|
The
Last Word
Location
of Reviews
At the beginning of the seminar the overwhelming sentiment was that we
weren't using online reviews very much.
Some
of the useful online resources reported were:
-
ALA
-
ArtBomb
-
Steve
Raiteri's List
-
VOYA
A
number of people mentioned using print review sources including:
-
Booklist
-
Hornbook
-
Library
Journal
-
Publishers
Weekly
-
Quill
& Quire
-
Resource
List
-
School
Library Journal
Reliance
on recommendations of librarian's in the know was also reported.
Review
Sites Accessed Before the Seminar
-
ArtBomb
-
Brodart
-
BWI
-
Cognitive
Dissonance
-
Comics
Central.com
-
Comics
Get Serious
-
Conmics
Worth Reading
-
DiamondBookshelf
-
GraphicClassics.com
which also includes reviews (which if you are paranoid about the
authenticity, you could check, some of them even include dates of
publication of the review.)
-
Grovel.org
-
iComics
-
NBM
Graphic Novels (which gives little blurbs from reviews),
-
No
Flying No Tights
-
Sequential
Tart
-
Toonopedia
Most
Useful Sites
Tired of Superman? How about trying
something new?
http://leep.lis.uiuc.edu/seworkspace/aspisak/Home.htm
No Flying No Tights by Robin Brenner and
cohorts
http://www.noflyingnotights.com/
Winnipeg Public Library Staff Picks - Short
annotations of a handful of graphic novels
http://wpl.city.winnipeg.mb.ca/library/libraryservices/materials/staffpicks.asp
A selection of graphic novels recommended by
Michele Gorman in her article What Teens Want: Thirty Graphic Novels You
Can't Live Without in the August 2002 School Library Journal.
http://www.hcpl.net/teens/books_zines/graphic.php
Validity of
Reviews
Reviews that were
independent from publishers and sellers were deemed more trustworthy.
The following sites were also recommended in
a recent article in Public Libraries:
The Comic Book Database
http://www.cbdb.com
Comic Book Websites
http://www.comicbookwebsites.com
Comic Books: Internet Resources
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/comics.html
The Comics Journal
http://www.tcj.com
Graphic Novels in Libraries electronic
discussion list
http://www.topica.com/lists/GNLIB-L
NO Flying, No Tights
http://www.noflyingnotights.com
Sidekicks
http://sidekicks.noflyingnotights.com
The Lair
http://lair.noflyingnotights.com
Robin Brenner pointed out that the
traditional review resources review relatively few GN and concentrate on
the "literary" ones, while we need reviews of a wider variety to
meet our patrons needs. She also said she's come to trust the expertise of
people knowledgeable of particular genres of GNs including manga.
Usefulness
of Review Sites
The following attributes were deemed most useful:
- Both title and subject or
genre listings
- Cover Art
- Good description and
assessment
- Marc records
New
Discoveries
-
Art bomb
- once again, a lot of reviews in that useful genre organizational
format. Very helpful!
-
Dark
Horse - includes reviews from ArtBomb, BookWatch, Library Journal,
Library Media Conncetion, Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal,
NY Times and VOYA
-
The
Comics Get Serious - for kid friendly books
-
Comics
Worth Reading - there are a ton of reviews on this site!! It just
looks like it would be super helpful in getting an opinion on a lot of
different titles. Easy to use as well.
-
DiamondBookshelf
is a wonderful site.
-
Graphic
Novel Review - for analysis of whole Bone series
-
Grovel
- because it gives the breakdown by author, title, artist, information
about original publication, by whom, ISBN, ratings.
-
Librarians
Guide to Anime and Manga - just a bunch of interesting info and links
for me. Ahh, fandom, what have you done... ;)
-
Manga
Maniacs - for indication of
age level & outlining objectionable material. Because
I'm a manga fan, this site holds a lot of interest for me. I think the
reviews will be useful in introducing me to new series. I like the way
the site is organized, and I think the colour coding for age
appropriateness is a great idea!
-
No
Flying, No Tights - I like the way the website is set up, and the way
it's grouped by genre. It makes books of a certain type easy to find,
rather than randomly reading through a large list to find a series
that fits into what I'm looking for.
-
Sidekicks
- notes age level appropriateness
What
To Do Regarding Intellectual Freedom & Self-censorship?
-
graphic
novels are a valid addition to any library collection
-
we must
be prepared to defend our choices
-
objections
from staff are much more common than challenges or complaints from
patrons
-
important
to make available the widest variety of materials at the appropriate
age and reading level
-
we'd feel
more confident defending choices we are comfortable with and invested
in because we truly believe the material is valuable
-
compare
questioned graphic novels to other teen novels in the library and teen
appropriate films or TV shows as similarly visual media
-
discussed
pros and cons of using "Mature Reader" stickers
-
discussed
cultural differences and attitudes toward nudity
Other
Resources Shared
And
There
was an interesting conversation about Manga.
Conclusion
I
think we all expanded our repertoire of online resources for Comics and
Graphic Novel reviews and considered their usefulness in collection
development, and for defending challenges. We also explored intellectual freedom and self-censorship
issues to better prepare us for challenges if they arise. Thanks for
contributing to the seminar and my learning too. |
