Is S for Superman or Siegel and Shuster?:
The Problems and Solutions for Cataloging you Comic, Graphic Novel,
and Manga Collection
By Megan McFarlane
LIBR 266 – Collections Management
Is S for Superman or Siegel and Shuster?:
The Problems and Solutions for Cataloging you Comic, Graphic Novel, and Manga Collection
By Megan McFarlane
Introduction:
Throughout their history comic books, graphic novels, and their cousin, manga have long
existed at an interesting crossroad in American literature. Given the fact that the medium is
primarily visual, the flashy colors, and their fantastical storylines comics and their ilk have long
be thought to be the domain of children. However, as is usually the case with any sort of media
that gets child and young adults excited about reading (i.e. Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger
Games, etc.), comics have been accused of a host of issues that have lead to the belief that they
are inappropriate for the young. In his article, “Culture and Stigma: Popular Culture and the
Cases of Comic Books,” Paul Lopes states that, “Comic books have been stigmatized since their
introduction in the mid-1930s, and this stigma has affected comic books as well as artists,
readers, and fans of comics” (Lopes, 2006). Following this line of thought Bradford Wright in his
book, Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America, site that comics
have been blamed for a host o of issues including eyestrain, promoted illiteracy, celebrated bad
taste, and encouraged anti-social behavior in children (Wright, 2001). In the 1950s Dr. Fredric
Werthham, a psychiatrist and author of Seduction of the Innocent, famously accused comic
books of causing children to become juvenile delinquents and encouraging homosexuality
(Serchay, 2008); these accusations that would lead to the creation of the Comic Code and selfcensorship on the behalf of mainstream comic book publishers for the next 50 years.
That said, since the mid-90s comics have seen a resurgence among mainstream Americans,
thanks in part to popular television series (i.e. Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1998), X2|Page
Is S for Superman or Siegel and Shuster?:
The Problems and Solutions for Cataloging you Comic, Graphic Novel, and Manga Collection
By Megan McFarlane
Men (1992-1997), and Spider-Man (1994-1998)) and movies (i.e. X-Men, Batman, Iron Man).
This has lead to an increase in the acceptability of the medium (i.e. comic are not just for geeks
anymore), and more and more readers of all ages to want to investigate and check out the
source material. This sounds like a job for your local library!
But while very few librarians today would disagree that comic books should be readily available
to library users, the question remains, where do they go?
Even now comics, graphic novel, trade paperbacks, and manga still find themselves at a difficult
crossroad, are they for children or are they for adults? Many still assume that picture, bright
colors, and superheroes indicate that they are for children, by that token would most parents
want their children reading Watchmen? It does feature pictures, bright colors, and
superheroes, but it also features extreme violence, sexual content (both consensual and nonconsensual), and bad language; so probably not something parents want their kids picking up.
However, Watchmen, was also the only comic book to be included on Time magazine’s 100 Best
Novels, and given its mature content and intricate storyline, it might be something mom and
dad want to check out for themselves.
So what is the answer? Are comics for children or adults? The answer is comics are for
everyone, just like books, music, movies or any other media that is offered in you library. But
like books, music, and movies, while every comic has its reader, not every comic is for every
reader.
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Is S for Superman or Siegel and Shuster?:
The Problems and Solutions for Cataloging you Comic, Graphic Novel, and Manga Collection
By Megan McFarlane
The question therefore becomes one of not whether comics, graphic novels, and manga belong
in your collection, but where do they belong?
Options for comic collections:
In her book, Getting Graphic! Using Graphic Novels to Promote Literacy with Preteens and
Teens, Michele Gorman identifies five different methods of cataloging graphic novels. Two
methods she suggests for cataloging and shelving these books are keeping them as non-fiction
items in the 741.5 section (or PN 6790 for libraries using Library of Congress classification (LC))
with comic strips (Gorman, 2003). This seems to be a popular methodology, in their study
Lorena O’English, J. Matthews, and Elizabeth Lindsay note that most academic libraries shelve
graphic novels in PN6700 (O’English, Matthews and Lindsay, 2006). Through direct observation,
I have noted that The Chicago Public Library classifies its graphic novels under PN 6790. Each of
librarians in Dianne Ray’s 2010 study indicated that they had classified their collection under
741.5 at some point (Ray, 2010).
O’English, Matthews, & Lindsay point out that while they understand that there are, “reasons
for this position, especially in information settings where specific parts of collections can be
separated from each other and targeted to specific user groups. Even in targeted collections,
though, item of various genre, and format are classified together (O’English, Matthews, &
Lindsay, 2006).” This is further supported by Francisca Goldsmith in her book, Graphic Novel
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Is S for Superman or Siegel and Shuster?:
The Problems and Solutions for Cataloging you Comic, Graphic Novel, and Manga Collection
By Megan McFarlane
Now: Building, Managing, and Marketing a Dynamic Collection, where she simply states, “The
term graphic novel refers only to a format, it in no way defines the age, literary tastes or
aesthetics interests of the prospective target audience(Goldsmith, 2005).”
It is therefore O’English, Matthews, and Lindsay recommend that as many comic creators are
significant in their own right, citing the likes of Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Frank Miller (The Dark
Knight Returns), Alan Moore (Watchmen), and Art Spielgelman (Maus), and that due to their
significance not only a comic creators, but as authors their works should be shelved like any
other author (O’English, Matthews, & Lindsay, 2006). This is also the opinion of one of the
public librarians references in the Ray focus group above who stated that, “[Graphic novel] used
to be all shelved under the 741 section, for cartooning – we decided these were more like
novels, so we inter-shelved them with the rest of our youth/young adult novels and we have
graphic novel stickers on the spine to help people identify them if there is any question about
them (Ray, 2010).”
While integration of the of the comic collection in this manner certainly gives credence to the
belief that comics, graphic novels, and manga are “real” books/literature, there is still a
problem in shelving them among the general collection, a problem that a quick glance at your
local comic book shop will make clear.
Comics are rarely, shelved alphabetically by author. It is only in cases of authors like Neil
Gaiman, Frank Miller , Alan Moore, and a select group of others that will have their books set
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Is S for Superman or Siegel and Shuster?:
The Problems and Solutions for Cataloging you Comic, Graphic Novel, and Manga Collection
By Megan McFarlane
aside in a separate section catering specifically to well known authors. The reason for this is
twofold. First, many comic book heroes have been around for a very long time (Superman,
1938; Batman, 1939; Captain America, 1931; etc.), which lead into the second reason, most
comic have been written by many different authors over their publication history. Therefore
most, comic book characters are more famous then the people who created them, and even if
they aren’t they still might not be listed under that authors name.
Take Stan Lee for example, who is a living legend of among comic book authors, and you know
he created X-Men and you want to read X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga, so you look up Stan Lee
and X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga, and you get… nothing. That’s because Stan Lee didn’t write
X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga, Chris Claremont did.
Another example of the difficulty in alphabetizing is when you have an ongoing series and an
author leaves, such as in the case with Swamp Thing, where the each of its five volumes are
written by a different author. Therefore would the library shelve volume 1 under “W” for Len
Wein, volume 2 under “M” for Alan Moore, and volume 3 under “V” for Brian K. Vaughn?
If the concern is that comics will not get enough visibility in nonfiction, but that cataloguing and
shelving them by author will cause even greater confusion among library users, where should
they be shelved? Similarly to how libraries took a page out big box bookstores in the early
2000s regarding the organization of popular titles, libraries should now consider the
organization of their local comic book store.
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Is S for Superman or Siegel and Shuster?:
The Problems and Solutions for Cataloging you Comic, Graphic Novel, and Manga Collection
By Megan McFarlane
The Solution:
Most comic books stores are first and for most organized by publisher. This will probably not
work for libraries, unless the plan is to develop a section that is exclusively for comic, graphic
novels, and manga which might not be feasible. However libraries can combine the concept of
blending the comic collection as referenced above by O’English, Matthews and Lindsay and Ray
with another key comic book store elements, and catalog and shelve according to title, rather
than author. This notion is also put forth by Gorman, and also supports the idea of integrating
non-fiction comic, graphic novel, and manga into the nonfiction section based on subject,
rather than under the general heading of 741 or PN 6790 (Gorman, 2003). There is also the
notion that by interspersing comics, graphic novel, and manga within the fiction and nonfiction
sections it will increase visibility and appeal of the medium among library users that might not
have previously considered them.
However as the case with all sections, special consideration should be placed on what is
appropriate reading material for specific age groups. As we previously discussed, Watchmen is
probably not suitable for children, but is for adults and maybe even older teens. As David S.
Serchay writes, “In the case of a collection in which adult, YA, and Juvenile are intermixed,
there is a chance that a child will, accidentally, or deliberately, pick up a book with R-rated
material, including gore, foul language, and nudity, and even some PG-13 materials might cause
problems (Serchay, 2008).” Lila Christenson comment in her article, “Graphic Global Conflict:
Graphic Novels in the High School Social Studies Classroom,” that some of the comic books and
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Is S for Superman or Siegel and Shuster?:
The Problems and Solutions for Cataloging you Comic, Graphic Novel, and Manga Collection
By Megan McFarlane
graphic novels that are being released may have “profane language, sexual content, and the
portrayal of extreme violence” and she advises that it is the educators’ responsibility to review
the books and also to prepare a defense for their use in the event that there are some protests
against them (Christenson, 2006). Similarly Robin Brenner advises in her book, Understanding
Manga and Anime, that when selecting materials and where they should be placed in the
collection the librarian should, first consider who would be interested in the subject of the book
to see if there are any objectionable, and secondly to familiarize themselves with the text and
flip through the panels and sections to make sure it is suitable (Brenner, 2007).
It is therefore advisable to have separate collections for children, young adults, and adults.
These collections as previously recommended can then be dispersed throughout the each
collections fiction and nonfiction sections. As Annette Haines writes in, “Strategies for
Developing a Graphic Novel/Comic Book Collection,” like with any collection, librarians such
develop a comprehensive collection policy. Haines explains that the librarian should evaluate
their user group and the particular types and genres of comics books and graphic novels they
are interested in, garner support and suggestions for the collection from the other library staff,
and define the scope of their collection, which involves determining what genres/types of
books will be in the collection and how many comic books you are interested in acquiring for
your library (Haines, 2007). Haines also indicates that cataloging is how accessibility happens,
there by reminding librarians that depending on how they choice to catalog and the by shelve
their collection, impacts who get their hands on comics (Haines, 2007).
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Is S for Superman or Siegel and Shuster?:
The Problems and Solutions for Cataloging you Comic, Graphic Novel, and Manga Collection
By Megan McFarlane
Conclusion:
This is an exciting time for comic, graphic novel, and manga readers and librarians alike. As
comic book collections expand, more new information is being gleaned and discovered about
who and how comics are being used.
In “Holy Reading Revolution, Batman! Developing a Graphic Novel Collection for Young Adults”
Alison Ching comments on the circulation percentages at her library and notes that graphic
novels were their “top circulating section” (Ching, 2005). Also in 2005, Melissa Bergin surveyed
thirty-three of her students about manga. From the survey, Bergin found that her graphic novel
reading students included three basic groups: readers who were mainly interested in manga
and anime, avid readers, and reluctant readers (Bergin, 2005). This is not an isolated incident,
as Clare Snowball indicates that “regardless of reading ability or gender,” the most popular
choices among sixth grade students are scary books and comic books (Snowball, 2005).
Statistics like these indicate that the inclusion of comics, graphic novels, and manga have the
ability to transform students lives, turning non-readers into readers.
At the same time comics can only do so much on their own. It is up to librarians to make sure
that these books are getting into to the hands of the right readers. This means, increasing
accessibility by integrating comics into the general collection, while at the same doing it in a
way that makes sense (in short S is for Superman). It means that as librarians we are taking the
time to make sure the content we are putting in our collections are age appropriate, and we
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Is S for Superman or Siegel and Shuster?:
The Problems and Solutions for Cataloging you Comic, Graphic Novel, and Manga Collection
By Megan McFarlane
recognize that pictures don’t mean it’s for children. As Spider-Man would remind us, “With
great power comes great responsibility.”
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Is S for Superman or Siegel and Shuster?:
The Problems and Solutions for Cataloging you Comic, Graphic Novel, and Manga Collection
By Megan McFarlane
References:
Behler, A. (2006). Getting Started with Graphic Novels. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 46(2), 1621.
Bergin, m. (2005). Who is reading manga? Young Adult Library Services, 3(4), 25-26.
Brenner, R. (2007). Understanding manga and anime. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.
Charbonneau, O. (2005). Adult graphic novels readers. Young Adult Library Services, 3(4), 39-42.
Ching, A. (2005). Holy reading revolution, Batman! Young Adult Library Services, 3(4), 19-21.
Christenson, L. (2006). Graphic global conflict: Graphic novels in the high school social studies classroom.
The Social Studies, 97(6), 227-230.
Ellis, A., & Doug, H. (2000). About face: Comic books in library literature. Serials Review, 26(2), 21-21.
Goldsmith, F. (2005). Graphic novels now building, managing, and marketing a dynamic collection.
Chicago: American Library Association.
Gorman, M. (2003). Getting graphic!: Using graphic novels to promote literacy with preteens and teens.
Worthington, Ohio: Linworth Pub.
Haines, A. (2007). Strategies for developing a graphic novel/comic collection. Art Documentation, 26(1),
31-36.
Lopes, P. (2006). Culture and stigma: Popular culture and case of comic books. Sociological Forum, 21(3),
387-414.
O’English, L.; Matthews, J. G.; and Lindsay, E. B. (2006). Graphic novels in academic libraries: From maus
to manga and beyond. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 32(2), 173-182.
Ray, S. D. (2010). Developing comic book and graphic novel collections in libraries. Trace: Tennessee
Research and Creative Exchange, 1-231.
Serchay, D. (2008).The librarian’s guide to graphic novels for children and tweens. New York: NealSchuman, Inc.
Snowball, C. (2005). Teenage reluctant readers and graphic novel. Young Adult Library Services. 3(4), 4345.
Wright, B. W. (2001). Comic book nation: The transformation of youth culture in American. Baltimore:
The John Hopkins University Press.
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