Cathy Kyle
Remember to read manga and comic books! Then you can talk to kids and teens about them and get them interested in other types of graphic novels, or other types of literature. The more graphic novels that you purchase for your library will also get reluctant readers to show up at your library. They may not actually check them out, but they will sit and read them, and isn’t that our biggest dream? We can get those teens that hate to read to come into the library and encourage them to read. Sure graphic novels have pictures, but they also have words! And a plot! And some of them are non-fiction! Plus you can create programming for those who love graphic novels. Basically, having graphic novels in the library can only benefit you and the kids/teens.
About me. I am a youth services librarian in Western New York (Rochester). I work at a very small town library. When I first started working there, I had almost no teens in the library. I heard how popular the manga were, started buying them and now there are teens everywhere, much to my co-workers dismay! I love being able to provide them with reading material that they can have fun with. They seem to absorb the manga like sponges, and that it okay with me. I just keep buying more.
I’ve read manga, and I can honestly say that I like it. Many adults that I talk to say that reading backwards gives them headaches. I try and tell them that:
- the headaches go away after a while
- it becomes clear, very quickly how wonderful reading manga is when you can have conversations with the teens and they get really excited finding out that you read it.
I checked on some teens hanging out in the teen area, and asked if there was anything I could do. They said no. I then noticed that around one of the teens necks was something that looked like the head bands that the ninjas wear in Naruto. I told her that I was going to sound like an idiot, but I had to know if I was right. When I asked her if it was supposed to be a Naruto headband, her ears perked up and her eyes got bright. You knew what it was?, she said. Very excitedly she and I talked a couple of minutes about Naruto and she suggested some more titles to buy. It was then that I knew that buying all that manga was worth it, if just to see the smile on a teen’s face, because of me. 🙂
Graphic Novels for Librarians 
I’m a new school librarian, and am fully in favor of graphic novels. The problem is, I don’t know a lot about them, and I’m terrified that I’m going to buy and shelve something that isn’t appropriate. Shy of browsing in stores (which I would love to do but just don’t have the time for…most of my purchasing will probably be done online/through catalogues), how do I know something will be appropriate for my middle school readers? Thanks!