By Rocco Staino
October 12, 2010
Despite shrinking budgets, school and public librarians aren't cutting down on graphic novel purchases and in some cases, they're buying more than ever, said a panel of New Jersey librarians who spoke at New York Comic Con, the largest comic convention on the East Coast, which took place from October 8-10.
Librarians gather at the ALA booth at New York Comic Con
At the panel discussion "Why Graphic Novels Should Be in Your Library," Laverne Mann, an outreach librarian at Piscataway Public Library, explained that she buys comics and graphic novels to increase traffic and to boost circulation figures. It's easy for her to justify those purchases, Mann said, since graphic novels make up a small percentage of her collection, but are always checked out.
Tyler Rousseau, an emerging technology librarian at Monroe Township Public Library, agreed, saying that the high demand and low cost of comics is why he continues to buy titles such as the "I Kill Giants" (Classic Comics, 2008-2009) series by Joe Kelly, illustrated by J. M. Ken Nilmura, about a girl who copes with giants and her mother's death and Zombie Survival Guide (Three Rivers, 2003) by Max Brooks, which shows zombies popping up throughout history.
In New Jersey, State Librarian Norma Blake encourages graphic formats and has awarded $3,000 in grants to 14 small New Jersey libraries to create or enrich their collections. The State Library also has created a website to help librarians with graphic novel collection development.
"Librarians realize that graphic novels and comics are popular in public libraries," said David Lisa, the State Library's Urban Libraries and Adult Services Specialist and a former owner of a comic book store. "The demand for manga in specific age groups at public libraries is really intense and media tie-ins also increases the demand." He suggested librarians display DVDs alongside books so patrons can check-out both.
Amid the costume-clad and sword- and ray gun-carrying attendees, librarians and members of the American Library Association (ALA) were noticeable on the convention floor. Librarians like Eva Volin of California's Alameda Free Library and Robin Brenner of Brookline Public Library in Massachusetts flocked to the ALA exhibit to meet up with colleagues and to support a member-initiated interest group for comic and graphic novels within ALA. A proposal to create such a group will be presented this January to ALA leadership at the organization's midwinter meeting in San Diego. At the ALA booth, staffers Tina Coleman and Megan McFarlane were also on hand to promote library advocacy and intellectual freedom.
Comic Con attendees in full gear.
Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the deputy director of ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom, presented at a workshop entitled, Ban 'em, Burn 'em, Steal 'em! A Fan's Guide to Graphic Novel Censorship, and explained that the censorship of comics dates back to the 1940s when psychiatrist Frederic Wertheim wrote that they led to juvenile delinquency. In response, people burned comic books and the U.S. Senate in 1953 formed a subcommittee on juvenile delinquency to investigate the problem. Public hearings took place between April and June 1954 to focus on graphic "crime and horror" comic books of the day and their potential impact on young readers. It led to the comic book industry adopting the Comics Code Authority, a self-regulatory ratings code that's still used in a modified form by some publishers today.
More recently, graphic literature such as The Book of Bunny Suicides (Plume, 2003) by Andy Riley, was pulled at a high school in Linn, OR, and there was a failed attempt in Nicholasville, KY to ban The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 4: The Black Dossier (DC, 2007) by Alan Moore, illustrated by Kevin O'Neill.
Caldwell-Stone said 10 percent of challenges to graphic novels come from librarians and library staff—so there's definitely a need to better understand the format.
New York Comic Con, a gathering of comic book publishers and enthusiasts, is second in size only to San Diego's Comic Con International. In the past, the event has drawn more than 77,000 people. This year, organizers were forced to halt ticket sales due to such overwhelming demand to attend the event.
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