People have the freedom to read what they want without fear of ridicule. Libraries have a responsibility to serve their patron base by building collections relevant to their interests, making them available, and promoting them.
If there are books intended for a younger audience that have mass appeal to adults, they should be available to adults. If those titles are in a YA section where adults are not allowed to enter, perhaps acquisitions staff should consider adding a copy of those titles to the adult collection. If budgets or space don't allow that, readers' advisory materials should point patrons to those titles. Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games are all series that my library has added to the adult collection.
Graphic novels are a format rather than a genre, but they are treated as such despite the diversity of genre and style. Many people think of Sunday comics and superheroes and assume that all graphic novels are for children. I think that the focus on how graphic novels impact reluctant readers contributes to this belief, too. It never fails to amuse me that people think graphic novels lack literary merit; many of them are quite complex works of art.
Since so many graphic novels have been adapted into popular films and television shows, libraries should be collecting them, yet many do not, believing that their patron base has no interest. How do they know that? Perhaps there is a whole patron base that stopped coming to their libraries because they never found what they were interested in reading. Additionally, graphic novel collections should be shelved according to their intended audience.
Darcy, your point about the patron base visiting the library could be spot on. The library was so committed to providing other books that they might not have built up their graphic novel collection. If the graphic novels weren't available in the library, people might have started getting them other ways, like purchasing themselves or trading with friends. If you don't provide what people want, they will go elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteHello Darcy! I like your suggestion of adding popular YA titles to the Adult section so adults have better access to them. I agree with your statements about graphic novels; I personally enjoy them and agree about the complexity of some of them. Sometimes graphic novels are made purely for entertainment purposes, like most children's graphic novels, but others cover complicated issues or situations. There are even graphic nonfiction books available that teach the reader about a subject in a more visual way. Great job with your prompt response!
ReplyDeleteHi Darcy! I like your idea about putting a copy of YA titles in the adult section. I think it might be a little complicated from what I know of cataloging. As a teen I used to read from both the teen and adult section. I think that having a space where the areas are merged or close in proximity might help. It is a bit complicated though.
ReplyDeleteHi, I wasn't aware that graphic novels or YA Literature was looked upon negatively in some libraries until our professor mentioned it for this prompt! I really don't understand the negatively because they are both so popular and serve a purpose for there audience. Personally, I enjoy reading both of them and I even read graphic novels to my younger children for good night reading. If it isn't possible to put YA titles in the adult section than maybe libraries should create a middle ground section that both children and adults can go to for books.
ReplyDeleteGreat prompt response and engaging dialogue. Full points!
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