SLIS 756 Children's Materials

The one thing I’ve always believed in when it comes to the library is the importance of diversity and acceptance regardless of race, gender, sexuality, etc. It’s because of this that in my time in the MLIS program I grew to learn and understand the importance a collection of books can have when it’s geared towards various group dynamics. That’s one of the main things I now know is highly important in running a library, having the material and products you know your core audience is going to want and demand. One of the areas I’ve emphasized on more than others is the graphic novel area, which I believe is a very influential base for most young readers and offers a gateway into exploring what more the library has to offer.

One of the main concerns I believe many parents to have is how to encourage their children to read more, this is something that is often an issue for boys primarily as well. No matter how many great novels you throw their way, it seems as if some children just can’t get into them. This is where graphic novels come in to the picture. Now the biggest misconception about graphic novels is that they are glorified comic books, which they most certainly are not. They are novels that use images as well as words in order to tell a story. To this end, I want to expand the category of the graphic novel section and make it more friendly and easy for kids to take notice of it.

The images from the graphic novels reinforce the language rather than replace it. The words carry with the illustrations and make the graphic novel more appealing to the reader. A kid who hasn't really show interest in this type of material may soon find themselves re-reading to get a better understanding of what is happening. The language is high quality. A really good graphic novel has to pair great illustrations with clear dialogue, the language and the images work together to create the story. With so little space for words they are chosen with a great deal of care for maximum impact and can seriously add to your child’s vocabulary. They also deal with complex themes that will challenge them beyond their reading level.

SLIS 754 was beneficial in regards to proper research. Graphic novels have always been a consistently effective method of bringing more children into the library. There’s always been hesitance on the parent’s part due to this huge misconception that graphic novels are truly novels because they heavily involve illustrations to accompany the wordings. That’s why my development project outlines various paths and outlets parents and their children can take when it involves venturing into the library at such early ages. My research of collections provides multiple outlets and starting points for anyone more interested in the genre ranging from books, library/school journals, and library apps. The skills I've developed based off this course involve such methods as being able to understand what reading materials the patrons want more than others and being able to do what needs to be done to bring them into the library. Gathering evidence to solve the problem of why we need more people in the library and how to get them into the library was both eventful and life changing.