I have to think more about the last reading and try out some of the concepts with real customers to see what I think. Hopefully there will be more articles on the Big Think and redefining RA - maybe it's enhancing RA that we should be focusing on and that's what is part of the article.
I've just copied and pasted my discussion forum remarks for now:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The article in LJ about redefining RA talks about the new terms/ways of defining what we read that Saricks has come up with and Pearl is now talking "doorways". Is there a difference in these systems or is it all terminology?
I'd need to see a longer article or hear a talk about these new concepts and terms before deciding their value. This particular article is jargon-heavy without a lot of examples. What most resonates with me right now is: Saricks sees at least four different ways to group titles: adrenaline, intellect, emotion, and landscape " I can see pacing as adrenaline - but maye you're right that these are new terms for the same concepts. I do find intellect and emotion the factors that appeal to me most. In my reading notes I'd commented on how interesting that horror and romance were both described as evoking strong emotions - although very different emotions. I've found for myself that I like learning or intellectual content and lean toward books where I can learn something - like Nevada Barr's books in various federal parks, where you can learn about a culture like F. Kellerman's Decker mysteries where you learn about the Jewish faith; that I read nonficton to learn something. Lanscape as setting is a strong appeal for me too.
I still think it's important to think of the customer and what phrasing you use to elicit any of these appeal factors - it all seems so jargony and difficult for people to answer. People don't seem to understand why it's hard for us to pick a book for them if they say they want a book just like X - they go in a store and ask for bananas or a black leather jacket so why is it hard to just ask for a book . . . I think this is partly why a lot of people read what is new, what is on a list, what is a bestseller . . . . Whose the best RA writer who has dealt with the RA Interview and the phrasing to use/practice and does the phrasing vary by genre or by gender??????? This is what i need to know to make RA work - as asked in the second quesiton below.
What are you final thoughts for making RA work? An understanding and reading in the genres is very helpful! We've had some of the genre books for years and I haven't used them enough. Using the websites and finding new ones is necessary. I've come to really depned on LibraryThing. Practice also makes faster - so I can quickly use these tools because they've become familiar - you don't want to be figuring out how LibraryThing works with a customer standing next to you.
I wonder what kind of collaboration there could be done between librarians - fiction-L is good and needed but too amorphous. Have I missed some online Read-Alike cooperative tools -- lists of Read-Alikes with annotations - OR Can't Miss/Best Bets lists for us to share.
We should treasure the Joyce Saricks, Nancy Pearls and Neal Wyatts. We've been lucky in Wisconsin to have Joyce Saricks and Nancy Pearl speak at our conferences or workshops. But what I really want to know is how they find to read everything they do!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Nonficton - Biographies, Memoirs Thoughts
It was very interesting to see how many biographies are published in a year.
There's a real mix in quality or should I say style so as not to be judgmental- the award winners to sensationalism. So you may get a NF reader like a fiction reader -- does the biography reader like something well-written -- the writing is great or does the biog. reader want a quick, light read maybe even gossipy -- almost fast-paced you could say. Same could be true of memoirs. One big difference with biographies from fiction and memoirs/autobiographies: you may have multiple titles about the same figure with different slants or views of the person; there may be "revisionist" views of presidents and others. In addition as compared to fiction , the photographs --number of photos and what they are -- informal family shots, etc. may be a factor in the selection the reader chooses when there is more than one bio on a figure. Setting is important too - some people only like to read about Americans, for example. Another difference with bios and autobios as compared to fiction is that I suspect that many biographies/autobios are not read cover to cover as a novel is even if the reader likes the bio/autobio-- some books may be prohibitively long and for other readers they may only want to skim certain aspects of the figures life. It also helps with Books on CD if the person reads his/her biography. Our copy of Pres. Bill Clinton's book on CD in which he did the reading (abridged) was much more popular than the version read by person other than Clinton.
Memoirs are spread across Dewey in our library. So, the appeal factors --wanting a memoir by a firefighter will be in one area - and as said the web catalog helps with memoirs. Memoirs are "in" now - it will be interesting to see how long that lasts.
And look how long the Glass Castle has been on bestsellers lists and reserve lists at libraries.
There's a real mix in quality or should I say style so as not to be judgmental- the award winners to sensationalism. So you may get a NF reader like a fiction reader -- does the biography reader like something well-written -- the writing is great or does the biog. reader want a quick, light read maybe even gossipy -- almost fast-paced you could say. Same could be true of memoirs. One big difference with biographies from fiction and memoirs/autobiographies: you may have multiple titles about the same figure with different slants or views of the person; there may be "revisionist" views of presidents and others. In addition as compared to fiction , the photographs --number of photos and what they are -- informal family shots, etc. may be a factor in the selection the reader chooses when there is more than one bio on a figure. Setting is important too - some people only like to read about Americans, for example. Another difference with bios and autobios as compared to fiction is that I suspect that many biographies/autobios are not read cover to cover as a novel is even if the reader likes the bio/autobio-- some books may be prohibitively long and for other readers they may only want to skim certain aspects of the figures life. It also helps with Books on CD if the person reads his/her biography. Our copy of Pres. Bill Clinton's book on CD in which he did the reading (abridged) was much more popular than the version read by person other than Clinton.
Memoirs are spread across Dewey in our library. So, the appeal factors --wanting a memoir by a firefighter will be in one area - and as said the web catalog helps with memoirs. Memoirs are "in" now - it will be interesting to see how long that lasts.
And look how long the Glass Castle has been on bestsellers lists and reserve lists at libraries.
Horror - Reading assignment Thoughts
Horror
It's interesting that Horror and Romance both share the same pre-eminent appeal - an emotional appeal --although quite different emotions. Text outlines emotional reactions as Terror, Horror, Gross-out--state of physical revulsion! Seeks to inspire fear, to frighten the reader! Don't give me a horror novel at midnight!
Author says not necessary but many people identify Horror with monsters, supernatural, vampires, hauntings, demonic possession - so is this characterization or frame?
Text says Stories typically begin with an eruption of chaotic forces into a previously ordered existence and conclude with restoration, however tentative - of that order. Seems like something similar to SF but not exactly to me.
The fact that the author sees the demographic for most readers as males from 12-30 doesn't surprise me but his discussion of why was fascinating and new to me: Horror seen as deviant and teens sometimes feel seen as deviant any way and that issues of adolescence resonate with storylines in Horror. He mentioned Carrie for example.
The number of sub-genres was interesting and I'll have to consult the text for these when I'm doing Horror RA. We have other Horror RA titles: Hooked on Horror and Read On . . . Horror Fiction. I found Hookend on Horror helpful in placing my Stephen King novel (Girl . . . Tom Gordon) in the psychological horror sub-genre.
Now I have to decide if I want to read horror at other than Halloween times. I think I'd like more of Stephen King and/or psychological horror -- I can see how psychological horror appeals to a mystery reader like me.
It's interesting that Horror and Romance both share the same pre-eminent appeal - an emotional appeal --although quite different emotions. Text outlines emotional reactions as Terror, Horror, Gross-out--state of physical revulsion! Seeks to inspire fear, to frighten the reader! Don't give me a horror novel at midnight!
Author says not necessary but many people identify Horror with monsters, supernatural, vampires, hauntings, demonic possession - so is this characterization or frame?
Text says Stories typically begin with an eruption of chaotic forces into a previously ordered existence and conclude with restoration, however tentative - of that order. Seems like something similar to SF but not exactly to me.
The fact that the author sees the demographic for most readers as males from 12-30 doesn't surprise me but his discussion of why was fascinating and new to me: Horror seen as deviant and teens sometimes feel seen as deviant any way and that issues of adolescence resonate with storylines in Horror. He mentioned Carrie for example.
The number of sub-genres was interesting and I'll have to consult the text for these when I'm doing Horror RA. We have other Horror RA titles: Hooked on Horror and Read On . . . Horror Fiction. I found Hookend on Horror helpful in placing my Stephen King novel (Girl . . . Tom Gordon) in the psychological horror sub-genre.
Now I have to decide if I want to read horror at other than Halloween times. I think I'd like more of Stephen King and/or psychological horror -- I can see how psychological horror appeals to a mystery reader like me.
RA Conversation 101 - My thoughts
I don't have much to what I wrote on the discussion forum. I will take heed of Chelton's words and think more about what she pointed out when I'm working the desk and doing RA (spot check - how am I doing?) and in training and standards for my dept. staff. I will also take a look at a book that she wrote in 2007 on RA and adult services. I emailed the WorldCat record to order for our library so I do appreciate her comments and scholarship - just don't see much of myself in her article - did she jump too quickly and create a stereotype of the lousy RA librarian or is this a warning call for us all and how the readers see us - I can say I don't describe as much the steps I'm taking or why with an RA interview as with a Reference interview or while I'm doing a Web search for someone - so that thought is useful for me to think about and revise my method to include more explanation.
Discussion forum comments from me:
Well, if this were the first reading for the class, I would have been so discouraged by Chelton's indictment or angry that these are not true.
Yes, some cases may occur and some times we are all discouraged that we don't give the best service. Here's what I'd say about my own experience and own library. Hope I don't sound too defensive but:
In our library fiction is currently located on a "popular collections" floor and the help desk is staffed primarily by library assistants. Some are 20-hr. staff and have little or no hours off-desk and are required by administration to shelve carts of books when it is quiet. So, even though these are good, caring people they are not sufficiently trained for RA work and don't read reviews or select books. I can say these things because this is part of my dept. I advocated for change and we will have a mix of librarians and LAs at our new service desk for Adult Services (RA) and Reference and move the fiction collections near us. So, perhaps the students didn't all talk to librarians or to staff who were trained in RA.
When I've worked the popular collections floor, the RA interview usually starts while I'm walking the floor to talk with readers or arranging a display. I do have a conversation with them and then head back to the computer. Usually what I'm using is NoveList or our own list of staff picks, etc. and not the OPAC. I may not explain that well enough so that people understand why I went to the computer. I have tried for years to have a separate PC for just our RA tools but our tech support person has had difficulty in preventing users from breaking through and sitting there using the PC as an Internet station. She's going to try again in 2009. Other libraries may not have these tools because of expense. My online budget has been cut substantially but I'm willing to hang onto NoveList and Next Reads.
I do agree that we need to work on interview techniques -- it can be awkward to ask and often people can't articulate very well why they liked a certain book or describe it in terms of appeal factors we try to describe. I also think for myself I could talk about why I like mysteries but if someone were helping me select, I'd be clearer about what types of mysteries I dislike or wouldn't want to try. There's also the issue of people wanting only a best-seller and they're all out and/or on reserve lists. How can you encourage the reader to try something else?
We find displays are a really good RA prop. We have quite a few - some a mix of fiction and nonfiction; some by genre; some topical, etc. It often works to take someone over there and kind of quickly "book talk" some of the titles.
The other thing I've done and encouraged staff to do is to treat the request like a reference question - meaning if I couldn't come up with a satisfactory title at that moment, I ask if the person wants to leave his/her name and phone or email and we'd send a list - with the list we might include brief reviews etc. and would let the person know what is in.
This is the kind of sharing we should do with our colleagues - what techniques work, what techniques really don't work.
We also do ask people if they've found what they needed, if they found the book - we check in returns if they haven't found it on the shelf -- we juggle multiple people -- but don't miss too many I think. If it's really busy we ask people to stop back and tell us they didn't find. Another easy way - our desk are near floor or main exit and you can see the person walk by and check their hands - sometimes I just say "great, you found the book, hope you'll enjoy it."
I've also spotted them at the Circulation desk checking out and will ask --did you find the book ok? (If I hadn't connected with them at my desk or on their way out)
So, I think we do better than the article suggested but, yes, there's a way to go and some days the RA match of customer and book is hard to do or you're unsuccessful.
Discussion forum comments from me:
Well, if this were the first reading for the class, I would have been so discouraged by Chelton's indictment or angry that these are not true.
Yes, some cases may occur and some times we are all discouraged that we don't give the best service. Here's what I'd say about my own experience and own library. Hope I don't sound too defensive but:
In our library fiction is currently located on a "popular collections" floor and the help desk is staffed primarily by library assistants. Some are 20-hr. staff and have little or no hours off-desk and are required by administration to shelve carts of books when it is quiet. So, even though these are good, caring people they are not sufficiently trained for RA work and don't read reviews or select books. I can say these things because this is part of my dept. I advocated for change and we will have a mix of librarians and LAs at our new service desk for Adult Services (RA) and Reference and move the fiction collections near us. So, perhaps the students didn't all talk to librarians or to staff who were trained in RA.
When I've worked the popular collections floor, the RA interview usually starts while I'm walking the floor to talk with readers or arranging a display. I do have a conversation with them and then head back to the computer. Usually what I'm using is NoveList or our own list of staff picks, etc. and not the OPAC. I may not explain that well enough so that people understand why I went to the computer. I have tried for years to have a separate PC for just our RA tools but our tech support person has had difficulty in preventing users from breaking through and sitting there using the PC as an Internet station. She's going to try again in 2009. Other libraries may not have these tools because of expense. My online budget has been cut substantially but I'm willing to hang onto NoveList and Next Reads.
I do agree that we need to work on interview techniques -- it can be awkward to ask and often people can't articulate very well why they liked a certain book or describe it in terms of appeal factors we try to describe. I also think for myself I could talk about why I like mysteries but if someone were helping me select, I'd be clearer about what types of mysteries I dislike or wouldn't want to try. There's also the issue of people wanting only a best-seller and they're all out and/or on reserve lists. How can you encourage the reader to try something else?
We find displays are a really good RA prop. We have quite a few - some a mix of fiction and nonfiction; some by genre; some topical, etc. It often works to take someone over there and kind of quickly "book talk" some of the titles.
The other thing I've done and encouraged staff to do is to treat the request like a reference question - meaning if I couldn't come up with a satisfactory title at that moment, I ask if the person wants to leave his/her name and phone or email and we'd send a list - with the list we might include brief reviews etc. and would let the person know what is in.
This is the kind of sharing we should do with our colleagues - what techniques work, what techniques really don't work.
We also do ask people if they've found what they needed, if they found the book - we check in returns if they haven't found it on the shelf -- we juggle multiple people -- but don't miss too many I think. If it's really busy we ask people to stop back and tell us they didn't find. Another easy way - our desk are near floor or main exit and you can see the person walk by and check their hands - sometimes I just say "great, you found the book, hope you'll enjoy it."
I've also spotted them at the Circulation desk checking out and will ask --did you find the book ok? (If I hadn't connected with them at my desk or on their way out)
So, I think we do better than the article suggested but, yes, there's a way to go and some days the RA match of customer and book is hard to do or you're unsuccessful.
Literary Fiction = Reading Assignment Thoughts
copied and pasted my comments from the discussion forum: Here's my description of the book:
Read the Plot Against America
Philip Roth, of course, qualifies under the definition of Award-winner. Among his awards are the Pulitizer, Natinal Book Award, National Book Critics Circle and PEN-faulkner awards. He's also been a finalist for these awards with other titles.
The Plot Against America asks us to consider a provocative change in US history. What if Charles Lindbergh, isolationist, anti-Jewish, perhaps "supporter" of Nazi Germany, defeated FDR for the American Presidency in 1940.?
Readers look through the eyes of young boy, Philip, part of an extended Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey. Roth mixes in Philip's viewpoint, other family member's reactions and life-changing events, what happens in the Jewish community - Roth describes an already-existing Jewish/Gentile segregation in the community -- where people worked, where they shopped, etc. that disintegrates into violence in the Lindbergh administration. And, Roth describes how the nation changed - pogroms in the U.S.
You really get to know the Roth family( yes, he uses Roth and Philip), especially Philip, who bumps up against the challenges of any growing boy while seeing the effect of fear and terror on his family and neighborhood.
I very much enjoyed the nature of the story and the writing. I would say this probably isn't as a challenging a book of literary fiction to get into as other titles I might have chosen. Stylistically, there were no challenges in reading this - no experiments with prose style, etc. So I enjoyed myslef but didn't challenge myself -- although the book might not have been complex, it was multi-layered in terms of "community" -- individual, young Philip; his family; his community; the United States. So, do I need to feel guilty . . . .or level of difficulty doesn't Have to be part of the literary fiction definition.
I chose Roth first as my author and then easily chose The Plot Against America as his title because of its storyline and an interest in history and location, having been born near Newark, New Jersey. I would recommend ths title to a reader. And maybe people hesitant about reading fiction would be intrigued by the story and not need to hear the label "literary fiction" while others interested in "literary" or serious ficiton would jump at the book (2004) because it's by Roth.
Unless people come in looking for a particular title/author or the latest book, I need to improve my reading of review sources, read more literary fiction, and find online at other sites or create within our library - a list of "can't miss" literary fiction. "Can't miss" is a phrase I heard Joyce Saricks use as list used at her library if staff were stumped or just couldn't think of a title at the time . . . I think such a list would be very helpful for literary fiction!
Here's what I discussed in the discussion forum and my remaining comments about the reading are below this forum entry:
Literary Fiction
How do you define literary fiction? I see a tie-in with the word literature. I studied literature in high school and college and was assigned to read the "classics" of literature. Won't some of the titles we describe as literary fiction become the classics from the 20th and 21st centuries? I can accept a definition of Award-winning books or Saricks' description of often character-centered, provocative, complex or multi-layered literature and the reader's enjoyment of prose or writing style. For example, I can remember reading Middlemarch in college and, even with its length, going back and re-reading sentences or paragraphs just for the beauty of the language. But, of course, I accept that there is good and bad books labeled as literary fiction (even award winners) that turn people off and cause such books to be labeled pretentious. I, too, would be turned off by affected prose such as "furious dabs of tulips stuttering" which McCrum cites. What do you think some of the code phrases/words are for a customer who really is looking for lit fic? People will ask for award winners and many are more specific - come in with a list and refer to Booker or Pulitizer, etc. just as other people come in with the latest picks in People Magazine. People have used words like "serious" fiction, academic fiction, something to keep me interested, something I can dig into. Others ask what's on the best-seller list, what's a book everyone is talking about, ask about or have a list from NPR, an author they've seen on TV, does X author have a new book out, what would be a good book to read, what would be a good choice for our book club, what good fiction is out there, etc. <> Or, people say, I spent the summer reading light fiction and I'd like something heavier/more challenging for the winter. . . . Or, I enjoyed this books so much, what is similar . . . .
Additional comments:
This seems to be a category of fiction that people will disagree about. Does it mean anything to the public if we label things literary fiction or is the label pretentious as the McCrum article suggested? And what about the label we use in our library for fiction: we use general fiction to designate what is not a genre - what does this mean to the public? And we call romance a genre in our paperback collection but not in our hardcover or books on CD collections - does tis confuse the public? And does any library shelve literary fiction separately?
I do see lists on library websites so these are helpful for RA when someone asks for a book that could be considered literary fiction.
So, I'm not sure if I'll use literary fiction as a label myself. I do know I don't read books that are generally considered literary fiction so there's a "fear factor" here in not knowing much about these books or authors. Plot Against America, which I read, was a safe choice since I really like history and think I said before was born near Newark - so I chose something within my comfort level and that was easy to read - had a plot and fairly fast-paced.
LibraryThing often has literary fiction suggestions by members for both fiction and nonfiction titles I've searched. Often, I see the phrases "best book I ever read" or "one of the best books I've ever read" or "I've read this three times"
One of the things I did during this course was pull award winners (Pulitzer, Booker, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Awards, Pen-Faulkner Awards ) for a display. There were some checkouts and I saw people reading the book jackets but not as high circ as other displays. One of the things I should try to do is check the circ on particular titles and authors and get a sense of which "literary fiction" authors are popular in our area. University people must be finding literary fiction at the university library so maybe that's a prime audience.
Read the Plot Against America
Philip Roth, of course, qualifies under the definition of Award-winner. Among his awards are the Pulitizer, Natinal Book Award, National Book Critics Circle and PEN-faulkner awards. He's also been a finalist for these awards with other titles.
The Plot Against America asks us to consider a provocative change in US history. What if Charles Lindbergh, isolationist, anti-Jewish, perhaps "supporter" of Nazi Germany, defeated FDR for the American Presidency in 1940.?
Readers look through the eyes of young boy, Philip, part of an extended Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey. Roth mixes in Philip's viewpoint, other family member's reactions and life-changing events, what happens in the Jewish community - Roth describes an already-existing Jewish/Gentile segregation in the community -- where people worked, where they shopped, etc. that disintegrates into violence in the Lindbergh administration. And, Roth describes how the nation changed - pogroms in the U.S.
You really get to know the Roth family( yes, he uses Roth and Philip), especially Philip, who bumps up against the challenges of any growing boy while seeing the effect of fear and terror on his family and neighborhood.
I very much enjoyed the nature of the story and the writing. I would say this probably isn't as a challenging a book of literary fiction to get into as other titles I might have chosen. Stylistically, there were no challenges in reading this - no experiments with prose style, etc. So I enjoyed myslef but didn't challenge myself -- although the book might not have been complex, it was multi-layered in terms of "community" -- individual, young Philip; his family; his community; the United States. So, do I need to feel guilty . . . .or level of difficulty doesn't Have to be part of the literary fiction definition.
I chose Roth first as my author and then easily chose The Plot Against America as his title because of its storyline and an interest in history and location, having been born near Newark, New Jersey. I would recommend ths title to a reader. And maybe people hesitant about reading fiction would be intrigued by the story and not need to hear the label "literary fiction" while others interested in "literary" or serious ficiton would jump at the book (2004) because it's by Roth.
Unless people come in looking for a particular title/author or the latest book, I need to improve my reading of review sources, read more literary fiction, and find online at other sites or create within our library - a list of "can't miss" literary fiction. "Can't miss" is a phrase I heard Joyce Saricks use as list used at her library if staff were stumped or just couldn't think of a title at the time . . . I think such a list would be very helpful for literary fiction!
Here's what I discussed in the discussion forum and my remaining comments about the reading are below this forum entry:
Literary Fiction
How do you define literary fiction? I see a tie-in with the word literature. I studied literature in high school and college and was assigned to read the "classics" of literature. Won't some of the titles we describe as literary fiction become the classics from the 20th and 21st centuries? I can accept a definition of Award-winning books or Saricks' description of often character-centered, provocative, complex or multi-layered literature and the reader's enjoyment of prose or writing style. For example, I can remember reading Middlemarch in college and, even with its length, going back and re-reading sentences or paragraphs just for the beauty of the language. But, of course, I accept that there is good and bad books labeled as literary fiction (even award winners) that turn people off and cause such books to be labeled pretentious. I, too, would be turned off by affected prose such as "furious dabs of tulips stuttering" which McCrum cites. What do you think some of the code phrases/words are for a customer who really is looking for lit fic? People will ask for award winners and many are more specific - come in with a list and refer to Booker or Pulitizer, etc. just as other people come in with the latest picks in People Magazine. People have used words like "serious" fiction, academic fiction, something to keep me interested, something I can dig into. Others ask what's on the best-seller list, what's a book everyone is talking about, ask about or have a list from NPR, an author they've seen on TV, does X author have a new book out, what would be a good book to read, what would be a good choice for our book club, what good fiction is out there, etc. <
Additional comments:
This seems to be a category of fiction that people will disagree about. Does it mean anything to the public if we label things literary fiction or is the label pretentious as the McCrum article suggested? And what about the label we use in our library for fiction: we use general fiction to designate what is not a genre - what does this mean to the public? And we call romance a genre in our paperback collection but not in our hardcover or books on CD collections - does tis confuse the public? And does any library shelve literary fiction separately?
I do see lists on library websites so these are helpful for RA when someone asks for a book that could be considered literary fiction.
So, I'm not sure if I'll use literary fiction as a label myself. I do know I don't read books that are generally considered literary fiction so there's a "fear factor" here in not knowing much about these books or authors. Plot Against America, which I read, was a safe choice since I really like history and think I said before was born near Newark - so I chose something within my comfort level and that was easy to read - had a plot and fairly fast-paced.
LibraryThing often has literary fiction suggestions by members for both fiction and nonfiction titles I've searched. Often, I see the phrases "best book I ever read" or "one of the best books I've ever read" or "I've read this three times"
One of the things I did during this course was pull award winners (Pulitzer, Booker, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Awards, Pen-Faulkner Awards ) for a display. There were some checkouts and I saw people reading the book jackets but not as high circ as other displays. One of the things I should try to do is check the circ on particular titles and authors and get a sense of which "literary fiction" authors are popular in our area. University people must be finding literary fiction at the university library so maybe that's a prime audience.
Graphic Novel/Manga Reading Thoughts
This is the unit - the reeadings, your intro, our discussion questions were most helpful. I have to admit to not paying any attention to graphic novels before this -& I haven't looked at manga yet!
We have a good GN/manga collection at the library but one librarian orders and organizes the collection and does most of the RA. We have arranged our GN/managa in the Teen area -- the big series are arranged by series, the other titles arranged by categories -- any adult titles would be interfiled. No use of the Dewey system.
One of the things we've seen with the series -- some series bomb -- the first few titles are checked out and then the rest just sit on the shelves. So, the librarian who orders is being cautious about adding whole series until she sees demand for volumes past the first few . . . .
I have ordered a few adult GN, such as a business title. I'm wondering how the adult will find it and will he/she stop looking if he gets to the GN section and thinks this is "just" a comic book and must not be nonfiction, must not be for me.
In the 3 titles I've read and others I want to try, I am choosing fiction based on fact or nonfiction titles. So appeal factors for me are the storyline, educational/historical value primarily but I do look to see if they've won an award or have a good review - most people won't do that I'm guessing. The other appeals are the Cover and the Artwork - AYA as an example - such beautiful, colorful artwork that you just have to start looking at this GN.
I found it interesting to see that classics are being adapted. And will mainstream authors become interested in writing GN? Haven't checked but I could see Jan Brett's work (especially the artwork) translating well into GN.
I also read in USA Today, 9/2/08 that a graphic-novel based film got a thumbs-up from 3/4 of reviewers and a box office of $134 Million - (I didn't write down the title)
And I was impressed to see that Art Spiegelman, author of Maus, won an early Pulitzer Prize.
So, I could see a way to make GN more appealing to adults but then would we need our own genre collection for adult GN - why would that be a bad idea - even if it's relatively small -- or would there be too many cross-over titles appealing to both adults and teens. Or could we create a sticker to indicate adult appeal - but who will make those judgements?
What creative ways are libraries using?
In the reading I learned that these are more than "just" comics, and can be lengthy and complex in terms of artwork and layouts. And it took me awhile to get used to reding both the text and visuals together and appreciate how they work together to tell the story.
In addition to the websites you suggested, I see that we own or have on order some graphic novel guides such as the 500 Essential Grapic Novels: The Ultimate Guide. And I did find a Boston librarian's blog in which she reviews Graphic Novels on Mondays.
Last thing - I suppose - will this be one genre without audio equivalent or are there some? I see it more likely that people will download GN/mangas.
Copied and Pasted my comments from the discussion forum: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I read Deogratias, A Tale of Rwanda by JP Stassen
This GN is based on the Rwandan tragedy (genocide) if tge 1990s. Since it's unclear how many people know the details of this tragedy, the books starts with a historical introduction, which is very helpful. The story is powerful, moving and unforgettable. Many of us may hesitate to read an entire book about genocide so the GN format provides readers with a way to more quickly learn about this historical event.
This GN has a gripping storyline, a "strong" main character and other developed characters. The artwork, in color, is very well done.
As a newbie, I foud myself reading the text only but then slowed myself down to read the text and view the art simultaneouly. Doing so, enhanced my reading experience. The text and art did indeed work well together to make the story more understandable to the reader (as suggested in our assigned reading). An excellent GN for me to start with - the story and main character will remain with me for a long time. An instance where fiction helps us learn about important events. However, I would recommend this for adults or older teens - it's a disturbing story -- I found it hard to get out of my head for many days after reading it - not for tweens or younger teens. Janice Dibble
Graphic Novels Janice Dibble
Like romance graphic novels and mangas bring to mind a stereotype of the reader and what the books contain. Did your opinion change at all with what you read?
Yes, my opinion changed. I had basically no knowledge of Graphic Novels – hadn’t read about the genre, hadn’t read a graphic novel, hadn’t read any reviews, articles, or attended any workshops. Our library has a graphic novel collection but I hadn’t had any RA exchanges with any of our readers. My impression was that they were like comics, that there was a lot of violence and mostly male teens and some male adults reading Graphic Novels. Regarding nonfiction, I had seen an article on a GN depicting Sept. 11th and a review in Business Week for a business/job hunting title. I certainly hadn't realized a nonfiction title would be called a graphic novel. I hadn't seen any romantic GNs either! The reading assignment helped me understand what a graphic novel is and importance of text and visuals and that the artwork can beautiful and intricate. The GN I read, and 2 other titles I’ve skimmed, increased my understanding, appreciation for the literary form and the artwork and variety of subject matter found in GN. There are more subjects than superheroes—which was my initial (uninformed) opinion. Graphic novels involve more then just text - what are some ways you can make yourself a more confident advisor for the readers of this genre? Think in terms of pictures and text. How much text? What is the art like?
Text and artwork: Although I can think of things to look at as listed below I still think I need to pick up and look thru many more graphic novels before I can feel a more confident advisor based on text and artwork.
To help me figure out a GN, I would look at the text to see the length of the GN itself --number of pages in the GN to maybe judge its complexity; I would look at the text bubbles to see length of the bubbles and whether the bubbles were written as phrases or sentences, to see if the bubles were written to move along the plot or as dialog, to see if the bubble text is descriptive (setting, place)
For the art work: I would look at the cover art, I would look at whether it's in color or black/white in the book, to see how detailed or elaborate it is - line drawings, block prints, or more detailed work -- color, detailed artwork, I would look to see if there were "frames" in which there was only artwork and no text and yet the story progressed; I would look to see if the drawings were more cartoon-like or more "traditional", I would look to see if people and places (setting interior and exterior) added depth to the story. Would readers pick a GN based on an illustrator they'd liked in a previous GN?
One of the hardest things about graphic novels is that the genre is so broad. You have everything from lighthearted, romantic manga to books about the holocaust and the sexual abuse of a child. What are some of the keys you can use in helping a customer?
Keys would be: has the reader read any other titles and what were they are what did he/she like about them? With specific titles I'd look to see if those are part of a series; if a specific title I'd look it up on our webcat, after creating more links and lists, I'd use our web site to help me identify titles, I'd look at some library sites with GN blogs for newer titles or look for web sites with read-alikes if there are some good lists, I might suggest some award winners or titles that were turned into movies (or movies based on a GN)-- for example, the movie Wanted with $134 M box office this year as of Sept. 2nd might be something to suggest. There are some guidebooks out there and I'd consider adding to our collection.
The key I used as a reader was the cover and book cover (insiJanicde or back cover) description of the GN.
Again, I see lots of time needed by me to practice getting used to GN subgenres and recognizing those before confidently recommending other than reviewed or award-winning GNs I know about (but these might not be what the reader wants) And, although I cited series in my above answer, I know at our library some series are very popular throughout but we've had some where first three to four titles are popular and later titles in the series are little-used.
We have a good GN/manga collection at the library but one librarian orders and organizes the collection and does most of the RA. We have arranged our GN/managa in the Teen area -- the big series are arranged by series, the other titles arranged by categories -- any adult titles would be interfiled. No use of the Dewey system.
One of the things we've seen with the series -- some series bomb -- the first few titles are checked out and then the rest just sit on the shelves. So, the librarian who orders is being cautious about adding whole series until she sees demand for volumes past the first few . . . .
I have ordered a few adult GN, such as a business title. I'm wondering how the adult will find it and will he/she stop looking if he gets to the GN section and thinks this is "just" a comic book and must not be nonfiction, must not be for me.
In the 3 titles I've read and others I want to try, I am choosing fiction based on fact or nonfiction titles. So appeal factors for me are the storyline, educational/historical value primarily but I do look to see if they've won an award or have a good review - most people won't do that I'm guessing. The other appeals are the Cover and the Artwork - AYA as an example - such beautiful, colorful artwork that you just have to start looking at this GN.
I found it interesting to see that classics are being adapted. And will mainstream authors become interested in writing GN? Haven't checked but I could see Jan Brett's work (especially the artwork) translating well into GN.
I also read in USA Today, 9/2/08 that a graphic-novel based film got a thumbs-up from 3/4 of reviewers and a box office of $134 Million - (I didn't write down the title)
And I was impressed to see that Art Spiegelman, author of Maus, won an early Pulitzer Prize.
So, I could see a way to make GN more appealing to adults but then would we need our own genre collection for adult GN - why would that be a bad idea - even if it's relatively small -- or would there be too many cross-over titles appealing to both adults and teens. Or could we create a sticker to indicate adult appeal - but who will make those judgements?
What creative ways are libraries using?
In the reading I learned that these are more than "just" comics, and can be lengthy and complex in terms of artwork and layouts. And it took me awhile to get used to reding both the text and visuals together and appreciate how they work together to tell the story.
In addition to the websites you suggested, I see that we own or have on order some graphic novel guides such as the 500 Essential Grapic Novels: The Ultimate Guide. And I did find a Boston librarian's blog in which she reviews Graphic Novels on Mondays.
Last thing - I suppose - will this be one genre without audio equivalent or are there some? I see it more likely that people will download GN/mangas.
Copied and Pasted my comments from the discussion forum: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I read Deogratias, A Tale of Rwanda by JP Stassen
This GN is based on the Rwandan tragedy (genocide) if tge 1990s. Since it's unclear how many people know the details of this tragedy, the books starts with a historical introduction, which is very helpful. The story is powerful, moving and unforgettable. Many of us may hesitate to read an entire book about genocide so the GN format provides readers with a way to more quickly learn about this historical event.
This GN has a gripping storyline, a "strong" main character and other developed characters. The artwork, in color, is very well done.
As a newbie, I foud myself reading the text only but then slowed myself down to read the text and view the art simultaneouly. Doing so, enhanced my reading experience. The text and art did indeed work well together to make the story more understandable to the reader (as suggested in our assigned reading). An excellent GN for me to start with - the story and main character will remain with me for a long time. An instance where fiction helps us learn about important events. However, I would recommend this for adults or older teens - it's a disturbing story -- I found it hard to get out of my head for many days after reading it - not for tweens or younger teens. Janice Dibble
Graphic Novels Janice Dibble
Like romance graphic novels and mangas bring to mind a stereotype of the reader and what the books contain. Did your opinion change at all with what you read?
Yes, my opinion changed. I had basically no knowledge of Graphic Novels – hadn’t read about the genre, hadn’t read a graphic novel, hadn’t read any reviews, articles, or attended any workshops. Our library has a graphic novel collection but I hadn’t had any RA exchanges with any of our readers. My impression was that they were like comics, that there was a lot of violence and mostly male teens and some male adults reading Graphic Novels. Regarding nonfiction, I had seen an article on a GN depicting Sept. 11th and a review in Business Week for a business/job hunting title. I certainly hadn't realized a nonfiction title would be called a graphic novel. I hadn't seen any romantic GNs either! The reading assignment helped me understand what a graphic novel is and importance of text and visuals and that the artwork can beautiful and intricate. The GN I read, and 2 other titles I’ve skimmed, increased my understanding, appreciation for the literary form and the artwork and variety of subject matter found in GN. There are more subjects than superheroes—which was my initial (uninformed) opinion. Graphic novels involve more then just text - what are some ways you can make yourself a more confident advisor for the readers of this genre? Think in terms of pictures and text. How much text? What is the art like?
Text and artwork: Although I can think of things to look at as listed below I still think I need to pick up and look thru many more graphic novels before I can feel a more confident advisor based on text and artwork.
To help me figure out a GN, I would look at the text to see the length of the GN itself --number of pages in the GN to maybe judge its complexity; I would look at the text bubbles to see length of the bubbles and whether the bubbles were written as phrases or sentences, to see if the bubles were written to move along the plot or as dialog, to see if the bubble text is descriptive (setting, place)
For the art work: I would look at the cover art, I would look at whether it's in color or black/white in the book, to see how detailed or elaborate it is - line drawings, block prints, or more detailed work -- color, detailed artwork, I would look to see if there were "frames" in which there was only artwork and no text and yet the story progressed; I would look to see if the drawings were more cartoon-like or more "traditional", I would look to see if people and places (setting interior and exterior) added depth to the story. Would readers pick a GN based on an illustrator they'd liked in a previous GN?
One of the hardest things about graphic novels is that the genre is so broad. You have everything from lighthearted, romantic manga to books about the holocaust and the sexual abuse of a child. What are some of the keys you can use in helping a customer?
Keys would be: has the reader read any other titles and what were they are what did he/she like about them? With specific titles I'd look to see if those are part of a series; if a specific title I'd look it up on our webcat, after creating more links and lists, I'd use our web site to help me identify titles, I'd look at some library sites with GN blogs for newer titles or look for web sites with read-alikes if there are some good lists, I might suggest some award winners or titles that were turned into movies (or movies based on a GN)-- for example, the movie Wanted with $134 M box office this year as of Sept. 2nd might be something to suggest. There are some guidebooks out there and I'd consider adding to our collection.
The key I used as a reader was the cover and book cover (insiJanicde or back cover) description of the GN.
Again, I see lots of time needed by me to practice getting used to GN subgenres and recognizing those before confidently recommending other than reviewed or award-winning GNs I know about (but these might not be what the reader wants) And, although I cited series in my above answer, I know at our library some series are very popular throughout but we've had some where first three to four titles are popular and later titles in the series are little-used.
Romance - Thoughts on the Reading
We know there are people that apologize or are sheepish to say they read romances. I think the simple statement in the Reading that Emotional qualities are what makes the romance genre unique. So, can we use that concept that it's valuable for people to meet their emotional needs and romance does that, would that help our customers or is that also patronizing (in the way I'm using this concept). Will have to try this out. Understanding also that women may read romance because the romances feature women as the lead character, often the strong character with the power to change their lives, are true to their principles, and in contemporary romances have a strong career orientation are also positives that should give value to romance reading for those who need to assign a value. These are also viewpoints we as librarians can talk about as positives for women to appreciate.
Before reading the chapter I'd assumed that my romance reading inntroduction was Gone with the Wind. I'd really not considered the classics like Bronte and Austen. And the formula for in the Reading (meet, attraction . . . happy ending) existed in these early classics too.
It still seems like the labels regarding sexuality are awkward for customers and librarians to discuss. You hear steamy or hot or trashy said dismissively while on the other end "no sex" -- "innocent" and other publisher labels don't help much either. Who has some better suggestions or ways to broach talking about sex - we don't want the reader getting the wrong book . . . ? Did readers ever come in and say I want a bodice ripper or were they left to find new books based on their covers?
It was very helpful to be introduced to the sub-genres like paranormals, fantasy, time travel, westerns, family sagas (I hadn't thought of those as romances - I have read Barbara Taylor Bradford), and historical.
Before reading the chapter I'd assumed that my romance reading inntroduction was Gone with the Wind. I'd really not considered the classics like Bronte and Austen. And the formula for in the Reading (meet, attraction . . . happy ending) existed in these early classics too.
It still seems like the labels regarding sexuality are awkward for customers and librarians to discuss. You hear steamy or hot or trashy said dismissively while on the other end "no sex" -- "innocent" and other publisher labels don't help much either. Who has some better suggestions or ways to broach talking about sex - we don't want the reader getting the wrong book . . . ? Did readers ever come in and say I want a bodice ripper or were they left to find new books based on their covers?
It was very helpful to be introduced to the sub-genres like paranormals, fantasy, time travel, westerns, family sagas (I hadn't thought of those as romances - I have read Barbara Taylor Bradford), and historical.
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