Week 13 Prompt - YA and Graphic Novels
As someone who has read many YA novels as an adult, I fully believe that adults should continue reading YA novels and as a library worker, I have seen first hand that many adults do still enjoy reading YA books. I don’t really believe that library workers have the right to choose what books are “legitimate literary choices.” People read books for so many reasons. Some people like highly academic books because they love to learn and others enjoy books that aren’t anything like reality because they like the escape. We shouldn’t get a say in what books a patron is reading. Our duty to that patron is to find the books that they want to read and recommend books based on the criteria that they give us. I assume that when librarians work on collection development they use circulation statistics to aid in the decision of which books to buy. If the patrons at a particular library are regularly checking out YA novels then that is the collection that should get attention when adding new materials.
The same can be said for graphic novels. There are plenty of adults that read graphic novels, and many of those readers would not be readers otherwise. My husband absolutely hates reading but the one thing I have seen him read are graphic novels. Both graphic novels and young adult novels can still contain themes and messages that are just as impactful as adult novels; sometimes even greater than books that are in adult fiction. Graphic novels also allow art to be introduced to a story, which is sometimes what draws in readers.
Librarians can easily support and serve adults who like to read YA or graphic novels. If we keep up to date on the newest releases in these genres, just like we do for other genres, we can more easily be able to discuss these books with them. Also, when a patron asks for a recommendation in these genres we should put forth the same effort in finding them a book as we would if they were asking for a recommendation in any other genre.
I love YA books and I have more recently been getting more into graphic novels so I will always support anyone who enjoys reading these genres.
I think a few decades back, you saw more librarians being more judgemental on what patrons read. In the present, I feel that we are trained to be neutral and accepting. I'm happy to see people reading, no matter what the material is.
ReplyDeleteI really love young adult books, too! There was a time when people used to think literary novels were the only books they would read and looked down on people who said they read romance. I think that is because females read romance more than men. I can see someone criticizing graphic novels, calling them comic books. But I think those people should get over themselves and let people read what they want.
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