Graphic Novels and Public Libraries

Presented by:Alex Morgano

Types of Graphic Novels

• Adventure • Autobiographical • Biographical • Fantasy • Female superhero• Horror• Mystery• Religious• Romance• Science fiction

• Superhero• Supernatural• Manga• Josei (comics for girls)

• Kodomo • Mecha (comics about robots)

• Seinen (for ages 18-30)

• Shojo-ai (romance novels for girls)

• Shonen-ai (romance novels for boys)

• Shonen manga (action packed graphic novels geared towards teen boys)

Graphic Novel Components

• Graphic Novels are not comic books• In order to understand the content of a

graphic novel it is important to read images and text and the ability to understand:– Mood– Tone– Character portrayal– Relationships between images and text

Arguments against Graphic Novels

• Three main arguments against Graphic Novels in Public Libraries1. Waste of library money!2. Hamper’s Reading “hack literature”3. Where do they actually belong?

Graphic Novel Core Collection Database

• H.W. Wilson created this as a collection development tool for librarians.– Annotations include review excerpts and awards

the title has won.– All titles are searchable by author, title, subject,

genre, and grade level.– Standards for rating material by age

appropriateness are strictly applied.– Featured cover art delivers important insights into

the suitability of each novel.

Some Academically-Integrated Graphic Novels

• Maus by Art Spiegelman A biography of the author’sfather who is a HolocaustSurvivor.

• In the Shadow of No TowersBy Art Spiegelman

A biography of the author’saccount of the 9/11 attacks

Some Popular Graphic Novels• Marvels by Kurt Busiek, painted by Alex Ross

50 years of Marvel comic history from the point of view of a photographer. Artistic genius.

• Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley6 volume graphic novel series, made into other media such as a video gameand movie

• Watchmen by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave GibbonsTime Magazine’s- Best 100 Novels List

Circulation

• Graphic Novels are at the top of the list for circulation

• At the Greene County Public Library in Ohio– 254 of the Graphic Novels circulated 16 times or

more– Fruits Basket and Inu Yasha circulated 26 times

each– Star Wars: Dark Force Rising circulated 113 times