Sunday, April 18, 2010

Lab - Graphic Novel Book List

At the library where I work, Hammond Public Library, we have a monthly "Staff Picks" display. I have been noticing more and more graphic novels displayed. I'm not the only staff member who likes to read graphic novels! That means that I'm not the only adult who likes to read them either. I asked our Reader's Advisory Librarian, Mary, if creating a list of graphic novels for adults would be a fruitful endeavor. She said that it would definitely be a great list, since we have so many graphic novels to choose from, and requests for them have been growing.

My coworker was listening to this exchange, and kept asking "Aren't they just like... comic books?" Mary and I explained to her that it's more than the "usual" comic books featuring super heroes and villains, and more than just funny-haha humor. There are several different genres displayed through the medium of graphics, so I kept that in mind while picking books to include in my list.

I used a few different tools to create this list. I skimmed through Graphic Novels: a guide to comic books, manga, and more by Michael Pawuk. This is a guide intended for librarians who are considering expanding their graphic novel collection. It has tons of graphic novels listed by genre. I thought this was a great tool, but since I only wanted ten books on my list to make it short and sweet, it was hard to find just ten. Luckily, the March 2010 Booklist came out, with a ten page spread all about graphic novels. I also reviewed the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenberg County's website, as they have a great Reader's Advisory section with all sorts of lists and reviews, including graphic novels for adults. I also took a look at the winners of the Eisner Award, which is an award given to quality graphic novels. Mix all this together, with my picking and choosing from different genres, and I got this, my completed book list.

I chose to include the images of the covers of each book, with a short annotation. I did not include the call number, because many of these are catalogued as "TEEN FICTION." Mary said that sometimes adults will not go any further if they see that. They're adults, you know, and won't want to read fiction for teens. However, many of these books are crossovers, and are pertinent to adult lives as well. By not including the call number, I am hoping to intrigue the patron enough with the covers and annotations to where they won't mind reading a "teen fiction."

If for some reason you cannot access my book list, let me know, and I will find another way to display it for you. The finished, printed product will be a tri-fold brochure.

1 comments:

Andrea Japzon said...

Your reading list is a wonderful gift to your library system. I hope that you continue to use your creativity to inspire new readers.