WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Library of Congress today announced an agreement with Small Press Expo that will allow the Library to acquire independent comics and cartoon-art forms—material that it does not receive through copyright deposit. The Small Press Expo (SPX) is an annual festival in Bethesda, Md., for alternative comic creators. The festival brings together more than 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, distributors and each other. SPX also hosts the annual Ignatz Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in comics, cartooning and graphic novels. “I am extremely excited about this partnership,” said Sara W. Duke, curator of popular and applied graphic art in the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division. “Small Press Expo offers talented young newcomers, as well as established artists, the opportunity to showcase their limited-edition and small-run publications. “The Library