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Public Library Collection Development Issues
By Stephen Weiner Graphic novels are one of the fastest growing areas of publishing today, gaining steadily in popularity from 1998-2004, these books have found a prominent place in bookstores and public libraries. Once considered fish bait for boys, graphic novels have grown to the point where they are sought out patrons of all ages and both sexes. What I’ve done here is outline some of the issues facing librarians as they begin to add graphic novels to their collections. What is a “Graphic Novel”? Told in comic book form, a graphic novel is a story with a beginning, middle, and end; all bound up between two covers and in others words something we consider to be a book, only told in pictures as opposed to straight prose. The term also applies to non fiction presented in comic book format. Once intended to convey a serious book, the term has evolved to include bound books telling stories of ongoing characters such as Superman and Wonder Woman. When people refer to a “graphic novel”, they may mean any of the three categories I’ve mentioned. Collection Development policy Depending on how flexible your collection development policy is, it may need to be updated to include print materials in graphic format. However, if your goal is to encourage a community of lifelong readers, collecting graphic novels will positively impact that goal. Another goal often cited by public libraries is the role of being a pre-schooler’s doorway to learning. Although the majority of graphic novels are published for teens, some graphic novels are appropriate for children and do draw them into reading. Another argument for including graphic novels in the library may be found in the ethics of the library profession. As librarians, we have to fight out personal prejudices against any particular format, and let our patrons’ interests guide us. Even though prejudice against the comics format lingers, we have to work to overcome it, while being sensitive to the visual aspect of the comics medium, and aware that the comics medium has grown alongside the film industry. Where a novelist may describe a violent or sexual situation, it’s the cartoonist’s job to show it. As librarians we must not only defend the cartoonist’s right to work that way but our patron’s right to have the choice of whether or not to read it. Current data collected by Diamond Distributors (the biggest book vendor in the comic book industry) indicates that the average comic book reader is in his or her mid twenties. Beginning: selecting and purchasing After you’ve determined that you want to include graphic novels in your collection, you then have to choose for which patron group or groups you want to you want to collect for. Once considered kiddie fare, the majority of graphic novels are now published for older teens and adults. Very recently, major publishing houses have begun their own graphic novel imprints, making more books that are appropriate for children. Whomever you choose to collect for, you will have to consult reviewing sources and selection aids. Fortunately, most reviewing sources librarians depend upon, such as Library Journal, School Library Journal, Publishers’ Weekly, Booklist, and Voice of Youth Advocates, all include graphic novel reviews including information on age appropriateness. Many state library conferences also sponsor programs on collecting graphic novels, and some publishers, such as Dark Horse Comics and others, offer special programs for libraries. All these tools are helpful and worth consulting, but ultimately the decision about which graphic novels to collect will be the same decision that you make in terms of any material that you collect: what best suits your community. Graphic novel buying programs are now offered by vendors such as Brodart, Ingram, and Diamond, so buying graphic novels should be no more difficult than buying anything else for your library. Cataloguing, Shelving and Promoting If you do a bibliographic search for any graphic novel or group of graphic novels in your consortium, most likely you’ll find graphic novels catalogued in several ways: as a separate YA collection, interfiled with YA fiction, in nonfiction with books on similar subject matter, in the art book section, or interfiled with adult or juvenile fiction. I’ve tried cataloguing graphic novels in several ways over the years, and now practice a multi pronged approach. In my library, graphic novels are generally found interfiled with YA fiction, in the adult nonfiction section, and in juvenile fiction. By shelving them in multiple areas, your patrons will have more chances to find them. Once you’ve decided on where to house your graphic novels, you’ll want to promote them. Make them part of your rotating display. Write an article for the local paper telling your patrons that you have a Graphic Novel Collection. Integrate them into your book talks. The more often you speak up about them, the more often patrons will seek them out, and then spread the word themselves. Stephen Weiner is Director of the Maynard Public Library in Massachusetts. His books include The 101 Best Graphic Novels, Faster than a Speeding Bullet: the Rise of the Graphic Novel, and he is coauthor of The Will Eisner Companion. He has collected graphic novels for three different public libraries since 1987.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/ |
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