We are thrilled to announce that we applied for — and received! — an Allen Opportunity Grant that will allow us to build and expand our graphic novel collection. We will build a free-standing, browseable, curricula-supporting collection of diverse graphic novels for the University of Washington Tacoma Library.

Recent scholarship has highlighted the pedagogical possibilities of multimodal literacy engagement through the use of graphic novels (Burger 2018).  At the University of Washington, Tacoma, faculty members are turning to teach literacy, literature, and critical analysis through reading and writing comics, because “people learn best when they’re engaged through multiple modes” (Wilson-Edge 2018).

Significance/Benefits

In particular, our collection development efforts for this seed collection will promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of the people living in the Puget Sound and that reflect campus demographics in terms of diversity of ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, immigration status, disability, religion, and age.  In so doing, this collection would support the #OwnVoices trend in collection development.

The collection project advances the goals enumerated by the University of Washington Libraries 2018-2021 Libraries Strategic Plan.  In addition, it supports an emergent form of inquiry that is making strides at the University of Washington Tacoma and thus can impact teaching, learning, and research for the UW community.

Enhance Equitable Environments for Research, Learning and Working:

• Dahlen (2017) called on libraries and libraries to “proactively collect and promote diverse books so that all readers have opportunities for mirror and window reading experiences”.  By collecting graphic novels that fall under the #OwnVoices category, this collection would “elevate the voices of historically underrepresented communities at UW and in the Pacific Northwest”.  By increasing the availability of culturally-relevant information resources, this collection will help students, faculty, staff and community members from diverse backgrounds thrive.

Accelerate Scholarship and Learning through Responsive Collections

• Recent scholarship has highlighted the pedagogical possibilities of multimodal literacy engagement through the use of graphic novels (Burger 2018, Rycroft 2014).  At the University of Washington, Tacoma, faculty members are turning to teach literacy, literature, and critical analysis through reading and writing comics, because “people learn best when they’re engaged through multiple modes” (Wilson-Edge 2018). Cultivating a seed collection to “enhance current and emerging forms of scholarship and learning by increasing access to and acquisition of interdisciplinary and multi-format resources”.

Have a good graphic novel to recommend? Let us know!

References

Beard, J., & Dale, P. (2010). Library design, learning spaces and academic literacy. New Library World, 111(11/12), 480-492.

Burger, A. (2018). Teaching graphic novels in the English classroom : Pedagogical possibilities of multimodal literacy engagement. Cham, Switzerland]: Palgrave Macmillan.

Dahlen, S. (2017). Diversify Everything. American Libraries, 48(3/4), 31.

Rycroft, K. F. (2014). Graphic Novels: Preparing for a Mulitmodal and Multiliterate World. Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse, 6(08). Retrieved from http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=907

Sullivan, C., & Horwitz-Bennett, B. (2010). The Evolving Library. Building Design & Construction, 51(3), N/a.

Wilson-Edge, E. (2018). Comic books in the classroom.  UW Tacoma News & Information.  Retrieved from https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/news/article/comic-books-classroom