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This blog was originally created for a library and information science course on collection development at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with my reactions to the weekly readings. I hope to expand this blog in the future.







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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Graphic novels and niche collections

Today I’m going to discuss the Elizabeth Downey article “Graphic Novels in Curriculum and Instruction Collections". I have some experience with graphic novels in collection development through my work in the public library system in Florida. Several older adults (one or two generations older than mine) were appalled to find graphic novels in the library collection, deeming them “unsuitable literature.” However, the Broward County Library’s annual Anime Convention was a huge success among both adults my age and children.

I think the graphic novel case is a symptom of the "disruptive innovations" affecting collection development we have seen throughout the course. Today's college students have grown up with visual imagery and electronic media like television, video games, and the Internet and they expect the same rapid pace in their reading materials. According to English professor Laura Mullen of Louisiana State University (quoted in Downey), "We're all of the Internet now...We never get a word without an image going with it, so in fact I think this is the direction of our future reading comprehension. It will include both visual literacy and verbal imagery." This article reminds me of the studies of the changing student research and library use in the University of Rochester and other schools. Many students rely on electronic databases and study in different ways than previous generations, use social tools (Facebook, e-mails, scrolling news, and webcams) and ask for links to their professors and assignments. This generation has grown up with Google and instant messaging, and yes, reads graphic novels and eBooks.

I agree that librarians have to ask certain questions when creating niche collections for formats like graphic novels. Is there a demand? How do we find reviews for what's good? Where do we get the budget for these collections? How do we deal with critics who challenge the policy of collecting these works? Like Downey, I believe that graphic novels are a way to engage a new generation of visual learners and explore themes that readers can find in print books. I have seen how academic libraries are increasingly adding graphic novels to their collections.

TS

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