Thursday, April 6, 2017

Prompt 13

I think it is important to begin by saying whatever someone likes to read, then they should be able to read it without any judgments from others. People of any age should be able to enjoy what they are reading, no matter the genre or format. This includes graphic novels and young adult literature. Young adult literature and graphic novels often have negative connotations but they do get people involved in reading so libraries should be spending budgets on these types of materials.

Young adult books are more appealing than ever before. I wish they had some of these great books when I was a teen. I have found in recent years that I love reading young adult fiction. When you see a book like John Green's Fault in Our Stars turned into a movie, it draws attention to young adult literature. Young adult literature contains many genres such as realistic fiction, mystery, fantasy and science fiction. I think of the content as a more PG-13 version than what can be found in adult books. One of my first books to read in recent years was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I loved the entire series and couldn't wait to read more books like these. One of my other favorite young adult books has been Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park. I just fell in love with the story line and it really moved me. Young adult books can appeal to older adults as well. Young adult books can touch on topics such as identity and self-actualization, topics that still can be beneficial to adults. It is easy to relate to young adult novels and you can easily lose yourself in young adult books. The book that I did for my young adult annotation, The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon is one of those books that you can lose yourself in and find yourself pulling the for the protagonists, Daniel and Natasha. Everything, Everything also by Yoon will be released in a theater in May. I was seeing another movie just this past week and a trailer for Everything, Everything came on the screen. Many people around me started saying we have to see this movie. Then I heard an adult say, "You know that is a book right? You should read it, it is so good". Adults are attracted to young adult novels.

Graphic novels are popular with children, teens and adults. Popularity should be reflected in collection development approaches in the library (likewise with young adult literature). The Walking Dead series is very popular in out library system with adults among other titles. The library needs to continue adding to the collection to satisfy patron demand. I think that whatever gets people engaging with text, including graphic novels, is important. Graphic novels do just that, they get the reader to connect to the material. There is a lot of thought that goes into reading the panes of a graphic novel. The images in the panes enhance and complete the story. Graphic novels are a viable part of the collection in the library.

Graphic novels and young adult literature come in different genres. Libraries can use this to promote both of these types of materials. Librarians can make displays that include graphic novels and/or young adult literature to attract adults. Displays could be on specific genres or exclusive to graphic and young adult novels. Librarians need to be familiar and use tools for readers' advisory for both young adult and graphic novels. Libraries need to continue to meet patron demand by offering both graphic novels and young adult literature as part of the collection.

2 comments:

  1. I like your idea of using displays to attract adults to young adult literature and graphic novels. These sections typically have their own space in a library. I understand why. It makes it easier for teens to find what they enjoy and helps them to feel ownership in the library. However, this separation can lead to adults feeling unwelcome in that area. They may be afraid to browse these sections due to their age. Providing displays that are in a neutral area of the library could help alleviate this problem and combat the stigma that young adult books and graphic novels are only read by teens.

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  2. Very thoughtful, insightful prompt response. I couldn't agree more! Full points!

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