Brave new worlds: graphic novels

Citation

Latham, B. (2009), "Brave new worlds: graphic novels", Reference Reviews, Vol. 23 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/rr.2009.09923bag.001

Brave new worlds: graphic novels

Article Type: Eye on the net: new and notable From: Reference Reviews, Volume 23, Issue 2

“O brave new world, that hath such people in’t!” Though I’m not a Shakespearean scholar by any stretch of the imagination, I think I am on pretty solid pedagogical ground when I say that Miranda never clapped eyes on a graphic novel. But her exclamation fits them – graphic novels provide entry into a multitude of brave (and often very strange) new worlds. Along with their moving counterpart, anime, graphic novels have had a slow rise to acceptance in the library world. When I worked in a public library at the beginning of the decade, the selection committee had many a lively discussion over the appropriateness of collecting graphic novels (or “comic books” as some committee members insisted on calling every offering in the genre), despite the increasingly loud clamour for them by our users. However, it is now fairly common practice to collect graphic novels and promote graphic novels within the library sphere. In order to help with collection development and reader’s advisory in this brave new world of literature H.W. Wilson has developed the Graphic Novels Core Collection (see www.hwwilson.com/databases/graphicnovelscore.cfm). This collection is relatively small at present – it contains approximately 2,000 recommended titles. Each title is provided with a brief abstract and evaluative annotations. These include excerpts from reviews, in addition to lists of any awards the novel may have won. Also, if the library has a subscription to other Wilson products, such as Book Review Digest Plus or Readers’ Guide, links out to additional reviews and information are provided. Hyperlinked lists of subjects help with searching. Each record also includes the cover art for the novel, which is particularly important in such a visual-heavy literary genre. Clicking on the cover art takes the user to Amazon.com, where the novel can be purchased.

The database’s searching capabilities are standard Wilson fare: users can search by keyword, publication date, title, subject, ISBN, ISSN, publisher, author, and grade level. Information is provided that attempts to rate the novels by age appropriateness, which school libraries may find particularly helpful for their collection development. There is also a browse feature; this search allows for further exploration of subject terms, providing hyperlinked lists that show terms alphabetically surrounding one’s subject search, as well as expansive and limiting terms. In addition, there are several new features that Wilson has added to its core collections, mostly in the way of limiters for its advanced search screen. The advanced search allows limiting by Dewey Decimal number (although, unfortunately, not Library of Congress classification), and also by what Wilson calls “level of selectivity” – narrowing the search by recommendation, and Wilson’s editors provide four: short list (most highly recommended titles), core collection, supplementary titles, or archival materials (older titles). Perhaps most useful for reader’s advisory is a canned “what’s new” query, which allows the user to quickly find titles added to the database in the last week, month, year, or since the last time the user ran the search. This canned search can also be set to send as an e-mail alert on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Given its more than reasonable price, but especially as one of the few products currently available from vendors that focuses on graphic novels, public and school libraries particularly, but also academic, will want to take a look at Wilson’s product. It can help provide a much needed map for navigating the brave new world of graphic novels.

Bethany LathamInternet Editor, Reference Reviews, and Assistant Professor and Electronic Resources/Documents Librarian, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL, USA