Graphic Novels: Enticing Teenagers Into the Library

School of Media, Culture and Creative Arts Department of Information Studies Graphic Novels: Enticing Teenagers into the Library Clare Snowball This thesis is presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Curtin University of Technology March 2011 Declaration To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgement has been made. This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. Signature: _____________________________ Date: _________________________________ Page i Abstract This thesis investigates the inclusion of graphic novels in library collections and whether the format encourages teenagers to use libraries and read in their free time. Graphic novels are bound paperback or hardcover works in comic-book form and cover the full range of fiction genres, manga (Japanese comics), and also nonfiction. Teenagers are believed to read less in their free time than their younger counterparts. The importance of recreational reading necessitates methods to encourage teenagers to enjoy reading and undertake the pastime. Graphic novels have been discussed as a popular format among teenagers. As with reading, library use among teenagers declines as they age from childhood. The combination of graphic novel collections in school and public libraries may be a solution to both these dilemmas. Teenagers’ views were explored through focus groups to determine their attitudes toward reading, libraries and their use of libraries; their opinions on reading for school, including reading for English classes and gathering information for school assignments; and their liking for different reading materials, including graphic novels. Opinions on school reading can impact feelings on reading in general and thus influence views and amount of recreational reading. A survey of public libraries determined the incidence of graphic novel collections throughout Australia and how collections are managed, with the intention of comparing libraries from different states and territories and metropolitan or rural areas. Interviews with selected librarians who collected graphic novels provided insight into their attitudes to the place of graphic novels in public and high school libraries and a more detailed picture of how the format is managed. This included use of graphic novel by the libraries’ teenage users or students and problems encountered, such as complaints about specific titles. Graphic novel collections are widespread among surveyed Australian libraries, although a metropolitan location led to a greater likelihood of collection of graphic novels, and librarians were passionate about the format and its popularity among teenagers. The teenagers investigated were not as universally positive about graphic novels or libraries. The necessity of inclusion of all formats of reading matter in library collections will enable teenagers to discover for themselves what provides enjoyable reading experiences, so these become the norm, and lead to a greater enthusiasm for reading and more undertaken in their free time. Page iii Acknowledgements Thank you to my supervisors Dr Maggie Exon and Dr Helen Merrick, who put up with my erratic attendance at meetings and continual extension of deadlines, while being the best of supervisors and helping to turn my research into a thesis. Thank you to all the librarians and library officers around Australia who answered my questionnaire, particularly the Perth librarians who completed the pilot questionnaire and made suggestions as to how I could improve it. Thank you to all the principals, teacher librarians and teachers who helped me with ideas for talking to teenagers and allowed me to visit their schools and classes. Especially thank you to the students who talked to me, whose only incentive was they skipped an English class. Thank you also to the librarians who agreed to be interviewed and shared the ups and downs of collecting graphic novels. The help of all my research participants is greatly appreciated. Thank you to the members of the Graphic Novels in Libraries email list (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GNLIB-L/) for the knowledge shared and discussion provoked over the ten years since Steve Miller founded the list (although I only joined in 2003). Many of the authors in my literature review can be found among its members and my questions have been answered, often many times over, and I’ve learnt so much from others’ questions. Thank you to Andrew Kelly, who went from colleague to friend, all the while recommending comics for my reading pleasure. Permissions Chapter 2 p. 29 Permission has been granted to reproduce Figure 1 © 2011 Jeff Smith p. 37 Permission has been granted to reproduce Figure 2 © 2002 Jessica Abel Parts of Chapter 3, 5 and 6 have been published in: Snowball, C. (2007). “Researching graphic novels and their teenage readers” LIBRES, 17(1). Retrieved 25 Nov. 2009, from http://libres.curtin.edu.au/libres17n1/ Parts of Chapter 4 have been published in: Snowball, C. (2008). “Teenagers talking about reading and libraries” Australian Academic and Research Libraries, 39(2), p.106-118. Copyright of both articles is held by the author. Page v Table of Contents Table of Contents List of Tables .............................................................................................................. xi List of Figures ............................................................................................................. xi Abbreviations ............................................................................................................. xii Note on Library Names .............................................................................................. xii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Significance of the Research .................................................................................... 1 Research Objectives ................................................................................................. 3 The Teenage Cohort ................................................................................................. 3 Defining the Graphic Novel ..................................................................................... 4 Significance of Graphic novels ................................................................................ 6 Summary of Chapters ............................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2: Literature Review ....................................................................................... 9 Is reading important? ............................................................................................... 9 What makes a reluctant reader? ............................................................................. 14 Not enough time for reading .............................................................................. 22 Choice in reading materials ................................................................................ 24 Teenagers’ enjoyment of Graphic Novels.............................................................. 26 Graphic novels in libraries ..................................................................................... 28 Graphic novels in the classroom ............................................................................ 30 Literary merit of Graphic Novels ....................................................................... 32 Visual literacy .................................................................................................... 34 Concerns about Graphic Novels ............................................................................ 38 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................ 41 Research Methods .................................................................................................. 41 Survey of Public Libraries ..................................................................................... 42 Survey Reminders .............................................................................................. 44 Return Rate ........................................................................................................ 46 Survey challenges .............................................................................................. 47 Focus Groups with Teenagers ................................................................................ 49 Sampling for the focus groups ........................................................................... 51 Challenges encountered during focus groups .................................................... 52 Interviews with Librarians ..................................................................................... 55 Page vii Table of Contents Pre-testing ............................................................................................................... 56 Limitations of the Research Methods ..................................................................... 57 Chapter 4: Talking to Teenagers ................................................................................ 59 Do teenagers read? ................................................................................................. 59 Or not read? .......................................................................................................

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