Collection
Read On! In defense of comics
Graphic novels and comic books get a bad rap with some people in the reading world. They’re often labeled as “not real books” or “not reading.” I’d like to help change that perception.
I understand the hesitation of finding legitimacy in reading graphic novels and comic books. One of the biggest misunderstandings is the misnomer of what we call this form of literature. “Graphic novel” implies that the images are graphic or inappropriate, but that is often not the case. Yes, there is plenty of violence and sex in the world of graphic novels, but the use of “graphic” here simply means illustrated. “Comic book” also implies funny, light, or easy reading, but many comics deal with weighty issues. The reality is that comic books and graphic novels are as varied in their subjects and presentations as traditional prose books.
When readers engage with a comic or graphic novel, their reading is incredibly active. They are reading the words printed on the page while also analyzing the artist’s drawings, the color palette used, the layout of images on each page – all of which are deliberately chosen by the creators to tell the story. There is so much more information to take in than more traditional prose readers are used to that sometimes reading a comic or graphic novel can seem daunting or overwhelming.
If you’d like to check out some good comics and graphic novels, here’s a short list of our staff recommendations:
“The Sixth Gun” by Cullen Bunn
“Blacksad” by Juan Diaz Canales
“The New Deal” by Jonathan Case
“Sandman” by Neil Gaiman
“Amulet” by Kazu Kibushi
“Maus” by Art Spiegelman (Pulitzer Prize winner in 1992)
“Nimona” by Noelle Stevenson
“Lumberjanes” by Noelle Stevenson et al.
“Doom Patrol” by Gerard Way
Read On! Banned Book Week
The American Library Association and libraries across the nation observe “Banned Book Week” during the last week in September. This is a week where we celebrate our freedom to read and our ability to freely access information – two things libraries fight diligently for.
Libraries actively fight challenges and bans on the books we offer our communities because we strongly believe that each reader (or their parent) is responsible for determining what is best for them to read. No one else should be making that decision for our readers.
To that end, our staff works very hard to keep our personal biases in check when selecting materials for the Library. We pay attention to the best sellers lists, what our patrons check out, what patrons request that we purchase, and potential gaps in our collection to make purchasing decisions with as much information as possible. We don’t have the budget or the space to buy all the books everyone in the community might want to read, but we do our best to have enough to satisfy most everyone.
If someone needs an item that we don’t have and that we can’t purchase, we offer inter-library loan (ILL). Through our ILL service, we ask other libraries to lend us items to let our patrons borrow. There’s a small postage fee of $3 per item, but we have had excellent luck getting what our patrons ask for. Some items have even come from the Library of Congress itself!
As you go about your normal business this week, keep in mind that your library is fighting for your freedom to read and access information every day. If you have time, take a few minutes to visit a library and celebrate with us. If you head over to the Locust Grove Public Library, check out their new bike rack and the entry requirements for their pumpkin decorating contest!
Read On! Greed in Publishing
Patrons who use our ebook library are about to be frustrated with our service. I sincerely apologize. All 8,000 public library systems offering ebooks are trying to find a solution.
Ebooks are sold differently than their physical counterparts. When we buy a physical book, the library owns it. We can add it to our collection, loan it as many times as we want, trade it, give it away, or sell it. That book is 100% ours.
When libraries buy digital books, we don’t own anything. We are simply buying a license to access the book in a digital format. That license is only good for one patron at a time. The publishers dictate how we can use it, how many times we can let our patrons check it out, how many copies we can purchase, and how long those copies will be available. Plus, libraries pay between $40 – $80 per license, depending on the publisher.
All five of the big publishers limit access to library ebooks in some way. Most licenses expire in two years or after 26 – 52 checkouts, whichever comes first. Macmillan is enacting a new embargo on their ebooks: A library, no matter how many people they serve, can only purchase one copy of any newly published ebook for the first 8 weeks after publication. This will mean even longer holds lists for some popular titles. And our licenses may expire before everyone gets to check the book out.
Publishers justify all of this by saying libraries eat into the publishers’ profits. Of course, an impartial study by the Panorama Project clearly demonstrates that wide availability of library ebooks increases sales and interest in authors.
I’m not sure how the dust will settle on all of this, but please forgive the longer waits for ebooks. We’re trying to work with publishers, but it will take some time. It may even get worse before it gets better.
Read On: Art in the Library
Last weekend, we went to the Gilcrease Museum to see the Pulitzer Prize photograph exhibit. I needed more than one tissue to get through it, but I’m glad we went. It was room after room of powerful and heartwrenching pieces of our history.
While we were there, we took the time to explore some of the other galleries in the building. We are lucky to have such exemplary art museums in our area. If you haven’t been in a while, the Gilcrease and the Philbrook are worth the trip to Tulsa.
Both the Gilcrease and Philbrook Museums feature a variety of Native American art in their collections that remind me of the amazing art we house here in the Pryor Library. All of our art has been donated through the years and we try to display and care for each piece the way the donors would want.
We recently transferred some pieces to City Hall, the Parks Department, and the Pryor Area Arts and Humanities Council because we weren’t able to accomplish the goal of displaying and caring for each piece respectfully. Now, we have more room for pieces here and the pieces we transferred are being given proper wall space.
When you visit next, be sure find our bust of Lincoln by Willard Stone (donated by the Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority in 1961), our bronzes by Frederick Remington (donated by Bill and Karen Rabbit in 1993), and the twenty or so other pieces around the building. We’re working on relabeling all of our art, so if you can’t find title and artist information nearby, ask us and we’ll find out for you.
Don’t miss this week’s Summer Reading events!
Monday: Sumi-E painting with Sula Robertson at 6:30 PM (for adults)
Tuesday: Asteroid Hunt at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM (for ages 5-11)
Wednesday: Storytime Class at 10:30 AM (for ages 0-4)
Thursday: PJ Movie Night at 6:30 PM (for ages 12-18)