In this digital age, let's celebrate the printed word and an increasingly rare commodity: books. Brookline teen librarian Robin Brenner talks about her work in the library and the power of a story in relation to graphic novels. Joining her is book conservator Todd Pattison, who highlights the history of bookbinding and how women changed the game. (Photo: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bookbinding_tied_block.jpg ""))
Robin E. Brenner is Teen Librarian at the Brookline Public Library in Massachusetts. She chaired the ALA/YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee, was a judge for the 2007 Eisner Awards, and blogs at SLJ's Good Comics for Kids and Early Word. Her guide Understanding Manga and Anime was nominated for a 2008 Eisner Award. Robin has been working with teens as a librarian for over ten years, and she runs two book clubs at the Brookline library: one on teen literature for both teens and adults, and one on graphic novels and comics also for both teens and adults. Read more about Robin on the library's official [Tumblr](http://brkteenlib.tumblr.com/librarian "") site.
Todd Pattison is the Senior Book Conservator at the Northeast Document Conservation Center, where he performs conservation treatments on a wide range of bound volumes. Before returning to NEDCC he was the Collections Conservator at Harvard College Library, supervising a lab treating Harvard’s general collections. Pattison currently serves on the board of the Ticknor Society and is Chair of the New England chapter of the Guild of Book Workers. Todd first became fascinated with the binding of books in the Boy Scouts while completing his Bookbinding Merit Badge and later received his library degree from the University of Alabama.
Peter Sokolowski is editor at large at Merriam-Webster, writes for Slate and hosts for public radio.