Though this week's group of "genres" 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. 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 think there is a simple answer to this, keep fighting. As
librarians our mission is to reach and help as many people as we can, unbiasedly.
The second that we start “banning” books (which I know some people/places/institutions
do, but that’s another topic) or telling people what they shouldn’t read, the
world becomes a darker place. I can see
why some would say that adults shouldn’t because they are typically made for “children”.
Last I checked, it was fun to be a child and we all were at one point. Why can’t
adults read graphic novels and young adult books? What do people think will
happen? Adults will be dumber? Adults will suddenly start wearing diapers again
and screaming for “mommy!”? I honestly don’t see why is matters. To ensure that
we can serve adults that like YA or GN, simply help the people looking for
those materials. Most libraries will have YA for young adults, so the material
is already there, why not use it? It’s slightly different for graphic novels
because most libraries don’t have a large collection of them, but they exist.
Just because there is less of them doesn’t make graphic novels unworthy. What
are graphic novels if not a story with pictures? Isn’t that what your TV is? A
device that tells stories with pictures? Should people not be enjoying TV as
well? I just find it ridiculous for people to tell people to stop doing something
just because they don’t agree with it. As long as it’s not hurting anyone, why
does it matter? People are reading and enjoying themselves. Isn’t that the ultimate
goal? Why does the material make a difference?
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ReplyDeleteHello Sydney! Naturally, I agree with you. I'm 45 and still play Nintendo and read graphic novels. I guess I refuse to grow up. This is an interesting discussion. I've actually never met a librarian who thought graphic novels were "unworthy". I've had more problems with people, including staff, being offended with the content of books or movies. We actually had a challenge this past week but it was the usual suspects, sex and language. I didn't have the heart to tell him that if we followed his logic we'd lose 70 percent of our collection, so I just gave him the paperwork to fill out. Anywho, back to the topic on hand. In working with the literacty alliance we've found that graphic novels are a great way to get reluctant / struggling readers of all ages to start reading. So in their own way they are a great gateway for some of our patrons.
DeleteSomething that is growing in popularity is taking the classics and making graphic novels out of them! That is PURE genius! For readers who only like graphic novels, the classics are put in that format so the readers get to read the "literary fiction" in their preferred format! Genius! We have been getting more and more in with each library book order. It is very exciting to see!
ReplyDeleteYou are spot on! You bring up a lot of different points but the one that stuck with me was the line "What are graphic novels if not a story with pictures? Isn’t that what your TV is?" If some could think so critically. Great job and full points!
ReplyDelete