📕✎Graphic Novel Showcase: Exploring Stories through Art & Text

Today's Graphic Novel Showcase brought nearly 20 students together to explore the incredible variety of stories told in this format. With six different categories of graphic novels featured, students had the freedom to rotate through groups at their own pace, discovering new titles and styles along the way. From the newest additions in the collection to action-packed adventures, from diverse perspectives to true stories, there was something for everyone—whether they were longtime graphic novel fans or just starting to explore the format.

To make the experience even more interactive, students could participate in a scavenger hunt, working independently or with a partner to find specific elements within the books they browsed. This encouraged close reading and an appreciation for how art and text work together to tell a story. 

What made the event even more dynamic was the mix of participants—enthusiastic graphic novel readers shared their recommendations alongside students who were new to the format. Seeing these conversations unfold, with students pointing out favorite moments or talking about the story, was a reminder of how engaging graphic novels can be for readers.

This event was all about choice, exploration, and community, and it was amazing to see students discover books they might not have picked up otherwise. With so much enthusiasm in the room, it’s clear that graphic novels continue to be a valuable and beloved part of our library’s collection!

👏👏 Celebrating Collection Development & Improvement

 After a two years of deliberate weeding and intentional purchasing, the nonfiction part of the collection is something to celebrate!

In just one year's time, the average copyright age has improved by four years, and the nonfiction books are now nearly 20% of the entire collection vs. 15% in August of this school year. 

Upon moving to the high school a year ago, it was evident that the nonfiction collection had been neglected. Years ago--under different building leadership--the nonfiction collection was significantly impacted by decisions related to a library remodel. It's taken more than five years to recover to this point, so while the current stats might be paltry by some standards, they're pretty impressive considering where we started. 

So how did this happen? Small steps with focus! Because of the popularity of graphic novels, that was the focus area last year. Using grant money and a portion of the budget, including using a subscription to graphic novels from a vendor, the graphic novel shelves began to fill and appeal more broadly to students. Gone were the older graphic novels and those that primarily appealed to younger readers; instead, students could choose current, full color, popular titles. Here's how the case looks now:

And this year? After hearing from students about what they were interested in, the nonfiction collection grew in these areas: biographies, true crime, poetry, and history. Many of the true crime and history purchases also fell under the "narrative nonfiction" umbrella, like Blood and Germs, and American Murderer: The Parasite that Haunted the South, as well books by Erik Larson and others. Another focus area this year was agriculture-themed books. After receiving a grant from the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation (see earlier blog post), these 12 books also helped bolster our growing nonfiction collection and were popular among a broad range of students.

With measurable improvement so prominent in the nonfiction collection, it's inspiring to think of where the collection can be in another year's time! 

👀 #TakeALookTuesday--Year-End Edition

How can it be the last week of school and final #TakeALookTuesday post? It feels like we all just returned to the building, and here we are preparing for end-of-year activities. One of the things we often do is run a variety of library system reports to reflect on the year and plan for the future. One of our favorite reports to consider is the Top Titles report.

So what made the Top 10 titles from the school year? Take a look!

No surprises here! Kids can't get enough of Rufus & Mateo or Charlie and Nick, and mysteries rule! Popular authors like McManus and Shusterman continue to earn spots on the Top 10 year after year, and true military stories are always popular. Graphic novels--the fastest growing section in the library--made the list, and LGBTQ+ stories have grown in popularity. Book-to-movie adaptations, both already on the screen and those coming soon, made the list, too. So much to consider and evaluate when looking at the list!

With McManus and Shusterman releasing new titles this fall, along with Cemetery Boys' author Aiden Thomas, students are sure to find something new to enjoy! And with Where the Crawdads Sing coming to the big screen, and Heartstopper currently on NetFlix, students have options to enjoy these popular reads.

👀 #TakeALookTuesday--Graphic Novels Edition, Part II

It's an exciting time to update students, families, and colleagues about the growth in the graphic novels section of the collection! Here are the numbers:

Image created with Canva

So what kinds of graphic novels are now part of the collection? Manga titles, which previously hadn't been in the library, are now included, as well as many graphic novel memoirs and graphic novels series. Not only are the new graphic novels added from student requests, but they've also been included to reflect the diversity of the student body.

While there's so much to be excited about with the growth in this popular section of the library, even more titles will continue to be added throughout the remainder of the school year. Be sure to stop by to see what's available!

👀 #TakeALookTuesday--Book Awards & Novels Class Edition

In Novels class, students are taking a look at several different book awards and some of the nominees and winners of those awards. Using the same genre categories that students worked through earlier in the semester, nominees and winners were grouped into six categories related to different national awards, including these:

Award nominees and winners were grouped into genre categories and set out on tables so students could rotate through, looking at the titles there. Students had time to read, and the handouts with each group provided access to the official websites related to the different awards related to the books there.

Graphic novels and realistic fiction

Mystery and historical fiction

Nonfiction, science fiction, and fantasy

The class met in the library so groups and students could spread out to read and look several of the books grouped by genre.

As part of their work, students wrote a quick synopsis of a book, searched online to find any judges' comments related to the award won, and reflected on whether or not the book was something they might read. Finally, students evaluated whether or not they believe the book was deserving of the award won based on the short time they spent with it. To wrap up their time in the library, students talked with a partner, reflecting on their chosen books and their work related to it.

👀 #TakeALookTuesday--Graphic Novels Edition

It's likely no surprise that the most browsed part of the library collection is the shelves holding our graphic novels. Unfortunately, it's also one of the smallest parts of the collection. With a lot of online support and talking with other librarians, slowly but surely the graphic novel collection is growing with recent purchases.

First, a subscription to Junior Library Guild's graphic novel collection brought several books, including these four, among others:

The majority of new graphic novels, though, came with a generous grant through the Casey's Corporation. 

With funding secured, many of the graphic novels and manga that students had requested and that were on existing wish lists became a reality! And, in a strange turn of events, it turns out that a large distributor of graphic novels and manga is located right here in our town--Right Stuf Anime. 

Using Right Stuf Anime, along with other vendors, we've been able to nearly double the existing graphic novels/manga collection in the library. So, what titles were added? You can take a look at some of them below:

These featured titles are just the beginning of intentional actions to grow the graphic novel and manga collection. Many more books will be added over the remainder of the school year, with additional purchasing to take place over the summer. Be sure to visit often to see the latest additions!