UNI’s Rod Library will kick off its version of Comic-Con, RodCon, this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The idea for the event was conceived when Anna Hollingsworth, a history graduate student, went to a panel at the Burlington Public Library in Burlington, Iowa about starting a convention at your own library.  Hollingsworth has been collaborating with Rod Library staff to prepare for the upcoming event.

“[It’s] a mini Comic-Con to bring together the university and the Cedar Valley community in a celebration of comics and pop culture and libraries,” said Hollingsworth.

Melissa Gevaert, a library assistant, hoped that participants would take away from the experience that, “comics aren’t just fun, but they’re also educational and that really there’s something for everyone.”

This will be the second year that Rod Library is hosting RodCon, and it has grown from what it was last year. For example, there will be twice as many artists this year.

“Last year it was a lot of the same things, but I think that we learned last year that we had a lot more kids than we expected,” said Linda McLaury, the Rod Library Access Services Coordinator.

In addition to making RodCon more kid-friendly, those that produced the event made sure it didn’t lose its university friendly appeal. McLaury said that the convention would play “to the academic part of our lives as well as the kid part of our lives.”

Aside from the artist alley, there will be panel presentations, trivia, tabletop and video gaming, kids and adults costume contests, a photo booth and many other activities. There will also be demonstrations from the UNI Sword Fighting Club and a fashion show by the textiles and apparels department.

“It’s really exciting to see people walk in the door and realize we’re not exactly what they expected. It’s not the quiet, boring place that you would expect a library to be. They get to come in and have all this fun and experience new things,” said Gevaert. 

Students and the community can give back during RodCon, since the library will be holding a comic book drive as well. They ask for gently used, youth appropriate comics that will be donated to the libraries and classrooms of the Waterloo and Cedar Falls Community School Districts. 

Gevaert encourages all to attend, even if they are unsure of the event.

“We have things to really cater to everyone’s interests. Plus, we have a lot of free comics that have been donated by different comic book publishers and it would be a waste if we didn’t get to give those to the community,” said Gevaert.

For those unable to attend this year, next year’s RodCon has already been set for April 2, 2016.