Article Note: On Graphic Novels and Academic Libraries

Citation for the article:

O'English, Lorena, et.al. "Graphic Novels in Academic Libraries: From Maus to Manga and Beyond." The Journal of Academic Librarianship 32.2 (March 2006): 173-182.

Read via ScienceDirect.

This article provides an overview of the graphic novels genre, and it provides advice on collecting these materials in academic libraries. Significantly, it promotes graphic novels in academic libraries for recreational reading. This is significant because usually it is suggested that these materials be collected, if at all, for academic interest, say popular culture studies. While the academic angle is good, I also think recreation is important. This article helps to validate that idea.

The article opens with a brief introduction to the genre, mostly for those not too familiar with graphic novels. The article then looks at the genre in terms of literature and scholarly study, whether in classes or in journals. The article then moves to a discussion of the graphic novel's place in an academic library, provides advice on cataloging them, and suggests ways to promote them in academia. Overall, this is a very practical article. There may be some ideas here to consider in my setting, where I think we could certainly increase our holdings in that area. Some notes then from the article:

• "Beyond the value of graphic novels as scholarly and cultural resources, an academic library that collects graphic novels is also continuing in a tradition of providing resources for students and others in the academic community who are looking for reading material not only to enhance their scholarship or teaching, but also to enjoy for personal pleasure and recreation" (175).

Now, if a few more people would read that passage, and maybe at least consider it, we could actually make some progress. For openers, certain faculty who claim to be interested in popular culture but would be snobs when it comes to graphic novels come to mind, as do some "traditionalists" who probably need to expand their horizons. Just a thought.

• "Graphic novels have a place in academic library collections, but a library intending to start such a collection would do well to consider how to promote their use and availability, both within and outside the library" (178).
  

See the article for various ways to expand such collections and make the community more aware. One of the suggestions on better displays makes sense in my setting. We recently managed to get some display casing for our small DVD collection, and circulation has increased substantially. I am sure if we did something similar with graphic novels, it might work as well. Again, just a thought. As for those resistant faculty,

• "Librarians may want to consider an educational campaign to increase faculty awareness of graphic novels as literary, artistic, and discipline-based resources for scholarship and teaching" (178).
  

The only rub to that statement is that, apparently, the value of pleasure reading is lost on faculty. You have to appeal to their academic side, the "how might this help my research and get published?" angle. It's a start, and it is still a good idea to look at it in terms of ways to bring graphic novels into classrooms. Additionally, the article provides good suggestions for student outreach. From the conclusion, closing thoughts,

• "Graphic novels can support the literature curriculum and will certainly support the mission of the academic library to provide recreational reading. Myriad opportunities for promotion and marketing exist. Graphic novels can perhaps be a mechanism for the return to the humanistic ideal that reading should both educate and delight" (180).
  

Immersion: Thoughts on the Pre-Immersion Assignment

Midmorning today, I posted my document for the pre-Immersion assignment we have to complete. Since I am in the teacher track, in essence, I had to create what amounts to a detailed lesson plan. I pretty much had an idea of what I wanted to work on during the program, but I found myself recalling something I learned from my supervising teacher way back when I did my student-teaching. Back then, my teacher would have my write out all my lesson plans, and she would check them before she would let me into her classroom. Over time, this requirement relaxed a little bit, but to this day, I never enter a teaching situation without a lesson plan. In part, it is because I like having a back-up. I teach in a very extemporaneous style; I can plan ahead, but if a class were to show up asking for library instruction now, I would be able to leave me desk and teach it. No, we don't actually take those kind of walk-ins. Another reason is that one never knows when a bus will run me over, and someone else will have to teach the lesson. Somehow in our conversations, I had asked about writing things in a lot of detail, and she told me that once I had some experience, a lot of the details would become second nature. She may have said something along the lines of you will go into a class, and you know the objectives, you know what you want your students to achieve. You don't write it down, but you know, and you can tell someone if they ask. Sure enough, time has passed, and a lot of the things I had to write for the assignment I posted are things that are second nature by now. I guess what I am saying is that the exercise was a bit more reflective for me at least than just writing up a lesson plan. I did have one of my supervisors check on me a couple of times to make sure I was doing my homework. So to her, I can say now, "yes, it's done and posted." Doing it made me realize that there are a lot of little details I take for granted. And that is the reason why I engage in reflective practice, and maybe why I think more teachers should do it as well. If nothing else, it makes us aware of what we do and why we do it.

Article Note: On Google Scholar and Libraries

Citation for the article:

Kesselman, Martin and Sarah Barbara Watstein. "Google Scholar and Libraries: Point/Counterpoint." Reference Services Review 33.4 (2005): 380-387.

Read via Emerald.

This is probably one of the better summaries of why Google Scholar is important and how it works. It gives a pretty balanced approach in a point/counterpoint format. I find that I am gradually talking more about Google in my classes. The students will use it one way or another. Also, they have occasional questions about using Google, so this gives me a good reason to keep up with it and this new tool. The article poses various questions for readers to consider as they decide how to embrace Google or not. I found useful the article's topic arrangement as well in terms of reference, instruction, and the library's website. For me, the instruction segment provided much food for thought.

Some points to consider:

• "Those that support ignoring Google Scholar believe that students will not find and use Google Scholar on their own" (383).

The optimists believe the students will find it anyhow. As a library instructor and someone who works extensively with students, I can tell readers that the students for the most part are not finding Google Scholar. They find the Google search engine, but they do not go past that. A student finding Scholar is the rare exception. The only students who I know find it are usually graduate students or advanced upper classmen. Freshmen pretty much settle for the basic search engine. I can say this based on conversations I have with students where I often ask them what resources are they using in their research. I know this is strictly anecdotal, but I have a hunch that it might be validated if we asked other librarians and educators as well as more students. Maybe there is a research idea here?

• "Should we not be focusing on what makes an article scholarly (e.g. builds on previous research and cites it appropriately, includes sound methodology appropriate for that discipline, and compares results with other studies)?" (385)

I have one word to the above: yes. That is definitely something we should be working on.

There are some other good points, but I think people really should give this one a look.

Happy Canada Day!

To our Canadian friends, a Happy and Safe Canada Day. Also known as Dominion Day, the holiday is Canada's national holiday, and it celebrates the "formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada" (quote from the Department of Canadian Heritage, see here). Readers can find further information on the holiday here.

Booknote: The Four Agreements

Title: The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
Author: Miguel Ruiz
Publication Information: San Rafael, CA: Amber-Allen Publishing, 1997
ISBN: 1878424319
160 pages
Genre: Nonfiction
Subgenre: Self-help, spirituality, personal growth

This little self-help/spiritual book is based on four simple agreements:

• Be impeccable with your word.
• Don't take anything personally.
• Don't make assumptions.
• Always do your best.

Now, I am sure some cynical reader now thinks that I saved them from reading the book. Well maybe, or maybe there is a bit more to those four agreements. The premise is that our lives are bound by various agreements, many of them destructive, that we make throughout our lives. The idea then is to let those bad agreements go and to embrace the four above. On the surface, that seems easy enough, In practice, it may not be as easy as that. Personally, these are things that I have heard before, but Miguel Ruiz has a very nice and nurturing way to put these things forward. I do strive to be impeccable with my word. It's the taking things personally that I have some serious trouble with if you ask. This is a little book that is very accessible, very easy to read, and that you may find yourself revisiting. No one says you have to accomplish every thing in overnight. Like many habits, these agreements are things that may take time to integrate into daily life. There may be other books out there in this genre, but the simplicity and directness of this work means this book will likely be around a lot longer than many other works that seem to come and go with fads. This has definitely become one of my favorites.

Similar reads may include the works of Paulo Coehlo, though Coehlo does mostly fiction. However, the styles are somewhat similar. I think the book is worth reading and recommending. I may look for his other works. On a final note, the book is available in Spanish for our Spanish reading friends.