La integración del cómic en la biblioteca escolar: desafíos y oportunidades

This article presents the results of the educational innovative project “Comics in the school library”, focused on the process of integrating comics as part of the library collection in a public Elementary school in Barcelona (Spain). In this case study, a collaborative approach between school and university was taken to examine collectively the role of comics in the school reading practices and, specifically, in the school library. This article presents a qualitative analysis of the process of rethinking comics in the school, with diverse data gathered through direct observation, documentary reports of the school library collection, questionnaires (to students), and interviews (to students, teachers, librarians, and family members). The research of this transformative experience has allowed, on one hand, to document the positioning of the educational community regarding comics as part of the school collection and, on the other hand, to analyse the challenges that appeared throughout the project. The analysis of the data reveals key aspects to consider in the effort of giving more importance to comics in school, such as to define the criteria to select the comics, to envision strategies to train the teachers, and to plan its use in the school space and practices to ensure its promotion. This article illustrates the great importance of the school library as a strategic space to impulse the promotion of comics in the school context, as well as the needs, debates and challenges that arise from this integration process