The problem with new forms of literature, be they YA or NA
or Graphic Novels or Street Lit etc etc is that they are new and long standing
establishments are far slower to change than any single individual, or even a
generation of people. Are there library patrons who would be better served if a
given library had a solid collection of one or all of these genres? Absolutely.
But the idea that there isn’t going to be a fight involved in getting those
needs met is just plain silly.
Libraries are underfunded. I don’t have research on this,
but I would be pretty surprised if, at any point in history libraries were
fully and abundantly funded. But even if that used to be a thing, it sure isn’t
today. Buying for many collection
managers is often more about making a list of the best additions to the
library, and then trying to see what they manage to get. By picking book A,
they have to choose against book B even if it would be a great item for their
library. So, on that front, the idea of putting one, or several, new line items
in that budget is going to be met with resistance.
Then you add in the negative stereotype attached to many of
these genres.
YA is for kids.
Street Lit is way too graphic/violent/sexual/etc.
Graphic novels are for kids.
Graphic novels are way too graphic/violent/sexual/etc.
NA is... what? Who’s even heard of NA? Some, sure, but it
isn’t entirely mainstream knowledge. I hadn’t even heard the term before this
year.
Oh, and manga is just Weird Asian Comic Books.
And, by the way, kids don’t pay for libraries. Grown-ups do.
We have to make sure to cater to our money base before we waste money on ‘extras
for the kids’.
Additionally, focusing on Manga and Graphic Novels for a
second, these are almost always series. Especially if it is big enough, popular
enough, to gain mainstream attention. If you start buying a serial, can you
afford to keep buying it. Or, if it is a super popular series that has been out
forever, can you afford to buy what is already out (or the whole series if it’s
complete) ? Do you start buying the new issues that people want and will circulate
or do you try to start from the beginning?
This isn’t as much an issue with the YA, SL, or NA genres,
in my opinion, simply because of the age of the genre. Stories aimed at these genres are far more
recent than graphic novels, which in turn is far more recent than manga. Add to
that the fact that both manga and graphic novels have their own publishing
houses, which makes them more of an entire different form of media than books.
Talking about developing a graphic novel collection from scratch at this point
would be like telling a library that has no visual media (movies, dvds, etc) to
go out and start building one. There is just too much content available. It’s
daunting. Just walk into any comic book store and walk around. And then think
about the fact that what you are seeing is mostly new content, with some
collections of really popular, good selling materials.
Which is why I don’t judge a library when I go in to see if
they have a manga series I want to read and I realize that they have volume
1-3, 7, 9-12, and 25. It’s insanity to me, from the inside, because I know what
I’m looking for and what I’m looking at. But even the best efforts of a
librarian with limited knowledge and limited funds isn’t going to effect change
overnight. Getting any kind of comprehensive collection of these types of
materials and genres into libraries is just going to take time and a lot of
effort.
You bring up a good point, I did not consider the budget and buying a whole series when I thought about buying graphic novels. Of course, budget is always an issue for public libraries, but my main thought was about perceptions instead of money. In our juvenile graphic novel section, I believe Naruto is nearing 70 volumes. I cannot imagine starting this collection from scratch!
ReplyDeleteIt can seem quite daunting to consider adding a new genre or series to the collection, especially in an era of extremely tight budgets. But when it comes time to order new materials, it is always a good idea to refer to the library's mission statement and collection development policy (as Timothy Collins mentioned in his prompt). These two documents should define the library's objectives for providing materials, and to what degree purchases should reflect patrons' tastes. They should be very familiar to each librarian, as they can be useful backup if any censorship challenges should arise from adding controversial titles to the collection.
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