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Cataloging Graphic Novels

What's so special about graphic novels?

Graphic novels are an incredibly popular form of literature, with many different kinds from which to choose.  There are titles specifically written as graphic novels.  There are volumes that collect a number of issues of a comic title - called collected editions or trade paperbacks. There are graphic novels that are adaptations of other works.

All of these have a few things in common:

  • they are primarily graphic illustrations, written in comic book style
  • many are in color, though not all

Before you touch a keyboard, consider:

  • your institution and your audience/user base
    • are you mainly cataloging for children, juvenile, young adult, or adult users?
  • how your ILS indexes fields and what it searches
    • this may dictate what kinds of fields you're able to use for cataloging
  • your workflow
  • how much time you have to catalog
  • are there established guidelines/rules that you need to work with

The BEST resources for more info

Bailund, Allison, et al. “Reprints, Reboots and Retcons: Standardizing Comics Cataloging with the Best Practices Guide from the GNCRT.” Art Libraries Journal, vol. 48, no. 3, July 2023, pp. 62–68. Cambridge University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/alj.2023.11.

Best Practices for Cataloging Comics and Graphic Novels Using RDA and MARC21. 2022. alair.ala.org, http://hdl.handle.net/11213/18623.

comiclibrarain. “Three Ways to Catalog Graphic Novel Series.” Librarian With Issues, 20 July 2017, https://librarianwithissues.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/three-ways-to-catalog-graphic-novel-series/.

Graphic Novels and Manga. https://nccardinalsupport.org/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=713. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.

Policy, Library of Congress. “H 1430 Comics and Comic Characters” 31 May 2022, www.loc.gov/aba/publications/FreeSHM/www.loc.gov/aba/publications/FreeSHM/H1430-clean.pdf. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.

Tillett, Barbara. “What is FRBR?” 2 Mar. 2004, www.loc.gov/cds/downloads/www.loc.gov/cds/downloads/FRBR.PDF. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

When Speech Bubbles and Pictures Collide: Cataloging Graphic Novels - YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=4_CsOSp9BDHUVv5O&v=6i_badfaBvw&feature=youtu.be. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

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