Week Thirteen Prompt Response

The idea that libraries shouldn’t promote or carry titles because they’re not “legitimate” is so funny to me. There was obviously a time where deciding what’s best for readers was a part of the library ethos, but those days are long gone. Our purpose now is to provide a variety of options for patrons to choose from- especially options that patrons enjoy. Restricting that variety (especially in areas that in my experience have been very popular) would go against our purpose. Keeping our library’s true values in mind (as well as the idea that “legitimate” can become a slippery slope) is the first step to ensuring our ability to adequately serve patrons.

I think the most important thing we can do is continually note the virtues of YA and graphic novels so that we can be informed advocates. Both formats are incredibly popular and cover a wide variety of genres, character types, settings, etc., so they check both the “provide variety” and “provide what patrons like” columns. They’re also lower-pressure reads (not unlike a lot of genre fiction) and can be more accessible to readers with different processing styles (especially graphic novels). YA titles (and oftentimes graphic novels as well) also tend to be more diverse than adult fiction, especially when it comes to LGBT+ representation. In “Urban Grit,” Honig noted that genres that are seen as less valuable are often those that are targeted toward underrepresented or vulnerable groups, specifically mentioning “comic books” being aimed at teenagers (xvii). Both YA and graphic novels are often targeted towards teens, but their higher representation level overall could also apply here (another reason to advocate for their continued use). YA and graphic novels can also provide alternative avenues/perspectives on traditional genres like romance or fantasy to their adult/imageless counterparts. What might be most important, though, is how popular (and oftentimes even prestigious) YA (Harry Potter, John Green books, Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Hunger Games, Children of Blood and Bone, etc.) and graphic novels (Watchmen/V for Vendetta, Sandman, Maus, Persepolis, Saga, Fun Home, Akira, etc.) have been. YA is growing even more popular as their past readers “age out” of it but still wants to stick with the genre, and Marvel didn’t make billions of dollars in movie adaptations for graphic novels to be ignored.

We can also make specific efforts to include these genres in daily work. This would not only justify their usefulness, but also help “legitimize” them by placing them alongside other aspects of the collection. Inclusion could start with keeping an open communication line with children’s/teen librarians to maintain an up-to-date understanding of YA. Similarly, we can read up on both YA and graphic novels to know the best classic, popular, and emerging titles to request and recommend to patrons. From there, we can include YA and graphic novel titles in both our displays and regular recommendations. My library has a number of YA duplicates that are also inter-filed with adult fiction because they’re so popular, which could also be a possible pathway for those afraid to get past the “YA” label. By including these genres in daily tasks, both adult readers who already like them and those who may not have considered them an option before will have greater representation and exposure. Maybe they will even create new readers and further justify our collection- Flanagan noted in “What Girls Want” that “I hate YA novels; they bore me” yet spent the entire article raving about Twilight. Even adult readers who normally dismiss these genres might just need the right title.

Once we are fully including YA and graphic novels, we should keep records of circulation statistics, title requests/holds, and interaction with display materials to prove their popularity. Award lists can probably help advocate titles’ quality, but proof that patrons interact with and enjoy these materials will be a good way to prove their popularity as well. The only major threat to being able to continue serving adult patrons who like these genres are those within the library system, and while I doubt anyone in the library would actually want to remove either of these genres, records of works’ quality and popularity should convince them.

Flanagan, C. (2008). What girls want: A series of vampire novels illuminates the complexities of female adolescent desire. The Atlantic, 108-120.

Honig, Megan. (2011). Introduction. In Urban Grit: A guide to street lit. Santa Barbara: Libraries Unlimited.