Talks & Appearances

"Your keynote address was the highest ranked keynote we’ve had in my three years at ILF. Of those who took our conference survey, 97% rated your keynote session as “excellent” or “good” – with the vast majority rating it as 'excellent.'"
-- AnneMarie Chambers, Conference Manager, 2011 Indiana Library Federation

"It was so great to have the Unshelved guys. How nice that we had two sessions that were fun as well as informative. In the past, I've finished staff day more tired than ever before, but I really was energized this time."

"Although the session on mental health was useful and very practical, the best lift for my mental health was having Unshelved."

"The Unshelved keynote was the best session/speaker we've had since I've been at MCPL. Funny and relevant."
-- Attendees, 2011 Monroe County Public Library Staff Development Day

"This was the best presentation, not just from this Staff Training Day, but from all of them that I've attended. It let us laugh at ourselves, our co-workers, and our patrons, but was ultimately affirming of our profession."
-- Attendee, 2011 LA County Public Library Staff Training Day

"The Dayton Metro Library staff absolutely loved the Unshelved programs at our 2011 Staff Development Day! In fact, our attendees ranked their talks higher than any other program in my 10 years coordinating this event. Gene and Bill were so easy to work with and two of the nicest, funniest guys I have had the pleasure of hiring."
-- Jennifer Kadel, Training Specialist, Dayton Metro Library

We love making people laugh on the web and in person. We've delivered professional keynotes to conferences, universities, library systems, and corporate gatherings in over 40 states and internationally*. Our peculiar insights into librarianship and customer service leave attendees smiling and talking among themselves. They depart energized, validated, and uplifted. We’d love to speak to you and your group, wherever you are.

We also do a variety of workshops with adults and teens at individual libraries and schools.

Finally, several times a year we sell our book-friendly merchandise at book-friendly conferences.

You can see a complete list of upcoming events at right, or scroll down to learn more about what we do and how to hire us.

Keynotes

We've got two great keynotes for professional gatherings.

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Library

If you work in libraries you know that sometimes you have to laugh or else you'll cry. In this 50 minute keynote we deliver the laughs as we take you on a tour of the world's only library comic strip. The staff and patrons of the Mallville Public Library are instantly recognizable, and give your audience a unique opportunity to gently laugh at themselves and the people they work with on both sides of the desk. We deconstruct some of our greatest hits, and Gene tells some of the true-life stories that inspired them, as well as a few he had to leave out.

This keynote has garnered standing ovations at dozens of state and regional library conferences, library schools, library staff development days, and corporate customer meetings. It is appropriate for all kinds of librarians: public, school, academic, and special**.

Here's a video clip of our opening skit, the Unshelved Library Simulator.

Surviving the Public

Tough customers got you down? Let us teach you how to stop worrying and learn to enjoy difficult people! In this 50 minute keynote we focus on the Unshelved approach to customer service: the customer is seldom right. Most customer service interactions can be enjoyable if you have the right frame of mind. Or, failing that, at least you can have the last laugh.

This keynote goes beyond libraries, and is suitable for any audience that deals with the public. It's also a great choice for groups that have hired us to speak once and want to hear something new!

Breakout Sessions

We have done a number of smaller, less formal programs with audiences of adults and teens. These are a great choice for individual libraries and schools, and if you've already hired us to do a keynote we're happy to throw in one of these for free if it doesn't add to our travel time. These work better with focused audiences who come to have a conversation. Here are some popular topics:

Graphic Novels from the Inside

Gene loves comics, and in this program he shows us some of the reasons why, showing moments that demonstrate the unique power of this amazing medium.

Social Media as a Marketing Tool

Learn how we've use social media to help make Unshelved a success.

Pressing the Money Button

This workshop is aimed at cartoonists and other graphic professionals, and contains loads of details about finding additional sources of income by:

• Self-publishing
• Merchandising
• Advertising
• Licensing
• Personal appearances

Find out how one webcomic pays two and a half salaries. Learn tips on how you, too, can press the Internet’s money button.

Cartooning in the 21st Century

In this workshop we cover the nuts and bolts of modern cartooning using our experience with Unshelved and Not Invented Here as examples. We talk about character design, settings, plot arcs, materials, software and hardware, websites, and business models. Great for fans as well as aspiring professionals.

The History of Unshelved

For fans only! Bill and Gene walk through the almost-nine year history of Unshelved, from dumb idea to Internet sensation.

How to Hire Us

We charge a speaking fee that varies with distance and venue, plus expenses (economy travel, accomodation, meals). For more information, references, availability, and a price quote, please contact Gene with as much detail about your event as possible. We look forward to hearing from you!

(Sorry, we have a limited number of spots free in our calendar, so we can't accept every invitation. We book strictly on a "first come, first served" basis, so email sooner rather than later!)

The Unshelved booth

Unshelved is famous for it's awesome reader-friendly merchandise, and our fans knock each other down, Filene's Basement style, on their way to our booth when we exhibit at conferences. But it's a big deal to transport our entire store across the country, so we generally exhibit at only the largest and/or most convenient events. The best way to get us to exhibit at your conference is to invite us as guests. It's a great way to get us to promote your show to our 60,000 fans! Contact Gene and tell us about yourself.

-Gene and Bill
the Unshelved guys

* Canada
** All librarians are special