Comic book and graphic novel readers comprise one of the most underrepresented groups of readers by libraries today. The inclusion of comic books and graphic novels in libraries is a fairly new concept, despite the fact that the first comic book was published in 1934.

 

Art Spiegelman’s Maus: A Survivor’s Tale brought the graphic novel to the attention of libraries in 1986. Maus signifies the point in the history of comics when it started to become acceptable to include them in a library collection, however, questions surrounding their inclusion and classification still exist today.

 

Prior to Maus, librarians never admitted to reading comics since “comics did not belong in libraries because they were not real books and nobody with intellectual sense (that is, the library’s perceived user) reads them anyway.” Today, some librarians do not hesitate to say “yes, comics should be in libraries.” After all, “librarians respect information in all formats, functions, and types.” But when Stegall-Armour surveyed twelve librarians at the Lee County (Miss.) Library. Seven of the librarians agreed that graphic novels and comic books should be considered literature, two were undecided, and three gave an eye roll and a flat out "no way!" 

​

This website will provide you with information that argues the case for graphic novels and their inclusion in school library collections as well as inclusion in classroom curriculum, ways in which they can be incorporated in digital makerspaces, and guidance for using them in a 21st century learning environment.