Comics have come a long way since its print debut in the late nineteenth century. From its birth on the pages of newspapers to its explosive growth as floppies during the Golden Age, the evolution of graphic novels and manga to its adaptation onto digital mediums, comics no longer represent mere child’s play. Comics are serious business, and the public has taken notice when it comes to having access to these reading materials in libraries.
“The big comic book movie boom made this material Main Street, increased the demand for people wanting this material, and if that increases the demand for publishers for bookstores, it’s also going to increase the demand for library,” said Jack Phoenix, collection development manager for Cuyahoga Falls Library in Ohio and graphic novel selector for Brodart.
Phoenix was joined by moderator Barbra Dillon, co-founder and editor-in-chief at Fanbase Press, Jason Larsen (comics studies librarian, Michigan State University), Pamela Jackson (comics arts librarian, SDSU Library), and Moni Barrette (director of Collection Development & Publisher Relations, Library Pass) for a Friday morning San Diego Comic Con panel titled “Comics Catalog: A History of Comics in Libraries.” These library professionals looked at comic book history from the perspective of library circulations and acknowledged the continuing challenges in cataloguing, acquiring and promoting comics, graphic novels and manga as readership in the medium grows.
Dillon started off the discussion by asking why comics, graphic novels and manga were of interest to library professionals and patrons. Barrette addressed the librarian’s prime directive of recognizing and providing popular reading materials to library patrons. Other panelists cited the medium’s appeal to diverse audiences, especially in the realm of developing empathy and sharing alternative perspectives.
“As humans, we are so engaged with a visual culture. We are visual people. So, the comic book medium allows us to think critically about things in an image-based way. And I think that has the power to build more empathy. So, that’s something that I’m always looking at comics to do—help build more understanding and empathy,” said Jackson.
Next, Dillon addressed the beginnings of the medium’s popularity in libraries starting in the early 2000s, referencing a timeline offered by a 2013 Publishers Weekly article by The Beat’s Heidi MacDonald, in which she said:
“Although many librarians have long been comics fans, interest seemed to take off in the early 2000s when graphic novels began to gain serious traction in the bookstore market…acclaimed books like Art Spiegelman’s Maus and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen spurred academic interest in comics which opened many doors for the medium.”
Barrette agreed with the timeline, adding that she noticed adults checking out comics in the teen section and had considered carving out a space dedicated for adults during her time as a public librarian. The Internet simultaneously provided much of the impetus for spreading public awareness about the diversity of titles being published.
The discussion turned to the evolution of the ALA’s Graphic Novel and Comics Roundtable (GNCRT) and how its advocacy shaped perceptions on how comic books were received by library professionals. Jackson and Larsen felt that the GNCRT provided common ground for the sharing of ideas and cataloguing recommendations for librarians.
“The roundtable has really brought some legitimacy to the profession that even if you were one of the librarians who knew this was important to your patrons, you have comics, whatever it was, now you can actually point and say there’s an organization for this, and then also ramping up what is possible, not just collection development, which is important, but the types of programming, the types of conversations that can be head, the types of impact that can be done in communities,” added Barrette.
In addition to the legitimizing influence the GNCRT has had for comics for library professionals, the panelists also addressed the GNCRT’s influence on normalizing relationships with publishers. According to Phoenix, the GNCRT improved the working relationships between libraries and publishers, particularly with small presses.
The discussions extended to the various avenues of how librarians acquire materials for their collections and how transition to the digital medium has impacted readership, particularly in regards to increasing accessibility for educational curriculums and those unable to physically visit libraries, improving diversity and representation and addressing issues of affordability. Digitization has also alleviated concerns around shelf space, allowing libraries to retain backlists of comic book series and manga series, for example.
Despite the positives associated with digitizing collections, Barrette cites lingering concerns with publisher licensing. And Phoenix cited criticism over price gouging as “a hurdle we have to get through.”
Dillon guided the discussion into the barriers each of the librarians faced in bringing new comics into their libraries. Jackson cited budgetary concerns:
“At some universities, where some budgets are low for library collections, which would be most universities, it sometimes is a matter of if you don’t have an academic program specifically targeted to that, that’s how budgets are allocated,” explained Jackson.
“At San Diego State, we have just started a certificate in comics studies. That’s the kind of academic track that we’re hoping will bring perhaps lead to more collection development funding. But right now, it’s through the kindness of my budget person that a little bit of money is carved out every year. Most of our collections have been developed through donations, and that’s been really heartbreaking because when I go through the list of all the things I like to purchase every year, it’s massive.”
The panel ended on issues surrounding book challenges, censorship and mental health concerns for library professionals. While academic librarians such as Jackson and Larsen have had much greater freedom than public librarians in acquiring and circulating comics, they, too, have experienced blowback in the form of self-censorship. Instructors do not want to deal with teaching controversial titles that incur student protest. But the combination of defending against challenges, censorship and doxxing has taken a toll on library workers nationwide.
“I wish I could say my mental health were great,” said Phoenix. “Not so much. I am in a particularly vulnerable position. I’m the head of collection development. I buy this stuff. And I’m also an openly gay man. And so, if we get a challenge, I’m an easy target. It’d be easy just to point and say, ‘Oh, this guy’s trying to corrupt the kids.’ And so, I do live with that fear. But that’s the point. The strategy is to try to get me to self-censor, to get me to not purchase something because I’m worried that that will happen.”
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