Graphic Novels and Comics in Libraries and Archives

To say that graphic novels, comics, and other forms of sequential art have become a major part of popular culture and academia would be a vast understatement. Now an established component of library and archive collections across the globe, graphic novels are proving to be one of the last kinds of print publications actually gaining in popularity.
Full of practical advice and innovative ideas for librarians, educators, and archivists, this book provides a wide-reaching look at how graphic novels and comics can be used to their full advantage in educational settings. Topics include the historically tenuous relationship between comics and librarians; the aesthetic value of sequential art; the use of graphic novels in library outreach services; collection evaluations for both American and Canadian libraries; cataloging tips and tricks; and the swiftly growing realm of webcomics.

Robert G. Weiner is associate humanities librarian at Texas Tech University. His work has been published in the Journal of Popular Culture, Public Library Quarterly, Journal of American Culture, International Journal of Comic Art and Popular Music and Society.

Edited by Robert G. Weiner
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 288
Bibliographic Info: 12 illustrations, 16 charts, notes, bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4302-4
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5693-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii

Foreword by Elizabeth Figa      1

Foreword by Derek Parker Royal      3

Introduction (Robert G. Weiner)      5

Part One: History

1. A Librarian’s Guide to the History of Graphic Novels

ALICIA HOLSTON      9

2. Manga in Japanese Libraries: A Historical Overview

DAVID HOPKINS      17

3. How Librarians Learned to Love the Graphic Novel

AMY KISTE NYBERG      26

Part Two: School Libraries

4. The Development of a School Library Graphic Novel Collection

HEIDI K. HAMMOND      41

5. Balancing Popular High-Circulation Works with Works of Merit in Elementary School Library Collections

DIANA P. MALISZEWSKI      47

Part Three: Public Libraries

6. Creative Shelving: Placement in Library Collections

AMY HARTMAN      52

7. Graphic Novels at Los Angeles Public

RACHEL KITZMANN      63

8. Teen-Led Revamp

ERICA SEGRAVES      68

Part Four: Academic Libraries

9. Selection and Popular Culture in Large Academic Libraries: Taking the Temperature of Your Research Community

CHARLOTTE CUBBAGE      72

10. Maus Goes to College: Graphic Novels on Reserve at an Academic Library

ANNE-MARIE DAVIS      81

11. The Library After Dark: The Promotion of Collections and Services

GWEN EVANS      87

12. So Many Options, So Little Money: Building a Selective Collection for the Academic Library

LIORAH ANNE GOLOMB      101

13. The Spinner Rack in the Big Red and Ivory Tower: Establishing a Comics and Graphic Novels Collection at the University of

Nebraska–Lincoln

RICHARD GRAHAM      111

14. Comic Art Collection at the Michigan State University Libraries

RANDALL W. SCOTT      123

15. Interview with Randall W. Scott

NICHOLAS YANES AND ROBERT G. WEINER      127

Part Five: State Libraries/Archives

16. The Perils of Doctor Strange: Preserving Pennsylvania-Centered Comics at the State Library of Pennsylvania

WILLIAM T. FEE      131

Part Six: Audiences

17. Graphic Novels and the Untapped Audience

RUTH BOYER      141

18. Comic Relief in Libraries: Motivating Male Adolescent Readers

KAREN GAVIGAN      145

19. “Forty-one-year-old female academics aren’t supposed to like comics!” The Value of Comic Books to Adult Readers

SARAH ZIOLKOWSKA AND VIVIAN HOWARD      154

20. Graphics Let Teens OWN the Library

CHRISTIAN ZABRISKIE      167

Part Seven: Nomenclature and Aesthetics

21. The Only Thing Graphic Is Your Mind: Reconstructing the Reference Librarian’s View of the Genre

AMANDA STEGALL-ARMOUR      177

22. What’s in a Name: Nomenclature and Libraries

FRANCISCA GOLDSMITH      185

23. The Ontology of Art and What Libraries Should Buy

RUTH TALLMAN AND JASON SOUTHWORTH      192

Part Eight: Meta-Comics/Webcomics

24. Meta-Comics and Libraries: Should Libraries Buy Them?

ADAM J. NOBLE      202

25. Webcomics and Libraries

AMY THORNE      209

Part Nine: Cataloging

26. Cataloging and Problems with Dewey: Creativity, Collaboration and Compromise

LAUREL TARULLI      213

27. An Example of an In-House Cataloging System

ROBERT G. WEINER      222

Part Ten: Evaluation of Collections

28. Drawing Comics into Canadian Libraries

RACHEL COLLINS      226

29. Graphic Novel Holdings in Academic Libraries

ERIC WERTHMANN      242

Afterword by Stephen Weiner      260

About the Contributors      263

Index      267

“rich…more data, coverage of academic libraries, and Canadian perspectives are collected here than in previous books on graphic novels in libraries…recommended for all”—Library Journal; “extremely well organized with rich content…excellent…highly recommended”—Reference & User Services Quarterly; “provides some scholarly analysis, making it worth considering as an introductory textbook”—American Libraries.