Niles West’s IRC celebrates National Library Week this week , from Wednesday, April 13 to Friday, April 15. There will be four major events happening over these three days, from cake eating, book signing, workshops, and bingo.

This year’s theme is graphic novels, and the librarians at the IRC are sure to put all the new graphic novels on display. Teachers are welcome to bring their classes to the IRC, as well as students with free periods.

Here is a breakdown of the events:

Wednesday, April 13: Teacher’s Day. There will be cake eating and book signing all periods. The IRC will provide coffee and chocolate cake from Portillos. Teachers are welcome to sign book plates to dedicate new books in their honor. The book plates are meant to inspire both the teachers and students to read.

Thursday, April 14: Workshops with award-winning graphic novelist Josh Elder.

Periods 1, 2, 8, and 9 (for teachers): Elder will be discussing graphic novels and how to use them in a classroom setting. Elder is the founder of Reading With Pictures, a non-profit organization that promotes literacy and the arts through the use of comics in the classroom. His workshop and discussion group will be explaining the uses of using comics in the classroom.

Periods 3, 4, 5, 6: Students are invited to see  Elder, who will lead a workshop about how graphic novels are made. Only 100 seats will be available for students, so it is encouraged that students contact Sherry Baehr in the IRC as soon as possible.

Friday, April 15 is Bingo Day. Teachers call bingo games during all periods for students for fun and prizes. The prizes would include a large jar of candy from Costco.