Comics have come a long way since they were first printed in the late nineteenth century. From its birth in newspapers to the explosion of floppy disks in the Golden Age, the evolution of graphic novels and comics to their adaptation in digital media, comics are no longer just child’s play. Comics are serious business, and the public has taken notice of the problems of accessing these reading materials in libraries.
“The boom in big comic book movies has brought this material into the mainstream, increased demand for it, and if that increases demand for publishers in bookstores, it will also increase demand for libraries,” said Jake PhoenixCollection Development Manager at the Cuyahoga Falls Library in Ohio and Broadt’s graphic novel selector.
Phoenix joined by moderator Barbara Dillonco-founder and editor-in-chief of Fanbase Press, Jason Larson (Comics Research Librarian, Michigan State University), pamela jackson (Comics Arts Librarian, San Diego State University Libraries), and Moni hair clip (Library Pass Director, Collection Development and Publisher Relations) Friday morning’s panel discussion at San Diego Comic-Con was titled “Comics Catalog: The History of Library Comics.” These library professionals examine the history of comic books from the perspective of library circulation and acknowledge the ongoing challenges in cataloging, acquiring, and promoting comics, graphic novels, and comics as their readership grows.
Dillon began by asking why library professionals and patrons are interested in comics, graphic novels, and comics. Barrett talked about the first directive of librarians, which is to identify and make popular reading materials available to library patrons. Other panelists noted the medium’s appeal to diverse audiences, particularly in fostering empathy and sharing alternative perspectives.
“As humans, we’re very involved in visual culture. We’re visual people. So the comics medium allows us to think about things critically in an image-based way. I think that has the ability to build more empathy. So, this That’s what I’ve been reading comics for — to help build more understanding and empathy,” Jackson said.
Next, Dillon talked about the beginning of the medium’s popularity in libraries in the early 2000s, citing a timeline provided by one institution. year 2013 publishers weekly beat articles heidi macdonaldin which she said:
“While many librarians have long been comics fans, interest seemed to take off in the early 2000s, when graphic novels began to gain huge traction in the bookstore market… like Art Spiegelman’s Such critically acclaimed books Rats and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons warder Sparked academic interest in comics and opened many doors for the medium.
Barrett agreed with the timeline, adding that she noticed adults checking out comics in the teen section and considered creating a space specifically for adults during her time as a public librarian. At the same time, the Internet provides a great impetus for spreading public awareness of the diversity of published books.
The discussion turned to the evolution of the ALA Graphic Novel and Comics Roundtable (GNCRT) and how its advocacy has impacted how library professionals embrace comic books. Jackson and Larsen believe that the GNCRT provides a common basis for librarians to share ideas and cataloging suggestions.
“The roundtable really brought some legitimacy to the industry, even if you’re one of the librarians, knowing that this is important to your patrons, you have comics, whatever it is, now you can actually point and say It’s important to have an organization that’s dedicated to that and then to scale up what’s possible, not just the development of the collection, but the type of programming, the type of conversations that can be sparked, the type of impact that can be made in the community ,” Barrett added.
In addition to the GNCRT’s impact on legitimizing comics for library professionals, panelists also discussed the GNCRT’s impact on normalizing relationships with publishers. According to Phoenix, GNCRT improves working relationships between libraries and publishers, especially with smaller presses.
The discussion extended to how librarians access collection materials and how the transition to digital media affects readers in a variety of ways, particularly in terms of increasing accessibility to educational programs and those who cannot visit libraries in person, increasing diversity and representation and tolerance for problem solving. Digitization also alleviates concerns about shelf space, for example, libraries can keep back catalogs of comic book series and comic series.
Despite the positives of digitizing collections, Barrett noted lingering concerns about publisher licensing. Phoenix called criticism of price gouging “an obstacle we have to overcome.”
Dillon led the discussion by discussing the barriers every librarian faces when introducing new comics into their libraries. Jackson mentioned budget issues:
“At some universities, the budget for library collections is very low (as is the case at most universities), and sometimes the problem is that if there is no academic program dedicated to that program, that’s how the budget is allocated,” Jackson explains.
“At San Diego State University, we were just starting out with a Certificate in Comics Studies. We were hoping that this academic track would lead to more funding for collection development. But now, thanks to the kindness of my budget guy, I make a little bit every year Money. Most of our collection is developed through donations, which is really heartbreaking because when I go through my list of all the things I love to buy every year, it’s huge.
The panel discussion centered around book challenges, censorship and mental health issues for library professionals. While academic librarians like Jackson and Larsen have greater freedoms than public librarians in accessing and distributing comics, they also experience backlash in the form of self-censorship. Teachers don’t want to teach controversial courses that spark student protests. But the combination of fending off challenges, censorship and doxxing has taken a toll on library workers across the country.
“I wish I could say my mental health is great,” Phoenix said. “Not so much. I’m in a particularly vulnerable position. I’m the director of collection development. I buy this stuff. And I’m also openly gay. So if we ever have a challenge, I’m an easy target. It’s easy to point out. And said, “Oh, this man is trying to corrupt children. ” So, I do live in this fear. But that’s the point. Our strategy is to try to get me to self-censor, to get me to not buy something because I’m afraid that’s going to happen.
Miss something? View all our SDCC ’24 The Beat reports.
