I have had the opportunity to work at the same middle school for six years. Splitting my time between the middle school library and high school library, I have the privilege of watching students progress from fifth grade to high school graduation.
The middle school students are insatiable graphic novel and comic enthusiasts.
The graphic novels and comics make up 1% (89 titles) of the entire library collection. Even though this is the smallest section in the collection, it makes up the largest majority of checkouts. Since the start of the 2019-2020 school year, there have been over 900 checkouts of graphic novels and comics. Typically, there are around 10 graphic novels and comics on the shelf, and they are checked out as soon as they are returned.
My Project
There is a high demand for graphic novels, and, consequently, graphic novels experience a high amount of wear and tear. Unfortunately, many of our graphic novels are being held together with a hefty amount of glue and tape as there is no funding to replace the worn copies.
This past year, there has been a focus on purchasing graphic novels of a diverse nature.
The New Kid by Jerry Craft and El Deafo by Cece Bell are a few examples of such purchases. The goal is to continue this trend and purchase high quality graphic novels that are reflective of a diverse community.
I hope that every student is able to find a graphic novel in this collection with which they can identify as well as a graphic novel that challenges and expands their worldview. This collection features a variety of diverse titles from high interest genres that are sure to satisfy these middle school students.
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