Quick course in fundamentals will help libraries increase circulation, draw in users

Given the rapidly increasing popularity of graphic novels, youth services staff in public and school libraries aren’t asking whether or why they should offer them—they are simply grappling with the enormously complex questions of what and how. For example, purchasing options have multiplied rapidly, and the same content is frequently available in multiple editions and bindings. There are limited series, trade editions, digests, chronological and other special collections, and a wide range of formats and trim sizes to choose from. A librarian interested in supporting such a popular phenomenon, but who is not also an avid reader, may well have difficulty recognizing what is worth adding to a library collection.

In The Librarian’s Guide to Graphic Novels for Children and Tweens, author David Serchay combines the avid enthusiasm of a collector with the professional know-how of a youth services librarian, providing expert information on buying, recommending, cataloging, and shelving of graphic novels.

Serchay begins with a short introduction to the basics, defining key terms, explaining what graphic novels are, how they evolved from comic books, how comics are made, and how the history of comics (outlined briefly) informs the interests of today’s readers. He describes the most common genres (superheroes, science fiction and fantasy, horror, nonfiction) and tackles the issue of diversity, considering how women and ethnic groups have been portrayed in comics over time. A chapter on manga explains the history and primary genres of graphic narratives in Asia and looks at their impact on graphic novels in the United States.

In the second part of the book, Serchay offers a practical guide to building a graphic novel collection, identifying the leading publishers (both mainstream and independent) as well as key distributors, retailers, and leading review publications plus enough resources (in print and online) to allow readers to keep up with future trends and grow their collection over time. A chapter titled “So Much to Choose From: Deciding What to Purchase” helps collection developers steer clear of redundancies and inappropriate content, and an included appendix that lists hundreds of titles appropriate for children and “tweens” up through the age of 15 (helpfully arranged by title, series, and character) will let them put together a list of core titles in minutes.

The book’s final section, “Managing, Promoting, and Maintaining a Graphic Novel Collection,” addresses cataloging options, cutter and title choices, processing, preservation, replacement, weeding, and shelving. It includes a creative array of suggestions for promoting the collection as well as a discussion of the challenges specific to managing graphic novel collections—from theft and vandalism to complaints from the handful of people who still think that comics don’t belong in the library.

“There have always been books that have unfairly been given the stigma of ‘junk literature,’ or ‘lowbrow works,’” says Serchay, “where librarians were encouraged not to buy them and children were encouraged to read them only until they were ready for ‘a real book.’ Graphic novels are just getting over that stigma, but before them it was the Goosebumps and Baby-sitter’s Club books, and before that it was the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew titles. Interestingly, all four have recently come out in graphic novel form.”