TitleTales Helps Librarians Select Graphic Novels

Public libraries have seen a booming interest in graphic novels over the last few years. Many librarians, however, aren't completely comfortable with the format and don't know what titles to choose. (For more on the subject, see "What Teens Want" ).

To help remedy the problem, Book Wholesalers Incorporated (BWI), a book distributor to public libraries, has expanded its "TitleTales" online ordering service to help librarians view parts of the titles they might like to order prior to making a purchase. The new graphic novels section displays images of inside pages and covers of the novels. BWI has also reached an agreement with CrossGen, a leading graphic novel publisher, enabling librarians to alternate between the TitleTales and CrossGen Web sites before making a selection. BWI also lists graphic novel reviews from up to seven sources. The graphic novel selection tools were added, BWI representatives say, because of high interest on the part of public librarians who requested an easier way to purchase them.

While BWI, a division of Follett, makes this service available to public librarians through TitleTales, Follett's TitleWave product, used by school librarians, does not. "We haven't heard much interest in graphic novels from school librarians yet," says Chris Schubert, head of marketing for Follett Library Resources. "But we're always waiting to hear about what customers want." For more information, visit www.bwibooks.com, or call (800) 888-4478.