Saturday, February 24, 2007
Comics and your library
I went to the NY Comic Con yesterday, and it drove home to me that anyone who thinks comics (or "graphic novels" if you think that sounds more respectable) don't belong in libraries should probably think again. According to John Shableski, Graphic Novel coordinator for Brodart and the moderator of all the librarian panels at the con, the graphic novel and comic book market has exploded. He said that in 2001 the total sales for graphic novels was about 41 million dollars. Now, the total sales for graphic novels has skyrocketed to 300 million dollars -- and sales to libraries make up 30 million dollars of that, or 10% of the total.
Several of the panelists (most of whom were librarians) commented that stocking graphic novels in their libraries had not only increased circulation of graphic novels, but also of other books for kids & teens. (The graphic novels acted as a hook that sucked people into the library, where they then stumbled upon the other treasures we carry.)
If you don't read comics, so what? It shouldn't stop you from starting a collection. I don't read true crime (too gory and depressing for me) yet I can still select it. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you're selecting graphic novels for your collection.
Understand the difference between comic books, graphic novels and manga
Comic books -- are published monthly, don't cost as much as a regular book, and are usually on pretty flimsy paper. You can pick them up at your local comic shop, grocery store, bookstore. Most libraries don't stock comics in this format, because they don't hold up very well to being checked in and out a lot.
Graphic novels -- are published in trade paperback or even hardcover. Sometimes they are collections of several issues of a comic book, and sometimes they are standalone, released only as a book (and not as a comic first).
Manga -- Japanese style of comic books. Usually black and white, and read from the back of the book to the front (and from right to left instead of left to right). This can take some getting used to, but it's easier than you think!
Pay attention to the recommended reading age
Since comics include both pictures and text, you may occasionally come across items that some parents might see as inappropriate. One of the panelists yesterday mentioned that the Japanese culture has much less of a nudity taboo than we do -- so they may care less about seeing a naked body accidentally. When you purchase graphic novels for your juvenile and teen collections, just make sure you know what the recommended age is. You may also want to "preview" titles that you're thinking about getting, by heading to the local comic store or big bookstore.
Where to shelve them?
Sure, you could quarantine them in nonfiction in the 741s, but to me, that's like the kiss of death. We created a special graphic novel section right next to our teen area, in a highly visible area. Most of our graphic novels are shelved there (some exceptions are the graphic nonfiction and memoirs that are becoming more popular, such as Fun Home by Alison Bechdel and The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon).
At first, we were shelving the superhero graphic novels (ones about Spiderman, Batman, etc) by the last name of the artist, but I recently figured out that people often want "that Spiderman book" and they may not know who the author is. So now, if a book is about a superhero, we shelve it under that superhero's name instead of under the author's name (since lots of different people could be publishing works about the same superhero). This is also an example of how we started out doing it one way, decided it wasn't working, and changed. And hey! The sky didn't fall! We didn't need to do it perfect THE FIRST TIME. We were able to adapt to what we were observing and change things to make it easier for people to find what they wanted.
Where to learn more about comics
If you want to learn more about the art of comics -- and it is an art -- I highly recommend Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. It's a fantastic book about how comics are put together, and you'll be amazed to learn about all the visual tricks that comic artists use to move your eyes around the page. I thought it was a fascinating book.
Some of my favorite comics
I love, and highly recommend, the Babymouse series for kids, by Jennifer & Matthew Holm.
Grease Monkey by Tim Eldred is one that I have bought about 6 copies of, because I keep meeting new people who I know would love it, so I keep buying it and forcing it upon them.
I loved the first few issues of Runaways by Brian K Vaughan and I adored Invincible by Robert Kirkland. I have no problem recommending these to teens and up.
I also like some comics that might be considered too "racy" for teens (they may have some nudity, some bad language, maybe a bit of gore). I don't collect these for our library because I don't want to put them in the teen section, and we don't have an adult graphic novel section (yet). But if you want to read a gripping comic with a great story, I recommend the Ex Machina series by Brian K Vaughan. I also really love his Y: The Last Man series, and I have even heard rumors that it might be made into a movie. I just finished reading the five volumes of Promethea by Alan Moore (who also wrote V for Vendetta, which was made into a movie recently). I really enjoyed this series.
For more information
You may want to check out Brodart's Graphic Novels page at http://www.graphicnovels.brodart.com/links.htm. This is a good place to start.
Also, talk to your coworkers and library patrons to get ideas and recommendations. You can find comics enthusiasts in the most surprising places! Maybe one of your coworkers secretly reads them and would love to be put in charge of building your collection. You'll never know unless you ask. (One of the members of our Friends of the Library found out that I liked graphic novels, so now he keeps sending me fantastic recommendations.) ¶ posted by Mary Martin @ 4:38 PM
Several of the panelists (most of whom were librarians) commented that stocking graphic novels in their libraries had not only increased circulation of graphic novels, but also of other books for kids & teens. (The graphic novels acted as a hook that sucked people into the library, where they then stumbled upon the other treasures we carry.)
If you don't read comics, so what? It shouldn't stop you from starting a collection. I don't read true crime (too gory and depressing for me) yet I can still select it. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you're selecting graphic novels for your collection.
Understand the difference between comic books, graphic novels and manga
Comic books -- are published monthly, don't cost as much as a regular book, and are usually on pretty flimsy paper. You can pick them up at your local comic shop, grocery store, bookstore. Most libraries don't stock comics in this format, because they don't hold up very well to being checked in and out a lot.
Graphic novels -- are published in trade paperback or even hardcover. Sometimes they are collections of several issues of a comic book, and sometimes they are standalone, released only as a book (and not as a comic first).
Manga -- Japanese style of comic books. Usually black and white, and read from the back of the book to the front (and from right to left instead of left to right). This can take some getting used to, but it's easier than you think!
How to select them?
If you want to learn what the kids in your community are reading, ask them. I've been told by other librarians that we have a very good collection of graphic novels and manga, and certainly our teen circulation figures have gone through the roof since we started collecting it. I'd say at least 60% of our collection is manga. But I don't read manga. So how did the collection get so good? Because I asked some of our regulars for their suggestions. They were thrilled to be included in the decision-making process and they of course are some of our best customers. They also continue to alert me when new series come out that they're interested in.
Also, check with your book supplier. I know Baker & Taylor has a standing order plan for graphic novels, which is fantastic. You can just choose the series you want to collect, order any volumes that have already been published, then sit back and watch as the latest volumes automatically appear in your library. (Trust me, your library users will be thrilled. You can sit back and bask in the fact that they think you're cool because you always have the latest Naruto or XXXHolic. Go ahead, take all the credit. Your book supplier never has to know.)
Pay attention to the recommended reading age
Since comics include both pictures and text, you may occasionally come across items that some parents might see as inappropriate. One of the panelists yesterday mentioned that the Japanese culture has much less of a nudity taboo than we do -- so they may care less about seeing a naked body accidentally. When you purchase graphic novels for your juvenile and teen collections, just make sure you know what the recommended age is. You may also want to "preview" titles that you're thinking about getting, by heading to the local comic store or big bookstore.
Where to shelve them?
Sure, you could quarantine them in nonfiction in the 741s, but to me, that's like the kiss of death. We created a special graphic novel section right next to our teen area, in a highly visible area. Most of our graphic novels are shelved there (some exceptions are the graphic nonfiction and memoirs that are becoming more popular, such as Fun Home by Alison Bechdel and The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon).
At first, we were shelving the superhero graphic novels (ones about Spiderman, Batman, etc) by the last name of the artist, but I recently figured out that people often want "that Spiderman book" and they may not know who the author is. So now, if a book is about a superhero, we shelve it under that superhero's name instead of under the author's name (since lots of different people could be publishing works about the same superhero). This is also an example of how we started out doing it one way, decided it wasn't working, and changed. And hey! The sky didn't fall! We didn't need to do it perfect THE FIRST TIME. We were able to adapt to what we were observing and change things to make it easier for people to find what they wanted.
Where to learn more about comics
If you want to learn more about the art of comics -- and it is an art -- I highly recommend Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. It's a fantastic book about how comics are put together, and you'll be amazed to learn about all the visual tricks that comic artists use to move your eyes around the page. I thought it was a fascinating book.
Some of my favorite comics
I love, and highly recommend, the Babymouse series for kids, by Jennifer & Matthew Holm.
Grease Monkey by Tim Eldred is one that I have bought about 6 copies of, because I keep meeting new people who I know would love it, so I keep buying it and forcing it upon them.
I loved the first few issues of Runaways by Brian K Vaughan and I adored Invincible by Robert Kirkland. I have no problem recommending these to teens and up.
I also like some comics that might be considered too "racy" for teens (they may have some nudity, some bad language, maybe a bit of gore). I don't collect these for our library because I don't want to put them in the teen section, and we don't have an adult graphic novel section (yet). But if you want to read a gripping comic with a great story, I recommend the Ex Machina series by Brian K Vaughan. I also really love his Y: The Last Man series, and I have even heard rumors that it might be made into a movie. I just finished reading the five volumes of Promethea by Alan Moore (who also wrote V for Vendetta, which was made into a movie recently). I really enjoyed this series.
For more information
You may want to check out Brodart's Graphic Novels page at http://www.graphicnovels.brodart.com/links.htm. This is a good place to start.
Also, talk to your coworkers and library patrons to get ideas and recommendations. You can find comics enthusiasts in the most surprising places! Maybe one of your coworkers secretly reads them and would love to be put in charge of building your collection. You'll never know unless you ask. (One of the members of our Friends of the Library found out that I liked graphic novels, so now he keeps sending me fantastic recommendations.) ¶ posted by Mary Martin @ 4:38 PM
