Though this week's group of "genres" (YA, New Adult, Graphic Novels) all seem very different, they all
have in common the fact that many people don't feel that they are
legitimate literary choices and libraries shouldn't be spending money on
them or promoting them to adults. Obviously, graphic novels are
becoming more acceptable, but I still had to fight to get my progressive
library in a liberal college town to purchase a book club kit
containing graphic novels. The common belief is that adults still don't
or shouldn't read that stuff. How can we as librarians, work to ensure
that we are able to serve adults who enjoy YA literature or graphic
novels? Or should we?
I have to admit, I have a dog in this fight - I read and love both graphic novels and YA novels. (I haven't gotten into New Adult much yet; I'm not opposed to it, just haven't been exposed to much yet.) Also, I'm exceptionally lucky to work at a library where our director sees the value in graphic novels (and a lot of other maligned genres, subgenres, formats, etc.). However, there are still people who just don't get it.
The thing is, libraries exist, at least in part, to provide people with what they want to read. The American Library Association confirms that people have the freedom to read. The Freedom To Read Statement says, in part, "It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to
make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including
those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by the
majority." If people want to read graphic novels, or YA books, or New Adult books, or anything else not specifically prohibited by law, they should be able to. Really, that's all the defense a library should need to make these items available. Libraries are not in the business of telling people what to read - we make suggestions, but those are based in the desire to help people find what they want to read, whatever it is, not to make people read certain books that we feel they should be reading. (If that were the case, libraries would have very different collections!)
But, of course, we know that it doesn't always work that way. We have to defend those books!
One of the best things for young adult, new adult, or graphic novels is to have some titles that you can point to as the "best" of the format, to help prove that they are worthwhile. Books like "The Fault in Our Stars" and "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" for young adult and "Watchmen" and "Maus" for graphic novels have artistic merit and are critically acclaimed. Even though some books in those formats aren't nearly as artistic or notable, it at least helps make the argument that they are worthwhile for the collection or worthwhile for adults, at least in a general sense.
Integrating those items into displays, read-alike lists, and programs can also help the formats gain greater acceptance. The library can even do programs specifically geared toward those items. For example, for Teen Literature Day on April 16, we are going to have an open house at our teen library for adults, and one of the components is going to be a display of YA books that adults might enjoy. This type of integration achieves two aims. It does what it's "supposed" to do, which is to highlight parts of our collection and encourage patrons who haven't experienced them to pick up whatever is on the display or list, or featured in the program, even if it's a graphic novel or YA/NA book that they wouldn't normally read. However, it also achieves a secondary aim of telling patrons who already enjoy those materials that the library supports them. This will help them be more comfortable at the library, with the knowledge that the library has the books they want to read and features them as full, important parts of the library collection.
The best thing to do, though, is the thing librarians should do regardless of genre or format - purchase what the readers want and make sure they feel comfortable asking for them. A non-judgmental, knowledgeable librarian is the best link between a reader and books. This includes staff training, to at least have a basic understanding and to be able to speak intelligently on genres and formats, and a commitment to accepting those genres/formats are legitimate reading material for adults, even if you, personally, don't enjoy them.
I am also a YA fan, although not as much with graphic novels. That being said, I totally agree with you when you said "We have to defend those books". The ALA and librarians are really what keeps this right alive for patrons. It is actually very cool that we get to do that as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to defend books you like, it's when you don't like the book that it's hard to defend! I always think about the fact that everybody who walks into the library, including the staff, have books that they think nobody should read for some reason or another. However, people have the right to read them. I agree that it's a very cool thing to defend that right! I take pride in it, even though it's really tough to do sometimes (like when you're faced with an angry patron or a high-profile book challenge).
DeleteJenny this is an absolutely fantastic perspective. I'm saving this for my files so I can point to it when the topic of investing in these formats comes up again. I'm so glad you included the information from the Freedom to Read statement. You said "Libraries are not in the business of telling people what to read - we make suggestions, but those are based in the desire to help people find what they want to read, whatever it is, not to make people read certain books that we feel they should be reading."
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes people believe in "freedom to read" in formats or subjects that are comfortable or familiar to them. YA being read by adults and GNs in general challenge that which is comfortable and familiar as it's emerging and kind of taking readers by storm. It's kind of exciting to think about being on the edge of integrating these items into popular, reading culture and being advocates for them as valuable, important parts of a library's collection.
Thank you so much! I do find it exciting to integrate YA, graphic novels, etc., into our collections and advocating for them, even though it can be a challenge sometimes!!
DeleteI agree completely with your statement and you brought up a good point as to make patrons feel comfortable checking out these formats. I think as librarians, we should be eager in a way to show our support in patrons reading them. In my library, there aren't that many adult graphic novels but a ton in the YA section. I think everyone thinks only teens read graphic novels and that's not true. There are adults who may enjoy graphic novels but may not want to read YA ones. So the collection should be more balanced in that aspect.
ReplyDeleteGood suggestion about using read alike lists.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea might be to do a "one book, one community" with a graphic novel or NA/YA book. Then invite the author in to speak.
I completely agree about promoting the "best of" books in YA and graphic novels for adults. I like to think that part of our job is not just to make recommendations to patrons, but to recommend things they might not have ever considered that we think they'd really enjoy anyway. Libraries have so much material in so many formats and genres and so on--we ought to take advantage of our knowledge of all of these different kinds of materials to expand patrons' reading horizons. I think that helps people to make the most of what we offer. I think that a lot of adults would really enjoy YA fiction and graphic novels if they gave them a chance, so we should do what we can to enlighten people about the merits of books they might not really understand much about.
ReplyDelete