Graphic Novels in Academic Libraries:
From Maus to Manga and Beyond
Lorena O’English
Social Sciences Reference/Instruction Librarian
Washington State University Libraries
PO Box 645610
Pullman WA 99164-5610
oenglish@wsu.edu
J. Gregory Matthews
Cataloging Librarian
Washington State University Libraries
PO Box 645610
Pullman WA 99164-5610
gmat@wsu.edu
Elizabeth Blakesley Lindsay
Assistant Dean, Public Services and Outreach
Former Head, Library Instruction
Washington State University Libraries
PO Box 645610
Pullman WA 99164-5610
elindsay@wsu.edu
Graphic Novels in Academic Libraries:
From Maus to Manga and Beyond
Abstract
This article addresses graphic novels and their growing popularity in academic
libraries. Graphic novels are increasingly used as instructional resources, and they play
an important role in supporting the recreational reading mission of academic libraries.
The article will also tackle issues related to the cataloging and classification of graphic
novels and discuss ways to use them for marketing and promotion of library services.
A Brief Introduction to Graphic Novels
Graphic novels grew out of the comic book movement in the 1960s and came into
existence at the hands of writers who were looking to use the comic book format to
address more mainstream or adult topics. There is some debate about who coined the
phrase, but one of the first graphic novels, if not the first, was Will Eisner's Contract with
God and Other Tenement Stories, published in 1978.1 Eisner, who began working in
comics in 1936, has stated that he devised the term as a marketing technique to increase
the chances that his illustrated series of interlinked short stories about working-class
Jewish families during the Great Depression might be published.2
The format has gained popularity over the past 25 years in a variety of geographic
and topical areas, including the expected superhero stories and adaptations, but also
works of satire, non-fiction, memoirs, historical fiction, and a Japanese form called
manga. Some graphic novels are the product of a single writer, or a writer and illustrator
team, but there are examples of collaborative works, such as the graphic novel series
created by a collective of women called CLAMP. As Steven Weiner notes, 1986 was a
1
“turning point,” although not the revolutionary year many had hoped it would be.3 In that
year, DC Comics launched two series for adult readers, Watchmen and Batman: The
Dark Knight Returns. Also, Art Spiegelman's Maus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust
memoir that casts the Germans and Jews as cats and mice, was published.4
Maus is just one example of a historical graphic novel. Graphic novels are
proving to be an effective vehicle for historical writings, both fictional and not. Consider
Still I Rise by Roland Owen Laird and Elihu Bey, which tells the history of African
Americans in the United States, beginning in 1619. The book includes extensive
historical information and chronicles the accomplishments and struggles of African
Americans. Novelist Charles Johnson contributed the introduction, which includes
information about African Americans’ little known contributions to the field of cartoons
and comics. Also of note are Ho Che Anderson’s three volumes about the life of Martin
Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement. Other examples of historical graphic
novels are Keiji Nakazawa’s Barefoot Gen series, which tells of Japan before and after
Hiroshima, and Joe Kubert’s Fax from Sarajevo, which depicts the war in Bosnia and
Hercegovina in the 1990s. Many graphic novels go beyond representing historical facts
and offer portraits of a culture. One example is Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis series,
which is an autobiographical account of her life, including her childhood in Iran during
the Islamic revolution.5
Increasing popularity may be linked to several graphic novels which have been
adapted into feature films, including Daniel Clowes' Ghost World, Max Allan Collins and
Richard Piers Raynner's Road to Perdition, Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis’s Hellblazer
(made into “Constantine”), Harvey Pekar's American Splendor and Frank Miller’s Sin
2
City.6 These exemplify several genres of graphic novels, including memoir, crime
fiction, coming of age stories, and action stories. The fact that an increasing number of
graphic novels are being used as the basis for films is not surprising. Graphic novels,
with their texts created within a visual context, are a natural fit for film adaptation,
providing a ready-made storyboard.
Graphic Novels as Literature
Given the wide array of styles and topics described above, one may ask whether
graphic novels are really novels or how they can be considered together as one genre.
Although they vary widely, and some of them may be better characterized as “graphic
short stories” or “graphic memoirs,” they can be legitimately considered as works of
literary fiction. The term “graphic novel” may be better viewed as a label for a particular
format rather than representative of a single specific genre.
The fact that they include visual images may make them stronger contenders for
use in the classroom. Rocco Versaci notes that many of his students see literature defined
too narrowly and expect painful, boring experiences.7 He urges literature instructors to
not “strive to get students to accept without question our own judgments of what
constitutes literary merit” but to “encourage students to see themselves as having a voice”
in that matter.8 Versaci discusses using graphic novels in his courses at Palomar
College.9 Versaci details his use of John Callahan’s “I Think I Was an Alcoholic,” an
adult-themed short comic that tells the story of a man whose drunken driving leaves him
a quadriplegic.10 Students were surprised by the themes in the comic, and discussed it as
they had discussed other literary works, exploring the tone of the narrator, irony and
character development; the three page story fueled discussions for two class periods.11
3
Versaci also notes the use of other graphic novels, including Judd Winick’s Pedro and
Me: Friendship, Loss and What I Learned, Katherine Arnoldi’s The Amazing “True”
Story of a Teenage Single Mom, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, and Debbie Drechsler’s
Daddy’s Girl, which deals with sexual abuse.12
At Washington State University (WSU), at least one faculty member in the
English department uses graphic novels as texts. One course, Science Fiction Film
(English 339), looks at science fiction writing and film adaptations. In the spring of
2005, the course also used graphic novels that influenced the films or represent the
novels. For example, the class looked at Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep? and the movie “Blade Runner” and also has considered Jean Giraud’s “The
Airtight Garage,” one of the stories in Long Tomorrow and Other Science Fiction Stories,
which influenced director Ridley Scott’s vision in “Blade Runner.” The class also
explored the visual and thematic connections between Fritz Lang’s film “Metropolis” and
a Japanese anime film version of “Metropolis,” which was based on a manga by Osamu
Tezuka.13
In addition to being taken seriously by educators and librarians, scholars have also
begun to write and present more frequently about graphic novels. Two key conferences
were held in 1998 and in 2000: the “1st International Conference on the Graphic Novel”
was held in November 1998 at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and two years
later, another international conference was held in Belgium. Proceedings for this second
conference are available in print.14 In 2002, the University of Florida hosted a
conference on comics and graphic novels called “The Will Eisner Symposium,” which
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featured Eisner as a keynote speaker, invited other artists and writers, and offered twenty
presentations by various scholars.15
Academic literature journals have also begun publishing these works of literary
criticism. Until recently very few scholarly analyses had been published, with most
appearing in science fiction journals and the International Journal of Comic Art, but it is
important to note that more traditional English literature journals are beginning to cover
graphic novels. Two recent articles both have looked at connections between Neil
Gaiman and Shakespeare. Annalisa Castaldo’s essay in College Literature explores
Gaiman’s use of Shakespearean motifs in several of his Sandman works.16 Kurt
Lancaster explored the links between A Midsummer’s Night Dream and the Sandman
series in an essay appearing in the Journal of American and Comparative Cultures in
2000.17
Another notable contribution to the scholarly study of graphic novels is Joseph
Witek’s Comic Books as History, published in 1989.18 Witek noted in his introduction
that a critical analysis was “especially necessary now, when a growing number of
contemporary American comic books are being written as literature aimed at a general
readership of adults and concerned, not with the traditionally escapist themes of comics”
but with culture clashes, dysfunctional families, and working class life.19 In his work,
Witek discusses Pekar’s American Splendor and Spiegelman’s Maus, both mentioned
above, as well as the work of Jack Jackson, who writes about historical events involving
Native Americans, exploring the works as literary texts and historical narratives.
The Rise of Graphic Novels in Libraries
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Most young adult librarians and teachers would agree that anything that gets
students reading is a good thing. Gretchen E. Schwarz argues that graphic novels can
promote literacy.20 According to Michael R. Lavin, reading graphic novels “may require
more complex cognitive skills than reading text alone.”21 Schwarz also points out that the
graphic novel format is being used for other subject areas beyond fiction and history.
Examples include Gonick and Smith’s The Cartoon Guide to Statistics, Gordon and
Willmarth’s McLuhan for Beginners, and Sardar and Van Loon’s Introducing Cultural
Studies.22 All of these are introductory guides for serious topics, are geared toward adult
readers, but are presented in illustrated panels.
At WSU, graphic novels have become a focus of collection development in the
past year, and it appears that other academic libraries are also paying attention to the
genre. Librarians active in the Association for College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL)
Literatures in English Section (LES) recently addressed the collection of graphic novels
at a conference meeting. An informal poll of the LES listserv members showed that a
number of universities, including Duke, MIT, Michigan State, Chicago, UC Berkeley and
Rutgers are collecting graphic novels fairly extensively, with recreational reading in
mind.23 WSU holds an extensive collection of underground comics or comix that was
begun in the 1970s, and interest in the graphical genres is keen among many faculty and
students. Collecting in the burgeoning field of graphic novels is an appropriate choice for
our collections.
Academic library interest in these items is also supported by the growing interest
in graphic novels and the comic form in both popular culture and the media. Teachers and
academics have not been the only ones to reassess the value and use of graphic novels.
6
Recent coverage of graphic novels in widely read publications such as the New York
Times and the Christian Science Monitor shows that graphic novels are becoming part of
the cultural landscape. A recent article in the New York Times Magazine suggests that
graphic novels and comic books may be transitioning into a new literary form and
provides an extensive critical analysis of graphic novels as literary, visual, historical,
political and cultural artifacts.24 Another article in the New York Times suggests that
visual media is becoming a more effective way to push a message, even asking if film
studies now serves as the “new MBA.” 25 Graphic novels share that visual image-plustext sensibility, including the capacity to emotionally connect with readers. Elizabeth
Daley, dean of the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television,
suggests that "the greatest digital divide is between those who can read and write with
media, and those who can't…Our core knowledge needs to belong to everybody.”26 Print
format graphic novels and the increasingly popular web-based comics and graphic
storytelling provide a natural meeting of the image and the word in sequential art; a
sophisticated partner to film and other electronic media.
Academic Libraries, Pleasure Reading, and Graphic Novels
Beyond the value of graphic novels as scholarly and cultural resources, an
academic library that collects graphic novels is also continuing in a tradition of providing
resources for students and others in the academic community who are looking for reading
material not only to enhance their scholarship or teaching, but also to enjoy for personal
pleasure and recreation. Decades ago Henry M. Wriston, a former president of Brown
University, noted the value of pleasure reading for college students:
In a large and more genuine sense, however, recreational reading is often the most
truly educational, even the most really intellectual, element in experiences with
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and through books. It may well furnish an intellectual project within which the
student establishes his own goals and determines his own significant values. It is
the place where his tastes, aptitudes, and skills find freest play. Individual
differences, recognition of which is the keynote of modern education, here come
to richest fulfillment. It is precisely through independent reading that the task of
knotting together the raveled sleeve of information may best be achieved. Here
the student's own philosophical structure takes form as a result of reading and
reflection.27
In the past academic libraries often had browsing collections to provide easily accessible
pleasure reading opportunities to their academic community (although few such
collections remain today) and campus libraries “vigorously promoted recreational reading
interests of students.”28 Today, while physical browsing collections may be gone,
technology has provided a number of tools that academic librarians can use to connect
readers with books, including subject heading and keyword searches, electronic
pathfinders, and online book review databases such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
But are students using academic library collections to read for pleasure?
In 2004, a report by the National Endowment for the Arts, Reading at Risk: A
Survey of Literary Reading in America noted, “Over the past 20 years, young adults (1834) have declined from being those most likely to read literature to those least likely
(with the exception of those age 65 and above).”29
Lara Saunders and Karen Bauer
suggest that “high-tech interests and activities may be replacing reading, especially of
non-required textbooks,” and note that students have competing forces in their lives,
including part-time employment.30
In such an environment, librarians must look for opportunities to encourage
students to take advantage of pleasure reading opportunities in their library collection,
including fiction, magazines, and graphic novels. The common view of the academic
library is that its purpose is to support the academic program of the institution, but
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libraries have always had a reading agenda as well. Amanda Cain wrote in 2002 of the
need to incorporate thoughtful or “deep” reading into library instruction,31 but academic
librarians can also enrich the student experience and lifelong learning preparation by
building collections that support academic departments and provide opportunities for
reading for enjoyment, becoming advocates for reading in all its forms and formats.
The key to reading is often access, both bibliographic and physical. Graphic
novels bring their own complications to both of these dimensions, within the context of
the decisions a library makes about how such works will be catalogued.
Introduction to Graphic Novels Cataloging
A quick look at citations to library literature about graphic novels reveals that the
primary concerns at the moment are: 1) whether or not such items belong in library
collections;32 and 2) how to select titles for a collection. 33 So far, very little has been
formally published about how to catalog and process these items for library collections.
Robust discussions on these issues do occur, however, on cataloging listservs, such as
AUTOCAT, and other forums, including GNLIB (Graphic Novels in Libraries).34
Generally, the participants in these exchanges work at public libraries or school media
centers, and they are most interested in how to classify graphic novels in the Dewey
system. In brief, there is much debate about whether graphic novels should simply be
assigned a 741.5 Dewey call number, which typically designates items about “Cartoons”
and/or “Cartooning,” or classed under a different number based upon a variety of
bibliographical description criteria, such as fiction or non-fiction, standalone story or
series, and one or multiple creators.
Classifying Graphic Novels
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Recent discussions about how to catalog graphic novels in Dewey have
occasioned a reconsideration of the current Dewey classification recommendations for
such items. Namely, the editors of the Dewey schedules have proposed to continue
classing graphic novels along with other comics and caricatures but to subdivide these
materials according to the length of narratives contained in such items.35 This solution
attempts to circumvent the problem of trying to separate graphic novels from other
graphic items while acknowledging that graphic novels can be quite different from comic
strips and cartoons in respect to content, scope, and audience. In addition, the wider
application of Dewey classification to graphic novels would allow catalogers to subclass
these items according to the creator’s country.36 The proposed Dewey expansion is
similar to Library of Congress (LC) classification of graphic items, which are generally
classed in the PN6700-6790 range. One of LC classification’s signature excellences is the
potential to class items narrowly according to specific subdivisions, including author,
place, and special topics. While not as flexible as options available in the LC
classification schedules, the Dewey revisions allow for more logical, inclusive cataloging
of graphic novels without demanding arbitrary distinctions between graphic materials.
While the classification needs of public libraries and school media centers may be
distinct from the classification practices of academic libraries, the distinction between
Dewey and LC classification chief among them, these organizations do share common
concerns regarding graphic novel cataloging. The classification question, for example, is
a thorny one for each type of institution for a couple of reasons. First, the underlying
preference suggested on the listserv discussions seems to be a desire to make these items
available in a common location. There are understandable reasons for this position,
10
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,
items of various genre and format are classified together. Second, simply classing graphic
novels with items about cartoons and/or cartooning inadequately describes the unique
complexities of these items. This particular problem is not unique to Dewey
classification. While LC classification perhaps offers catalogers more nuanced options
for classifying graphic novels, including classifying them under numbers for specific
creators, no classification schemes currently exist that specifically apply to these unique
items. Of course, graphic novels are as diverse in content, genre, form and audience as
any other type of literatures, so classing these items according to rigid schemes may only
be an artificial way to make them more accessible. On the other hand, as graphic novels
become increasingly available on the market and legitimate as a subject of scholarly
study, it seems useful to highlight these items in some unique way, perhaps through user
education and departmental liaison activity at the course level. These solutions, though,
do not address how to catalog graphic novels in ways that are most useful for academic
library patrons.
Graphic Novels and LC Classification
Steve Raiteri37 asserts that a graphic novel, “by definition, is a standalone story in
comics form, published as a book.”38 Though he does not cite a source for this definition,
Raiteri’s simple description alludes to a few of the factors that make cataloging graphic
novels so challenging. First, there is the idea of a standalone story. Traditionally, novels
are fictional, though not all stories are. The same is true of graphic novels. Whether or
not some of the most familiar and widely-read graphic novel titles are actually fiction,
11
such as Spiegelman’s Maus and Pekar’s American Splendor, is subject to debate. In
addition, both titles were issued serially before issues were collected and published in
standalone book formats. “Comics form” also suggests a very specific illustrating style
(cartoon) and format (strip or other serially published format) that does not necessarily
encompass the breadth and depth of contemporary graphic novel publishing.
From just a basic parsing of Raiteri’s simple definition, it is easy to imagine
numerous scenarios about how we might discuss bibliographically describing graphic
novels for use in academic libraries that organize materials according to LC
classification. As mentioned above, the LC classification schedule is flexible enough to
allow for a varied arrangement and subarrangement of graphic materials in a library
collection, especially in the PN6700-6790 call number range. As a canon of graphic
novels begins to emerge through their increased use as legitimate academic resources, we
face new opportunities to think about these materials and their creators in ways that make
cataloging and processing them even more challenging than in the past, especially in
respect to graphic novels published as series. Standalone graphic novels like Craig
Thompson’s Blankets and Daniel Clowes’ Ghost World are easily cataloged as books.
For our purposes here, however, an outline of specific graphic novel series cataloging
inconsistencies encountered by the cataloging staff at WSU Libraries will provide the
framework for the remainder of this discussion, and issues that have affected consistent
cataloging of these materials will receive primary attention. It bears mentioning, too, that
while these issues are typical in cataloging, the WSU cataloging staff has had a rare
opportunity to discover patterns and inconsistencies in graphic novels cataloging
12
precisely because they have dealt with these materials in volume, processing several
hundred graphic novel titles over a period of several weeks.
Complexities of Cataloging Graphic Novels
Primarily, catalogers see inconsistent manifestations among individual volumes
that constitute a graphic novel series. For example, in the stacks we may have a 5th
edition copy of Love and Rockets Collection 1 published in 1996 (PN6727.H47 M87
1996)39 shelved near a 4th edition copy of Love and Rockets Collection 2 published in
2001 (PN6727.H47 C435 2001).40 Even though Fantagraphics Books is the publisher of
both volumes, cataloging consistency stops there. In addition to widely disparate dates
and edition statements, each volume in this series has a unique title. The call numbers
indicate that while each number has been classed under a cutter for the Bros. Hernandez
(H47), the subsequent cutters have been created according to the title on the volume. So
volume two (“Chelo’s Burden”) actually precedes volume one (“Music for Mechanics”)
on the shelf. It is doubtful that this situation is problematic for users, who can at least
browse like volumes grouped under similar call numbers. Conceptually, though, this
situation is an exemplary problem in respect to cataloging graphic novels.
The example of the Bros. Hernandez raises another cataloging conundrum
because one writes and the other illustrates. While more and more graphic novels are
being published by single author-illustrators, how do we handle those titles produced by
more than one chief creator? Indeed, how do we determine chief creator? Additionally,
how do we handle titles produced by more than one creator, each of whom may have a
13
unique LC call number assigned to different parts of the classification schedule? It is rare,
but we have come across titles that could be classified in the N’s for the illustrator or
artist and assigned to the P’s for the author, as in the case of Eric Drooker’s Flood!: A
Novel in Pictures (NC139.D76 A4 2002).41
This last point brings us back to the problem of classification in general,
especially in respect to how we catalog graphic novels in academic institutions where
these items may be resources for scholarly study. As graphic novels gain credibility as
literary texts, it is intriguing to notice the formation of a graphic novels canon consisting
of a core of seminal creators. Bros. Hernandez, Art Spiegelman, Alan Moore, Jill
Thompson, Frank Miller and Neil Gaiman are significant creators of widely influential
graphic novels. All have multiple, critically renowned, and widely recognized
publications to their credit, and as such, each can arguably be considered a significant
author. Accordingly, LC classification rules allow catalogers to group primary and
secondary works by and about a creator under a single base call number. This rule
certainly applies to any of the authors listed above, and yet most of our graphic novels
have been classed in the PN6700’s, which is a general illustrated literature category. In
this area, in addition to graphic novels, patrons will find books about comics, comic
strips, cartoons, cartooning, satirical illustration, illustrated versions of books and films,
and illustrated adaptations of books and films. Questions emerging from the WSU
graphic novel project have been whether or not to begin assigning unique call numbers to
these established authors, how this new practice may influence other graphic novel
cataloging issues such as editing inconsistent cataloging copy, and how most effectively
to deal with graphic novel series.
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Graphic Novels and Seriality
As indicated above, graphic novels are often issued as monographic series.
Typically, WSU cataloging staff follow a single record concept and catalog most series
on one bibliographic record, to which we attach separate item records for each issue or
volume. This situation becomes complicated, however, when we receive a series like
Love and Rockets or Frank Miller’s Sin City, which consists of several separate but
interconnected stories, each volume of which has a unique title. Further complicating
matters is the fact that each separately titled volume consists of individual issues
previously published sequentially. Do we catalog the series on one record? Or do we
catalog each uniquely titled volume separately on unique records?
Given that each volume in the series contains a discrete story, it makes sense here
to catalog each uniquely titled volume separately. Also, since LC classification allows for
subdivision according to geographical location, which can further subdivide according to
author or title, it is easy to create a place for Sin City on the shelf among other graphic
novels in the PN6700 range. In the case of the Sin City story “The Big Fat Kill,” for
example, staff assigned the item a base call number of PN6727, which places this title
among other graphic materials produced and published in the United States. Staff then
added a cutter derived from the author’s surname and another cutter derived from the
name of the story followed by publication year: PN6727.M55 B5 1996. This call
number sensibly places “The Big Fat Kill” on the shelf next to other books by Miller,
among graphic materials produced by creators from the United States. The LC schedule,
15
however, allows for cuttering by author or title. If this call number had been cuttered by
the Sin City series title (PN6727.S5 B5 1996, for example), it would stand in a different
place on the shelf, perhaps shelved near other Sin City stories, but apart from other works
by Miller.
This latter scenario, though a credible cataloging option, would not have been
chosen for at least two reasons: Frank Miller is clearly identified as the sole creator
(writer and illustrator) of the work; and it is difficult to tell the extent of the Sin City
series from the bibliographic record:
001 38032968
003 OCoLC
005 20040916153235.0
008 971203s1996 orua
000 c eng d
020 1569711267 (hbk.)
020 1569711712 (pbk.) :|c$15.00
040 ZQP|cZQP|dJED|dOCLCQ|dNTE
049 NTEA
090 PN6727.M55|bB5 1996
092 741.5
100 1 Miller, Frank,|d1957245 14 The big fat kill :|ba tale from Sin City /|cFrank Miller.
260 Milwaukie, Ore. :|bDark Horse Comics,|c1996.
300 [183] p. :|bchiefly ill. (some col.) ;|c26 cm.
500 "This book collects issues one through five of the Dark Horse comic-book series
Sin City: the big fat kill."
650 0 Horror comic books, strips, etc.
650 0 Graphic novels.
730 0 Sin City: the big fat kill.
Here, we see that the record features a note (in the 500 field), transcribed from the item,
indicating that this book collects separate issues of a comic book series. Also, the 730
field records this volume’s uniform series title. But there is no field present clearly
indicating that Sin City is a series. Fortunately, users conducting title searches for books
published in the “Sin City” franchise will find this record because of the 730 field, though
16
a 440 field (Series statement/Added title) might also be useful in records for items from
this series because it would allow users to conduct title searches for “Sin City” and
receive separate citations for each unique volume.
Indeed, “The Big Fat Kill” example raises an issue that lies at the heart of
almost all cataloging, especially serials cataloging: consistency. Though many graphic
novels are issued in series consisting of uniquely titled volumes, the cataloging staff has
identified very little cataloging copy that includes series notes allowing users to conduct
title searches at the series level. Adding, say, a 440 field would make these records more
useable and the indexing throughout the catalog more consistent.
Of course, some cataloging inconsistencies are unavoidable in cooperative
cataloging environments. Public libraries, for instance, may target different users with
their graphic novel collections than academic libraries, and as suggested above, their
cataloging and classification of these items may represent this goal. More fundamentally,
cataloging departments and agencies may have different shared cataloging input
standards and capabilities, and individual catalogers hold varying interpretations of
cataloging rules and standards. Finally, graphic novel publishing is itself inconsistent and
graphic novel materials do not necessarily yield the same traditional sources of
information that are cornerstones for consistent cataloging, such as title pages, colophons,
or series statements.
Promoting Graphic Novels in Academia
Graphic novels have a place in academic library collections, but a library
intending to start such a collection would do well to consider how to promote their use
and availability, both within and outside the library. Library staff may need to be
17
convinced of the appropriateness of a graphic novel collection, while faculty, students
and non-academic campus units may need to be made aware of the scholarly, creative,
entertainment, and marketing opportunities that can arise.
Within the academic library, opposition to graphic novels often can take the form
of concerns about cataloging, selection issues, and increased theft potential. Cataloging is
discussed above, and although there may be questions of collection scope to address,
selection issues are by far less significant for academic libraries than they are for public
or school libraries that must consider issues of age-appropriate content. Theft, however,
is a potentially significant issue. Graphic novels, like magazines, newspapers, and world
civilization monographs, are potential targets. Libraries with graphic novel collections
should consider library binding their covers in addition to the usual tattle-taping and
marking. Although that may lessen immediate appeal, the covers can be glued to
buckram to retain visual interest, and there is the side benefit of increased durability.42
These strategies can help ease concerns, but in the end the library may have to plan for
replacements, consoled by the fact that graphic novels are considerably less expensive
than many other materials that are added into the collection.
Lavin’s work in Serials Review brought attention to the lack of holdings of comic
books in North American libraries and the reasons for that. The growth of graphic novels
and book length comics in the publishing industry – and patron interest in the genre –
may help change that.43
Faculty/Staff Outreach
As noted above, teaching faculty in higher education are increasingly using
graphic novels in the classroom as well as studying them as academic fodder in their own
18
right. Nevertheless, many faculty members retain antiquated notions of graphic novels
based on their own past exposure to comic books in their youth, or are unaware of them
at all, resulting in what one European scholar calls a “deeply rooted suspicion towards the
medium in [the] American academy.”44 Indeed, Weiner suggests that “the sophistication
of the American comic book/graphic novel may be the most underrated literary
movement in recent United States history.”45 Librarians may want to consider an
educational campaign to increase faculty awareness of graphic novels as literary, artistic,
and discipline-based resources for scholarship and teaching. This does not require a huge
effort; education and marketing opportunities can arise naturally from the work librarians
do as liaisons to academic departments and their patrons at large, such as creating
displays, advertising new acquisitions, and demonstrating scholarly applications for
library resources.
An excellent starting resource for librarians and teaching faculty alike is the
National Association of Comics Art Educators (NACAE). This organization, started by
graphic novelist and instructor James Strum, provides information for teaching
cartooning, but also for using comics in art, design and literature coursework.46
NACAE’s website includes articles on the value of a comics curriculum, as well as
sample syllabi, study guides, exercises, discussion forums and more.47 Another excellent
resource to highlight to faculty is the interdisciplinary peer-reviewed online journal
ImageText. The journal’s webpage notes it covers a wide range of time periods and
geographic locations, embraces a number of disciplinary approaches, and is designed to
promote “innovative discussions of the political and social implications of comics, to
19
generate original formal aesthetic analyses of comics, and to broaden theoretical
discussions” in the medium.48
A first step toward expanding awareness of graphic novels is creating a display or
exhibit in the library to showcase scholarly writing, student papers, and the novels
themselves. Examples that emphasize multiple genres, focusing on historical, cultural,
autobiographical, romantic, comic or dramatic topics provide multiple opportunities to
pique interest. Graphic novels with popular movie adaptations have their own built-in
constituency, and locally-created graphic novels, posters or comic strips, if available, can
add to the appeal. Aesthetics create interest as well, and examples of beautiful or avantgarde art, design elements, lettering and coloring can be displayed. Sending press
releases or a simple email note to reporters at the student paper, as well as any campus
newsletters or newspapers primarily read by faculty and staff, can certainly increase the
visibility of the collections and exhibits. Librarians who serve as liaisons to academic
departments could include information about relevant additions to the library collection
in their regular communications with departments and faculty that might have an interest.
Potential targets include English, creative writing, American Studies, history, ESL,
Cultural/Ethnic/Women’s/Disability Studies, foreign languages, International
Programs/Study Abroad, art and graphic design, film studies, advertising,
communication, and political science.
Academic opportunities do not stop at the classroom door. Recently, student blogs
and online diaries have emerged as a college recruitment tool: “The idea is simple:
Supply the budding authors with a digital camera and let them write about their freshman
year as it’s happening. The approach seems to be working.”49 Librarians could suggest to
20
the campus recruitment office that they consider sponsoring a student-created online
graphic novel/graphic journal about life at the university as a vehicle for the admissions
office, to provide an additional creative opportunity to illustrate the campus environment
and the benefits of becoming part of the academic community.
Outreach to Pre-Service Teachers
Special outreach efforts should be considered for departments or schools of
education, as graphic novels are increasingly being used in the K-12 realm. Bucher and
Manning note that “growing up with television and video games, contemporary young
adults look for print media that contain the same visual impact and pared-down writing
style and contribute to their enthusiasm for visual rather than written literacy,”50 but
graphic novels are also a way to actually teach the craft of writing. Frey and Fisher
describe using the “hidden literacy”51 of graphic novels to teach students how to write by
providing a structure that students can use and build upon. They conclude “having begun
with the idea that graphic novels were comic books at best and a waste of time at worst,
we now realize the power they have for engaging students in authentic writing. These
forms of popular culture provided a visual vocabulary of sorts for scaffolding writing
techniques, particularly dialogue, tone, and mood.”52 Beyond composition, graphic
novels are also effective mechanisms for enhancing the teaching of other curricular
topics, including social studies, history, cultural studies, art, media literacy, language,
science and math.53
Pre-service teachers benefit from familiarity with works created in this format not
only for scholastic applications but also because this is a literature that their pupils
already read, share, and talk about. Speaking about young adult males, Thomas Newkirk
21
writes that young men are more likely to read items that are relevant for conversations
with their friends and that address their shared interests. 54 Graphic novels are not just of
interest to boys, of course; girls are strong fans as well, especially of girl-centered
manga.55 For boys and girls alike, using reading materials in a text-plus-graphic format
provides a non-intimidating way to discuss and integrate scholastic concepts.
While graphic novels clearly are inappropriate materials for many lessons and
classes in middle school and high school, they are powerful mechanisms to supplement
reading and other subjects, and they provide a bridge for framing other narratives:
Adolescent readers face a host of complicated problems, ranging from general
reluctance to pick up a book to aliteracy, an inability to fully grasp the meaning of
words. Proponents suggest that comic books and graphic novels can help. For the
reluctant reader, they are absorbing. For the struggling reader or the reader still
learning English, they offer accessibility: pictures for context, and possibly an
alternate path into classroom discussions of higher-level texts. They expand
vocabulary, and introduce the ideas of plot, pacing, and sequence.56
Class discussions of the visual narrative and integrated art in graphic novels provide a
way for students to discuss content and theme through a medium that is accessible and
cool and that speaks to multiple learning styles, making them a powerful addition to a
teacher’s toolbox.
Exposure to this format in pre-service education gives new teachers knowledge
and resources that can immediately be put into use when they start their teaching careers,
but they will also need to be aware of issues dealing with the appropriate selection of
graphic novels or other comic materials based on age-appropriate content and concerns
about the “dumbing down” of education.57 Philip Charles Crawford’s Graphic Novels
101: Selecting and Using Graphic Novels to Promote Literacy for Children and Adults –
A Resource Guide for School Librarians and Educators offers a good starting place for
22
educating pre-service teachers about the possibilities and limitations of comics in the K12 classroom.58
Student Outreach
Beyond increasing faculty awareness of graphic novels as academic objects for
themselves and their students, library outreach and marketing efforts aimed directly at
students can increase general student awareness of graphic novels as scholarly resources,
artistic vehicles, and pleasure reading opportunities beyond the classroom presence. In
addition to the displays and exhibits described above, potential outreach and marketing
efforts could include









Featuring graphic novels prominently in “New Book” display areas.
Showcasing graphic novels that appeal to women to combat any misperception
that graphic novels are violent, hyper-sexualized or intended for male audiences.
Suggesting graphic novels published in foreign languages as tools for enhancing
learning of language skills and gaining insight into other cultures.
Including graphic novels in special pleasure reading displays created for academic
breaks and holidays.
Including appropriate graphic novels in brief topic or discipline-related “book
talks” at the start of library instruction sessions (i.e. The Golem’s Mighty Swing
for history or Persepolis for Middle Eastern studies or women’s studies).59
Creating a library-hosted bulletin board (print or electronic), collective weblog,
wiki or other collaborative space for students to post reviews and
recommendations for reading and purchase. This practice could lead to increased
notice of or interest in “regular” fiction or non-fiction books as well.
Providing opportunities for students to create their own by offering resources such
as Will Eisner’s Graphic Storytelling and Scott McCloud’s Understanding
Comics.60 Another possibility would be a partnership with library special
collections, preservation units or campus art departments to offer book-making or
paper-making classes to emphasize the complete creative experience.
Sponsoring an annual juried competition, with judges from the library, faculty or
staff from academic departments such as art, English or history, and nonacademic units such as college publications, student affairs, or the administration.
Starting a collection of locally-created graphic novels. Print graphic novels can
have MARC records created and be added to library catalogs. Since some graphic
novels are published in .PDF format, or are hypertext documents created and
intended only to be viewed online, links could be added to the library catalog or
placed in an institutional repository, with proper attention paid to intellectual
property issues.
23

Recruiting a student or student library employee to write and draw a regular
library strip highlighting library staff, issues, resources and the student research
process.
These awareness techniques are designed not just around the format of the graphic novel
but around the notion of pleasure reading and reading in general. Art Spiegelman calls
comics a “gateway drug into books.”61 Increasing literacy and promoting reading may be
generally thought of as a K-12 or public library issue, but for the busy and stressed
undergraduates of today, graphic novels are a good reminder that reading for pleasure is
entertaining, accessible, academically stimulating, and ultimately rewarding.
Conclusion
Graphic novels are growing in academic stature; in addition to their appeal as
recreational reading, their perceived relevance may also lead to increased collection
emphasis. Once the decision to purchase them at all or more aggressively is made, local
decisions will need to made about their circulation and security.
Beyond the intrigue and allure of the works themselves lies a cataloging and
classification puzzle that may, finally, hold a key to one of the reasons why these items
have not seen wider use in academic libraries. Traditionally limited to a specific location
on the library shelf, graphic novels have been separated from other literary and artistic
works, and have not been as widely available to students who browse the stacks in search
of specific authors, literary traditions and themes, or criticism.
Graphic novels can support the literature curriculum and will certainly support the
mission of the academic library to provide recreational reading. Myriad opportunities for
promotion and marketing exist. Graphic novels can perhaps be a mechanism for the
return to the humanistic ideal that reading should both educate and delight.
24
Endnotes
Andrew D. Arnold, “The Graphic Novel Silver Anniversary.” Time, 14 November
2003, http://www.time.com/time/columnist/arnold/article/0,9565,542579,00.html;
Stephen Weiner, The Rise of the Graphic Novel: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet (New
York: NBM, 2003), p. 17; Will Eisner, Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories
(New York: DC Comics, 1978).
1
Arnold, “The Graphic Novel Silver Anniversary,” par. 2; Weiner, The Rise of the
Graphic Novel, p. 17.
2
3
Weiner, The Rise of the Graphic Novel, p. xi.
4
Art Spiegelman, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale (New York: Pantheon, 1986).
5
Roland Owen Laird and Elihu Bey, Still I Rise: A Cartoon History of African Americans
(New York: Norton, 1997); Ho Che Anderson, King (Seattle: Fantagraphics, 1993); Ho
Che Anderson, King 2 (Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2002); Ho Che Anderson, King 3 (Seattle:
Fantagraphics, 2003); Keiji Nakazawa, Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon History of Hiroshima,
3 vols. (Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1987-1989); Joe Kubert, Fax from
Sarajevo: A Story of Survival (Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse, 1996); Marjane Satrapi,
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (New York: Pantheon, 2003); Marjane Satrapi,
Persepolis : The Story of a Return (New York: Pantheon, 2004).
6
Daniel Clowes, Ghost World (Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 1998); Max Allan Collins
and Richard Piers Raynner, Road to Perdition (New York: Pocket Books, 2002); Jamie
Delano and Garth Ennis, Hellblazer series (New York: DC Comics, 1997-); Harvey
Pekar, American Splendor and More American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey
Pekar (New York: Ballantine Books, 2003); Frank Miller, Sin City series (Milwaukie,
OR: Dark Horse, 1991 - ).
Rocco Versaci, “How Comic Books Can Change the Way Our Students See Literature:
One Teacher’s Perspective.” English Journal 91.2 (2001): 61-67.
7
8
Ibid., p. 61.
More information about Versaci’s work with teaching and comic books is available at
http://english.palomar.edu/Versaci.
9
John Callahan, “I Think I Was an Alcoholic Waiting to Happen,” in The Best Comics
of the Decade (Seattle: Fantagraphics, 1990), pp. 93-96.
10
11
Versaci, “How Comic Books,” p. 62.
25
12
Judd. Winick, Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss and What I Learned (New York: Holt,
2000); Katherine Arnoldi, The Amazing “True” Story of a Teenage Single Mom (New
York: Hyperion, 1998); Neil Gaiman, The Sandman: The Doll’s House (New York: DC
Comics, 1990); Neil Gaiman, The Sandman: Dream Country (New York: DC Comics,
1991); Neil Gaiman, The Sandman: The Wake (New York: DC Comics, 1996); Debbie
Drechsler, Daddy’s Girl (Seattle: Fantagraphics, 1996).
Paul Brians, “Use of Graphic Novels in Courses,” personal e-mail (21 March 2005);
Jean Giraud (aka Moebius), Long Tomorrow and Other Science Fiction Stories (New
York: Marvel Enterprises, 1987); Osamu Tezuka, trans. Kumar Sivasubramanian,
Metropolis (Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, 2003).
13
14
Jan Baetens, ed., The Graphic Novel (Louvain, Belgium: Leuven University Press,
2001).
15
University of Florida, UFL Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels. Online.
(N.D.) Available: http://www.english.ufl.edu/comics/Symposium/index.html (April 5,
2005).
Annalisa Castaldo, “`No more yielding than a dream’: The Construction of
Shakespeare in The Sandman,” College Literature 31.4 (2003): 94-110.
16
Kurt Lancaster, “Neil Gaiman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Shakespeare Integrated
in Popular Culture,” Journal of American and Comparative Cultures 23.3 (2000): 69-77.
17
18
Joseph Witek, Comic Books as History: The Narrative Art of Jack Jackson, Art
Spiegelman, and Harvey Pekar (Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 1989).
19
Ibid., p. 3.
Gretchen E. Schwarz, “Graphic Novels for Multiple Literacies,” Journal of Adolescent
and Adult Literacy 46.3 (2002): 262-65.
20
Michael R. Lavin, “Comic Books and Graphic Novels for Libraries,” Serials Review
24.2 (1998): 31-45.
21
22
Larry Gonick and Woolcott Smith, The Cartoon Guide to Statistics (New York:Harper
Perennial, 1993); W. Terrence Gordon and Susan Willmarth, McLuhan for Beginners
(New York: Writers and Readers Publishing, 1997); Ziauddin Sardar and BorinVan
Loon, Introducing Cultural Studies (New York: Totem, 1999).
23
LES-L (ACRL Literatures in English Section listserv), personal emails, March 2005.
Charles McGrath, “Not Funnies,” The New York Times Magazine, 11 July 2004: 2433+. pp. 24-33, 45, 55-56.
24
26
Elizabeth Van Ness, “Is a Cinema Studies Degree the New MBA?” The New York
Times, 6 March 2005: 2-1.
25
26
Ibid., p. 2.1.
27
Henry M. Wriston, quoted in Guy R. Lyle, The Administration of the College Library
(New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1949). p. 246. Janelle M. Zauha’s often-cited
article (“Recreational Reading in Academic Browsing Rooms: Resources for Readers’
Advisory,” Collection Building 12.3/4 (1993): 57-62) traces the ebb and flow of the
popularity of browsing collections through Lyle’s various editions.
Janelle M. Zauha quoted in Jim Dwyer, “Books Are for Use? Keeping the Faith in
Reading” The Acquisitions Librarian 25 (2001): 61-79. p. 64.
28
29
National Endowment for the Arts, Reading At Risk. Online. (August/September
2004.) Available: http://www.arts.gov/about/NEARTS/ReadingAtRisk.html (April 19,
2005). Note that “literary reading” is defined in the report as reading novels, short stories,
poetry or drama.
Laura E. Saunders and Karen W. Bauer, “Undergraduate Students Today: Who Are
They?” New Directions for Institutional Research 25.2 (Summer 1998): 7-16. pp. 8; 10.
30
Amanda Cain, “Archimedes, Reading, and the Sustenance of Academic Research
Culture in Library Instruction,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 28.3 (May 2002):
115-121. pp. 120-121.
31
See, for example, Joseph Valles, “Why Graphic Novels Belong in Libraries,” Voice of
Youth Advocates 25.5 (December 2002): 358-9; Evan St. Lifer, “Graphic Novels,
Seriously,” School Library Journal 48.8 (August 2002): 9; Katy Foster, “Graphic Novels
in Libraries: An Expert's Opinion,” Library Media Connection 22.5 (February 2004): 302; Tabita Simmons, “ Comic Books in My Library?” PNLA Quarterly 67. 3 (Spring
2003): 12+; Maureen Mooney, “Graphic Novels: How They Can Work in Libraries,”
Book Report 21.3 (November/December 2002): 18-19; Keith R.A. DeCandido, “Picture
This: Graphic Novels in Libraries,” Library Journal 15 March 1990, 50-5.
32
See, for example, Kerry Ireland, “Build It and They Will Come: Graphic Novels for
Your Collection,” School Libraries in Canada.23.3 (2004): 1; Michele Gorman, “Graphic
Novels and the Curriculum Connection,” Library Media Connection 22.3
(November/December 2003): 20-1; Francesca Goldsmith, “Graphic Novels as
Literature,” Booklist 1 February 2003, 986; Michael Pawuk, “Creating a Graphic Novel
Collection @ your library,” Young Adult Library Services 1.1 (Fall 2002): 30-5; Martha
H. Kennedy, “Wisdom from the Old Master: Will Eisner Discusses the Graphic Novel,”
Library of Congress Information Bulletin 62.5 (May 2003): 110-11.
33
27
Information about AUTOCAT, the longstanding discussion group for cataloging and
authorities is available at http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/cts/autocat/. Information
about GNLIB is available at http://www.angelfire.com/comics/gnlib/
34
35
See http://www.oclc.org/dewey/discussion/papers/741_5supplement.htm for the full
discussion on this matter.
36
See http://www.oclc.org/dewey/discussion/papers/graphicnovels.htm for detailed
discussion of how graphic novels will be subarranged in Dewey, along with
recommendations for classing historical, critical and interpretative secondary resources
on the topic.
37
A librarian at Greene County Public Library (Xenia, OH) responsible for graphic
novels selection, Raiteri also reviews graphic novels for Library Journal.
38
Steve Raiteri, Recommended Graphic Novels for Public Libraries. Online. (29
October 2003). Available: http://my.voyager.net/~sraiteri/graphicnovels.htm (April 19,
2005).
39
WSU bib record for this item:
001 35712211
003 OCoLC
005 20010618164004.0
008 961010t19961994waua
000 0 eng d
020 093019313X
040 RSD|cRSD|dNTE
049 NTE2
090 PN6727.H47|bM87 1996
100 1 Hernandez, Gilbert.
245 10 Music for mechanics /|cLos Bros Hernandez.
250 5th Fantagraphics books ed.
260 Seattle, Wash. :|bFantagraphics Books,|c1996, c1994.
300 [10], 141, [7] p. :|bill. ;|c28 cm.
490 0 Love and rockets collection ;|v1
500 "A Love and rockets collection"--Cover.
590 002-119882660
650 0 Comic books, strips, etc.
653 Washington (State) imprints, 20th century, 1996.
700 1 Hernandez, Jaime.
700 1 Hernández, Mario.
710 2 Comix Collection.|5WaPS.
710 2 Fantagraphics Books,|epublisher.|5WaPS.
730 0 Comix collection.
40
WSU bib record for this item:
001
003
005
008
020
49694381
OCoLC
20040914141037.0
020430s2001 waua
|z0930193253
000 0 eng d
28
040 HCO|cHCO|dNTE
049 NTEA
090 PN6727.H47|bC435 2001
092 741.5973
100 1 Hernandez, Gilbert.
245 10 Chelo's burden /|cLos bros Hernandez.
250 4th Fantagraphics Books ed.
260 Seattle, Wash. :|bFantagraphics Books,|c2001.
300 144 p. :|bill. ;|c28 cm.
490 0 Love and rockets collection ;|v2.
500 Reprints material previously published in Love and
rockets.
500 Prepared by Gilbert and Jamie Hernandez.
505 00 |tSopa de Gran Pena --|tLove and rockets --|tMaggie vs.
Maniakk --|tMusic for monsters III --|tHey Hopey -|tUntitled --|t100 rooms --|tTwitch city --|tToyo's
request --|tLocas Tambien --|tSomewhere in California -|tOut o'space --|tLocker room --|tCover gallery.
650 0 Graphic novels.
700 1 Hernandez, Jaime.
710 2 Fantagraphics Books.
730 0 Love and rockets.
41
According to Weiner, Flood! was unusual in many ways, mainly in that it did not have
any dialogue or captions. The story is told completely through the images; its subtitle is
“A Novel in Pictures.” Although it looked more like an art book, it received major
notices as a work of fiction, receiving an American Book Award and being short-listed
for a National Book Award (p. 52).
This is supported by experienced school librarians. See Lora Bruggeman, “’Zap!
Whoosh! Kerplow!’ Build High-Quality Graphic Novel Collections with Impact,” School
Library Journal 43:1 (January 1997): 26-27.
42
Lavin, “Comic Books and Graphic Novels for Libraries.” See also Serials Review 24.1
(1998) and 24.2 (1998); both issues were devoted to comics and graphic novels.
43
Jan Baetens, “Introduction: Transatlantic Encounters of the Second Type,” in Jan
Baetens, ed., The Graphic Novel (Leuven University Press: Leuven, Belgium: 2001). p.
7.
44
Steven Weiner, “A Short History of American Comics” excerpted from 100 Graphic
Novels for Public Libraries (Northampton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, 1996); on
http://www.wordsandpictures.org/comichistory.cfm
45
Brock Read, “A Cartoonist’s Web Site Campaigns for More Academic Study of the
Comics,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 31 January 2003: A32.
46
29
47
See The National Association of Comics Art Educators (NACAE) website at
http://www.teachingcomics.org
48
ImageTexT. Online. (2004.) Available:
http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/about.html (April 19, 2005).
Lisa Leigh Connors, “Diary of a College Freshman: Now Accessible Online,”
Christian Science Monitor, March 1, 2005: 11.
49
Katherine T. Bucher and M. Lee Manning, “Bringing Graphic Novels Into a School's
Curriculum,” The Clearing House 78.2 (November/December 2004): 67-72.
50
Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher, “Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an
Urban High School,” English Journal 93.3 (January 2004): 19-25.
51
52
Ibid., p. 24.
53
Schwarz, “Graphic Novels for Multiple Literacies,” pp. 262-264.
54
Thomas Newkirk, foreword to Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey D. Wilheim, Reading
Don’t Fix No Chevys: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men (Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH:
2002), p. x.
Trina Robbins, “Contemporary Graphic Novels for Girls: A Core List,” The Booklist,
100.10 (February 01, 2004): 985. See also Michael Lavin, Graphic Novels Are For Girls,
Too. Online. (2003.) Available: http://www.graphicnovels.brodart.com/gns_for_girls.
htm (April 19, 2005), as well as recommendations and other information available on The
Friends of Lulu website (http://www.friends-lulu.org/recommend.html).
55
Teresa Méndez, “Hamlet Too Hard? Try a Comic Book: It May Be a Shocking
Dilution of Academics - Or an Ingenious Way to Hook Reluctant Readers,” The
Christian Science Monitor, October 12, 2004: 11.
56
57
Ibid, p. 11.
58
Philip Charles Crawford, Graphic Novels 101: Selecting and Using Graphic Novels to
Promote Literacy for Children and Adults – A Resource Guide for School Librarians and
Educators (Hi Willow Research and Publishing: Salt Lake City, UT, 2003). See also
Michael Lavin, Comic Books for Young Adults. Online. (5 December 2001.) Available:
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/comics/pages/index.html (April 19, 2005),
Lavin, “Comic Books and Graphic Novels for Libraries,” p. 41, and Bucher and
Manning, “Bringing Graphic Novels into a School's Curriculum,” p. 67-72.
30
James Sturm, Golem’s Mighty Swing (Montreal : Drawn and Quarterly, 2003); Marjane
Satrapi, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (New York: Pantheon, 2003); Marjane
Satrapi, Persepolis : The Story of a Return (New York: Pantheon, 2004).
59
60
Will Eisner, Graphic Storytelling (Tamarac, FL: Poorhouse Press, 1996); Scott
McCloud, Understanding Comics (New York: Harper Perennial, 2004).
Jim Milliot, “Publishers Examine the Good, Bad and Ugly: Speakers at Annual
Meeting Address Need for Change,” Publishers Weekly, 7 March 2005: 11-12.
61
31