Ellyssa Kroski - Cosplay in Libraries: How to Embrace Costume Play in Your Library

Cosplay in Libraries

Cosplay in Libraries

How to Embrace Costume Play in Your Library

Ellyssa Kroski

Rowman & Littlefield

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

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www.rowman.com

Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB

Copyright 2015 by Rowman & Littlefield

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kroski, Ellyssa.

Cosplay in libraries : how to embrace costume play in your library / Ellyssa Kroski.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4422-5647-7 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4422-5648-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4422-5649-1 (ebook) 1. LibrariesActivity programs. 2. Cosplay. I. Title.

Z716.33.K76 2015

025.5dc23

2015020122

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To the vibrant and spirited cosplay community

Foreword

Arent you Princess Leia? a patron asked me at an evening program.

Yes, and I am also the Library Director.

When you live in the world of fandoms and libraries, this is a typical exchange.

My personal connection is why I am so excited to see Cosplay in Libraries by Ellyssa Kroski, an extremely relevant book for the ubiquitous rise of cosplay in our libraries. There is no one more credible to write this book for our profession than this award-winning librarian, who is also a cosplayer! The author gives practical advice with creative projects to bring cosplay alive for your community.

Our patrons are looking for guidance and instruction on cosplay techniques and trends, and librarians have always sought to connect our physical collections to programs. With cosplay and costuming, we are promoting sci-fi, comic books, TV, film, video games, Japanese animation and works of literature. Libraries host anime and manga clubs and run comic-cons. This book is full of ideas, advice, and step-by-step instructions to run your own successful events!

It is a comprehensive source on ideas to incorporate library makerspaces to allow for skill building and creativity by having programs with sewing machines and 3-D printers. Maybe your library can 3-D print a copy of a Princess Leia blaster, like my own, and I point it out to people interested in our costumes and suggest they check out their public librarys maker projects. In the Getting Started: Tools of the Trade chapter, methods and materials to design costumes and props are listed with tutorials on Worbla to wigs and makeup.

In the Places to Go chapter, you can find the major comic and anime cons, and how to find your local cosplay community, so savvy librarians can partner with these groups. In the Must-Have Cosplay Resources, the best and latest cosplay websites, magazines, books, apps, and social media groups can be used to inform and be a gateway to this world.

A full chapter on libraries embracing cosplay events through cosplay days, lock-ins, Tosho cons and a Harry Potter Yule Ball walks you through how to do these events yourself. An extremely popular event at my library is a Time Lord Bash for Whovians Doctor Who fanswith a cosplay contest spanning the years of the series. This summer, we are having a Princess Bride cosplay eventAs you wish!

The earliest costuming at my libraries was through the 501st and the Rebel Legion, the official Star Wars costuming groups. With exacting standards that must meet movie quality replicas, Star Wars character visits are a highlight of the year for many libraries.

Forward-thinking libraries remain relevant by tapping into trends and technologies, and this book is the first to be a practical guide in which librarians can stay relevant and meet patron expectations.

Cosplayers dont limit themselves by race, gender, age, ethnicity, and this fits our public library access for all philosophy. Crossplay, in which you cosplay with a gender switch, provides great opportunities to discuss body image, gender, and sexual identity.

No one can know about every pop culture genre, so this book allows those invaluable resources and insight. You have a treat in store for you with this book, it gives you all the tools, resources, and ideas that can lead successful and popular events!

The Force runs strong in my family ,

Laverne Mann, MLIS

Director, Cherry Hill Public Library

Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Twitter: @redheadfangirl

Acknowledgments

I would like to heartily thank all of the generous librarians who kindly donated their time to share their expertise and experience to inform both the case studies as well as the projects in this book. Id also like to acknowledge and thank all of the talented cosplayers and photographers who contributed their work so that I could share it with you. A special thank-you to Chad Mairn and Svetlana Quindt, who both provided essential guidance and contributions to this work.

Preface

Cosplay, comics, anime, and geek culture have exploded into the mainstream over recent years and have resulted in a thriving community of costume enthusiasts and pop culture fans. Todays cosplayers find inspiration on the pages of comics, anime, classic literature, and even history, as well as film, television, and video games, to inform their creative and oftentimes elaborate ensembles. They use all manner of materials and techniques, including 3-D printers, thermoplastics, craft foam, fabric, and more to design their costumes and props. Libraries on the leading edge are already embracing this new worldwide sensation by integrating cosplay into their programming and events. Learn all about the world of cosplay and how you can host cosplay events, workshops, makerspaces, clubs, and more in your library!

This book will introduce readers to the fascinating world of cosplay, which has become an international sensation and has been photographed and discussed across all types of media outlets, featured in mainstream television series, and can be spotted at nearly every pop culture convention today. This guide will take librarians on a tour of all of the major tools, materials, and technologies that these costumers are using in order to bring their creations to life and will introduce them to comic book, anime, and pop culture conventions; major cosplayers; and cosplay groups, as well as the larger cosplay community. Readers will be walked through a host of projects that they can implement in their libraries right now, ranging from how to organize a comic con in their library to how to host cosplay contests, hold armor-building workshops, budget cosplay events, host 3-D printing prop-making workshops, and much more. Compelling case studies examining libraries that have successfully integrated cosplay programming such as library lock-ins, fandom events, and anime cons are also detailed. And finally, issues important in the cosplay community, such as sexual harassment, body image, and safety, are discussed, and an extensive resources list is provided.

One of my first cosplay experiences was in the summer of 2012 when Midtown Comics put out a call for Marvel cosplayers to take part in the filming of TLCs Cake Boss TV show for a special episode dedicated to Spider-Mans fiftieth anniversary. I didnt know much about creating my own costumes at that point, but I pieced together a bunch of items that I had in my closet to create an Emma Frost costume and sent in a photo. I loved January Joness portrayal of the character in the X-Men: First Class movie, and I had wanted to cosplay her version ever since seeing the film. When I got the e-mail that I was chosen, I was pretty nervous; I didnt know anyone who was going, and I had never been to an event like this, so I had no idea what to expect. The filming took place on a rooftop in Chelsea with a breathtaking view of Manhattan. I walked into the shoot feeling completely out of my element and left it having had the time of my life. It was one of the most upbeat and social events I had ever been to. It was like being an instant part of a new community or a secret club. No one criticized my thrown-together costume or my wig (which wasnt great), and no one was standoffish, just the opposite, in fact; everyone was welcoming, friendly, and supportive of one another. Introductions were easy and informal and many consisted of Hi, can I have a picture with you? While we waited in between takes, we socialized, took a million photos, exchanged Facebook details, and ate cake... lots and lots of cake! See figure 1 for a group shot of the Cake Boss cosplayers.