In Review

Posted on by chaoticgoodLeave a comment on In Review

Remember how I’m insanely excited about becoming a reviewer at No Flying No Tights? Well, now I’m even more excited, because the site has completed its relaunch! Find it here – or, you know, skip straight to reviews written by me. (Because that’s what everyone really wants, right?) I also have a bio on the site, which features an oh-so-true-to-life picture.

I love that No Flying No Tights is geared specifically toward helping librarians – who are often both busy and strapped for funding – pick graphic novels for their collections. Because, you know, I am a fan of graphic novels. Like, kind of a lot.

Goings-On! And Thesis!

Posted on by chaoticgood3 Comments on Goings-On! And Thesis!

It’s thesis time! By which I mean it is my last semester, and I’m having oodles of fun working on my thesis, which is a study to try and determine the most effective and popular way to shelve graphic novels in public libraries. I’m super-psyched about this project. It would seem my department likes it, too – they gave me an award for the best research proposal of the semester. Woo!

Several months ago, after meeting with the director of my hometown’s public library, I located all of the eighty-plus graphic novels in the building. They were scattered through the Juvenile Fiction and Juvenile Nonfiction, Teen Fiction and Teen Nonfiction, Adult Nonfiction, and even Science Fiction, sections. I took note of all of them and started recording how many times they checked out each month.

After getting three months’ circulation data, I have moved to Phase Two of the project: pulling all of the graphic novels to place in a separate section. They are now marked in the catalog as graphic novels, and green tape on their spines will hopefully get shelvers to return them to their new spot – here.

Another shot:

I will now see whether, and how, the circulation rates change. My hypothesis is that they will go up, as I suspect many patrons who like graphic novels simply didn’t realize the library had these.

The display on top could be a spurious factor, certainly, but I put it there for two reasons:

  1. It promotes the new section – and graphic novels! – for the library and its patrons, the interests of whom are at least as important as the pristine scientific nature of my study.
  2. I need it to display, and give IRB-required information on, the survey that I’m asking patrons to fill out about the new section. Hopefully, this will help to support the data I gather on circ rates by showing which shelving system patrons actually prefer.

Also, I worked hard on it.

All those middle-school posterboard projects finally pay off! Huzzah!

Because Pictures are Worth a Thousand Dirty, Dirty Words

Posted on by chaoticgood2 Comments on Because Pictures are Worth a Thousand Dirty, Dirty Words

So, here are the ALA’s top ten most challenged graphic novels and the rationales given:

Absolute Sandman by Neil Gaiman – Anti-Family, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Blankets by Craig Thompson – Sexually Explicit content, Other (unspecified)

Bone series by Jeff Smith – Sexually Explicit content, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel – Sexually Explicit Content

Maus by Art Spiegelman – Anti Ethnic

Pride of Baghdad by Brian Vaughn – Sexually Explicit Content

Tank Girl by Alan Martin & Jamie Hewlitt – Nudity and Violence

The Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller – Sexually Explicit Content

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier by Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill – Nudity, Sexually Explicit Content and Unsuited to Age Group

Watchmen, by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons – Unsuited to Age Group

So . . . Maus. “Anti-ethnic.” Also, Bone is on this list. Despite what the name might seem to imply, Bone is not porn, I promise. It leans far more toward “adorable,” really.

On a sillier note, a study of library use . . . by marshmallow Peeps.

Just got back from the excellent James River Writers’ Conference. More about that soon!

Surely You Qualify . . .

Posted on by chaoticgood2 Comments on Surely You Qualify . . .

. . . for at least a few the marvelous creations of the Merit Badger. Why don’t you check and find out which ones?

In other news, blah blah back at school blah. Just got an internship at the Carrboro Branch Library! Which is a public library located inside a middle school! And which may or may not include use of my always-questionable and now extremely rusty Spanish skills! Will be starting on Wednesday.

Workety Work

Posted on by chaoticgoodLeave a comment on Workety Work

Have I mentioned how awesome libraries are? And, specifically, our library? And working therein?

Well, if you haven’t got the idea yet, here is the Facebook page I’ve made for the library. It has an album designed as a photo tour of the new building. Isn’t it shiny and fantabulous?

Also, officially the most fun thing ever: turning books face-out on the shelves. At our old library, you couldn’t even think about doing this. We were so short on room that you were lucky if you didn’t have to shelve books horizontally on top of other books. Here, most of the shelves are half-empty, so I can go around picking out cool ones to turn sideways. These often go out right away – I’ve noticed this with several sections, including teen, children’s, large print, and science fiction. The fact that it apparently has an effect just makes doing it even more fun.

Possibly I am a dork.

Good News in the World of Me

Posted on by chaoticgood1 Comment on Good News in the World of Me

I just got an offer to work at the library again this summer! Am super-psyched. All this learning about libraryish things has made me eager to do some more actual librarying.

Also, I’ve learned that I will be able to get graduate credit next semester for a class I wanted that isn’t in my department: Victorian Literature and Contemporary Issues. (An English class.) I’ll be taking that, two required courses, and Web Development I. I expect a fun and exciting fall semester!

Booktalk in, er, 2-D

Posted on by chaoticgood2 Comments on Booktalk in, er, 2-D

Photos! Courtesy of a family friend in attendance at the booktalk.

Some members of the audience. They’ve got great facial expressions, haven’t they? The girl on the far right, though she looks like she could be bored, came right up after the booktalk and checked out Uglies.

Here’s me with the two original raffle winners. The woman who won Howl’s Moving Castle then asked me to redo the drawing for it, as she wanted it to go to a kid, or at least someone who had a kid to give it to.

Me with the final winners of the raffle. Huzzah!

***

Also, sad and scary news for NJ librarians.