make use of comics in your practice and/or praxis?