I have a final questionnaire that was answered by David Dunkerton who runs a Young Adult Review blog for the Clarion Free Library.
Hi Brittany,
Hi Brittany,
I would be happy to help you with your project! I'll have to get back to you about the statistics you asked for, because we're working with a relatively new system, so I'll have to find out from the director how to look that kind of information up. Off the top of my head I would say about 1/4 of the Graphic Novels (GN) in our collection are Manga.
I think that the only libraries that are reluctant to include GN (and that would include trade paperbacks) in their collection are places in which the librarians don't see them as valuable literature. There is so much literature written recently about the place of GN in the library, though, that I don't think it's as much of an issue as it once was. Sometimes librarians might be concerned about parents' response to them, but I think the only people who don't like GN are people who have never read one!
I definitely believe they are sincere forms of literature! I personally belong to the mainstream audience where most of the GN I read have to do with superheroes, but GN are not a genre--they are a format that can be about any topic and fit into any genre. For instance, we have a Manga version of Romeo & Juliet, and soon we will be ordering GN of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.
I don't think price has had any impact in our purchasing of GN for our collection, but I don't order the books myself, so I don't really know. As I understand it, library budgets typically are divided up where certain amounts are specified for certain things, and I think we get a grant that can only be used for Young Adult materials, so some of that would be GN. I don't think we ever pay full retail price for them, anyway.
Our main GN collection is located in its own spot nearby the Young Adult section, but there are some that are written for younger readers and are included with the Junior Fiction, or Junior Nonfiction under J741.5, and some others are shelved with the Adult Nonfiction under 741.5.
As far as our choice of GN, I think that's something that the young adult librarians decide (that would be me and the 2 before me) based on what we find from reviews, etc., but if any of the teens asked for one specifically we would almost definitely add it to the collection. As far as I know they circulate well (I'll have to get back to you when I find that out for sure). I think probably as many adults check them out as young adults!
I hope this was helpful to you, and when I find out the other information you asked for I'll get back to you. Let me know if you need anything else!
Dunk
[Dunkerton, David. "RE: A few questions about graphic novels..." Email to Brittany Makufka. 23 Oct. 2009.]
I thought it important to gather some information from a library that is close to campus so I was glad to receive some answers from David. What he has to say is a lot of what I've been finding from some the other questionnaires answered on here are saying. Clarion Free does seem to have less manga than the other libraries, but that could simply be because of the community and it not being as popular here as it is elsewhere.
I also liked how he said that graphic novels are not a genre, but a format of story telling. I don't think a lot of people realize this, but it's true.
I was happy to see that just as many adults check out the graphic novels as young adults do. I think that shows that they influence of graphic novels, and their fan bases, are not only young adults and children but adults too. This will work to break the stereotypes of graphic novels and hopefully elevate them up to where they belong in the literary world.
Notes for a War Story is a graphic novel written by Italian writer/artist Gipi. It's a story about three friends, Giuliano, Christian, and Little Killer, are trying to survive in a war torn society. They eventually run into another gang that Little Killer is accepted into. The three boys eventually form their own gang and become prosperous. These boys become men in this post war country. The story is told through Giuliano, who comes from an upper class family, and who is the only boy with a family. Even though he is in the same situation as his comrades, he is still singled out among them as being upper class. The story end with Giuliano going home to his parents and leaving his friends behind after he's decided to leave the gang behind.
I had originally gotten this graphic novel to read for this blog, but after reading it decided against it being a part of it. But after a while, I realized how the story had stuck with me and how really profound it really was. The story is engaging and makes you want to keep reading. You also become connected with the characters and become emotionally involved with them. I, personally, fell in love with Christian because of how sweet and innocent his character is. I think this is important because the story is much more profound if the reader can connect with the characters. (Right hand picture shows characters from left to right: Giuliano, Little Killer, and Christian)
I think that the young adult crowd would like this book because it's a rough 'n tumble story. There is a lot of action as the boys struggle to survive. I think they can take more away from the story because of how it sticks with you. I always find the best books will always linger after you read them. This book is probably more for the older teens because of some language, but I don't think that this is a book that anyone can pass up.
[Dunkerton, David. "RE: A few questions about graphic novels..." Email to Brittany Makufka. 23 Oct. 2009.]
I thought it important to gather some information from a library that is close to campus so I was glad to receive some answers from David. What he has to say is a lot of what I've been finding from some the other questionnaires answered on here are saying. Clarion Free does seem to have less manga than the other libraries, but that could simply be because of the community and it not being as popular here as it is elsewhere.
I also liked how he said that graphic novels are not a genre, but a format of story telling. I don't think a lot of people realize this, but it's true.
I was happy to see that just as many adults check out the graphic novels as young adults do. I think that shows that they influence of graphic novels, and their fan bases, are not only young adults and children but adults too. This will work to break the stereotypes of graphic novels and hopefully elevate them up to where they belong in the literary world.
Notes for a War Story is a graphic novel written by Italian writer/artist Gipi. It's a story about three friends, Giuliano, Christian, and Little Killer, are trying to survive in a war torn society. They eventually run into another gang that Little Killer is accepted into. The three boys eventually form their own gang and become prosperous. These boys become men in this post war country. The story is told through Giuliano, who comes from an upper class family, and who is the only boy with a family. Even though he is in the same situation as his comrades, he is still singled out among them as being upper class. The story end with Giuliano going home to his parents and leaving his friends behind after he's decided to leave the gang behind.
I had originally gotten this graphic novel to read for this blog, but after reading it decided against it being a part of it. But after a while, I realized how the story had stuck with me and how really profound it really was. The story is engaging and makes you want to keep reading. You also become connected with the characters and become emotionally involved with them. I, personally, fell in love with Christian because of how sweet and innocent his character is. I think this is important because the story is much more profound if the reader can connect with the characters. (Right hand picture shows characters from left to right: Giuliano, Little Killer, and Christian)
I think that the young adult crowd would like this book because it's a rough 'n tumble story. There is a lot of action as the boys struggle to survive. I think they can take more away from the story because of how it sticks with you. I always find the best books will always linger after you read them. This book is probably more for the older teens because of some language, but I don't think that this is a book that anyone can pass up.
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