Cred for comics: NYC endorses graphic novels as a valuable reading tool.(Top Stories from slj.com)(New York City Department of Education )

If you're still defending the importance of graphic novels in your media center, take heart. The New York City Department of Education has launched a major campaign to embrace graphic novels as a valuable reading and learning tool for libraries and classrooms.

With backing from Barbara Stripling, the director of New York City's school libraries, Diamond Book Distributors is currently conducting in-service spring training sessions to hundreds of K-12 school librarians throughout the city's five boroughs to talk about collection development, lesson plans; and how graphic novels appeal to all levels of readers, says John Shableski, sales manager at Diamond, the largest …