Libraries

Spotlight: Graphic Novel Collection

Photo of man ripping open his outer shirt to reveal the text Graphic Collection

It's no secret that University Libraries has a lot of resources to offer students, faculty and staff. What can be difficult, at times, is looking beyond your immediate research needs to locate a special interest item. For instance, did you know that the ad? The graphic novel literature is defined by Merriam-Webster as "a fictional story for adults presented in comic-strip format and published as a book."

Currently, University Libraries has over 300 graphic novels in its collection. The collection began with a grant from CARLI (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois). Many, thanks to the generous donations of Greg Phelps, Library Specialist and Bill Thompson, Reference Librarian at University Libraries. According to Phelps, "People assume that graphic novels are superhero literature. Personal tragedy, history, and relationships are just a few of the other topics they cover in great depth. You can find almost any genre in graphic novels." Bill Thompson added, "Graphic novels have become an area of intense and growing interest in literary studies. Graphic novels, such as Alison Bechtel's Fun Home and Marjane's Satrapi's Persopolis are regularly taught in literature departments across the country, including at WIU. Indeed, one of Derek Royale's, the new chair of English, specialties is graphic novels. So it's appropriate that we create a collection of this kind." Included in the collection are Iron Man, The Losers, and Scott Pilgrim series, which have all been made into movies.

For a complete listing of the graphic novels available, please visit https://www.wiu.edu/library/collections/others/graphicnovel.pdf. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the University Libraries at https://www.wiu.edu/libraries/help/.