The Graphic Library
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Review List by Author
  • Terminology
  • Info Postings
  • About Me
  • Other Resources
    • Research

How to shelve graphic novels?

10/3/2021

0 Comments

 
One (good) problem of a growing graphic novel section is how to shelve all the wonderful titles so that students and patrons may easily find them. I recently did an overhaul of my shelving system in my graphic novel area, and the results have been positively received by my students. They all say that it has been easier to find what they want to read, and I don't even have signage out yet to explain how things are shelved!

Another reason to redesign your shelving system is to maximize shelving. Shelving graphic novel together by format instead of shelving all graphic novels intermixed means you'll have similar format sizes all together, and can adjust shelving. Manga tends to be much shorter than most books, so you can usually fit another shelf in this section. Comicbooks are a bit taller, so depending on your shelving, you mind need a little more room here.

Here was my old shelving system: All graphic novels were pulled out of regular Dewey order, but still maintained a 741.5 label on the spine. All manga were shelved together alphabetically by mangaka (manga creator); all comicbooks were shelved together alphabetically by author; all graphic novels were shelved together alphabetically by author. Now, I have four different sections: Manga, Comicbooks, Graphic Fiction, and Graphic Nonfiction. Read on to find out what I’ve done and some tips on how to implement this in your library.

Special thanks to Emily R., Megan T., and Chris D. for chatting repeatedly with me about the best scheme to use to reorganize this whole section. 

Read More
0 Comments

Eisner Awards - 2021

7/26/2021

0 Comments

 
Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards logo
July means Eisner month! This year, ComicCon@Home happened mostly on YouTube, so you can watch the entire awards ceremony if you're into that sort of thing. The awards were held on July 23rd, 2021.

Titles are nominated by a panel of folks in the comics industry, a librarian, and an academic researcher. Then, comics industry folks, librarians, and comic academics can vote for the winners. While the panel of folks have read all of these titles (and many more!), those voting for winners definitely do not need to have read everything to vote. The entire list of winners AND nominees is full of some amazing titles because they were the BEST of what the small committee read this year. I suggest checking out the full list of winners and nominees posted here by the Comics Beat. Since this website is School Library related, I'll be posting the winners and nominees for categories that will help school librarians with their purchasing decisions.

I definitely haven't read all of these amazing titles (yet!), but where I can, I have linked my review of the titles I have finished. As always, this list means I have even more titles to add to my towering TBR pile!


Read More
0 Comments

Beginning Buyers Guide of manga for school librarians

4/18/2021

3 Comments

 
Picture
Not sure where to start with buying manga for your library? Don't worry, you're not alone.  This is probably the #1 question I get from school librarians.  So, to help you and many others out, here is a list of recommendations to start.

I’ve separated the list into three groups. Start with Group One, and if you have money left over, head on to Group Two and even Three!


Read More
3 Comments

CSLA 2021 PRESENTATION & RESOURCES

3/1/2021

0 Comments

 
I'm back at it with a presentation for my State Library conference on Graphic Novels. Below you can find my lists of recommended titles for purchase and collection development, and check out my presentation below.
Google-Drive Friends: Click these links to make your own copy of the Google Docs.
​

bit.ly/MSGN21 - Middle School Titles
bit.ly/HSGN21 - High School Titles
For my non-Google-user friends, click below to see a preview of the documents that you can copy/paste or print.
​
Middle School Titles
High School Titles ​
0 Comments

Best of 2020 - My Top 10

1/1/2021

0 Comments

 
Best of 2020 - ten titles that I believe are the best of 2020
In 2020, I challenged myself to read a graphic novel a day, and since 2020 was a Leap Year, that meant reading 366 books.  I'm happy to say that I made it! I've read so many different stories this year, and I still feel like I've only scratched the surface of what's out there.  Here are my favorite titles I found this year - some published in 2020, and some new-to-me this year.

So that multiple volumes don't clog up this list, I have included all volumes of a series as one item.  To be fair to all series involved, I haven't included my favorites that were re-released this year, which include Fullmetal Alchemist, Sailor Moon, and Magic Knight Rayearth.

Read More
0 Comments

Article in Diamond Bookshelf

12/16/2020

0 Comments

 
Check out an article I wrote on the importance of including LGBTQ+ graphic novels in our library collections.  It was published in Issue 32 of Diamond Bookshelf, a publication by Diamond Distributing.  

LGBTQ+ Comics: Why we can no longer afford to be scared. 
0 Comments

Holiday Gift buying Guide - 2020

12/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Stack of books with a gift bow on top
Do you have a friend or family member who avidly reads graphic novels, and you're not sure what to buy them for the holidays? Check out this buying guide of top books from 2020 that would be perfect as gifts.

In the titles of each, I have indicated whether these would be good purchases by audience level:

Elementary (Grades 3-5) = EL
Middle School (Grades 6-8) = MS
High School (Grades 9-12) = HS
Adult = AD

These age ranges are suggestions - there's nothing that says a high schooler or an adult wouldn't love a book I've tagged as elementary, but often the higher age ratings means there's something mature or inappropriate for younger audiences.

I have also included my genre tags and noted read-alikes in the hopes that this helps you find the perfect books for your friends and family.


Read More
0 Comments

Resources from CSLA Southern Region Workshop - 2020

11/16/2020

0 Comments

 
I'm back at it again with another presentation and list of titles to recommend for purchase.  This presentation was delivered to attendees of the California School Library Association's Workshop put on by the Souther Region Executive Board.
Google-Drive Friends: Click these links to make your own copy of the Google Docs.
​
​

bit.ly/MSGNsr20 - Middle School Titles
bit.ly/HSGNsr20 - High School Titles
For my non-Google-user friends, click below to see a preview of the documents that you can copy/paste or print.
​

Middle School Titles
High School Titles ​

0 Comments

Article for Booklist's Guide to Graphic Novels in Libraries

7/9/2020

2 Comments

 
I wrote another article, this time for Booklist. In July, they have a spotlight on graphic novels for their regular magazine, and they also have been publishing a supplement for libraries.  Click here to read the full supplement!
​
2 Comments

Award Winners for 2020

6/30/2020

0 Comments

 
Every year, there are several awards presented throughout the country, mostly at notable comic conventions.  Here is a list of these award-winning titles that may not appear as an award winner on purchasing services.  You may see duplicate titles, as I am not going to omit a title if it wins two or more different awards.  In some cases, I have included the nominees when available.  Even being nominated for these prestigious awards is an honor, so all of these books on the nominees list are quality titles that you can consider purchasing for your collection.

Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Info Postings

    This section is where I will post general information about graphic novels, news, or other things I feel are relevant to the development of graphic novel sections in libraries.

    About Me

    I've been reading Manga and comicbooks for years.  Now, it's time to share my knowledge with you.
    Read More

    Categories

    All
    Awards
    Publishing Info
    Resources
    Title Lists


    SEARCH THIS SITE


    Picture

    Never miss a review! Subscribe and get the best delivered to your inbox.

    * indicates required
Picture

​© 2022 Sara Smith

Picture
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Review List by Author
  • Terminology
  • Info Postings
  • About Me
  • Other Resources
    • Research