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Journal ArticleDOI

Tag, You're It: Enhancing Access to Graphic Novels

01 Jul 2013-portal - Libraries and the Academy (The Johns Hopkins University Press)-Vol. 13, Iss: 3, pp 301-324
TL;DR: This study analyzed the cataloging practices and social tagging of a specific list of graphic novel titles in the academic libraries of the Association of Research Libraries to find limited access could be improved by using social tagging and genre heading.
Abstract: Current users of academic libraries are avid readers of graphic novels. These thought-provoking materials are used for leisure reading, in instruction, and for research purposes. Libraries need to take care in providing access to these resources. This study analyzed the cataloging practices and social tagging of a specific list of graphic novel titles in the academic libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Results found that of the 668 graphic novel records 68 (10.17 percent) used the genre heading “graphic novel” and 99 (14.8 percent) were tagged. This limited access could be improved by using social tagging and genre heading.

Summary (4 min read)

Introduction

  • Each year academic libraries acquire materials to build and enhance their collec-tions.
  • This research explored graphic novels in academic library collections with a specific focus on social tagging and cataloging practices.
  • Bibliographic records created by catalogers are the foundation of the traditional catalog, and now discovery tools provide another opportunity for access.
  • Academic libraries are in the unique position to maximize access to library materials through social tagging.
  • 2 LibraryThing is a service that enables individuals and organizations to catalog their resources and share that metadata.

Graphic Novels

  • There is a wide array of definitions for graphic novels, and as noted by Amanda StegallArmour, defining this term is a “slippery slope” for librarians when working with readers who range from graphic novel novices to aficionados.
  • 4 Catherine Labio contends that the phrase is misleading and detracts from the genre.
  • In 2003, Francesca Goldsmith connected the literature aspects of graphic novels and wrote: Developed plotlines, complex characters, distinctive narrative stylistics, and rhetorical devices such as irony and symbolism are requisites for books the authors recognize as “literary,” whether they are talking about fiction or about fact.
  • Certainly, what’s considered “literature” is much more than just a recapitulation of formula.
  • ”11 Libraries, including public, school, and academic, are actively adding these materials to collections since patrons are eager to use these print resources.

Graphic Novels in Academia

  • College students enjoy reading graphic novels and professors are integrating them into their curricula.
  • Graphic novels not only meet users’ reading interests, but are useful in presenting historical and biographical topics.
  • The advantages of using graphic novels in the curriculum have been well documented.
  • The faculty reported that the use of graphic novels in their courses prompted engaged discussions among the students, including those that had previously been reluctant to enter into class conversations.
  • 18 A recent study by Janette Michelle Hughes et al. found that adolescents demonstrated an increased interest and excitement in writing assignments using graphic novels to improve reading.

Graphic Novels and Language

  • As libraries find themselves adding graphic novels to collections, they must determine the best method for making these materials available to users.
  • The phrase graphic novel(s) is widely used both in natural language and in controlled vocabulary.
  • The literature suggests that social tagging can provide access points that complement traditional cataloging.
  • Only one faculty member preferred to use the term comics.
  • Davis’ study demonstrates the importance of having the “current” terms available in the online catalog.

Discovery tools

  • Social media has greatly changed user expectations, activities, and interest.
  • While users’ preferred social media tools may change, the appeal of the tools’ shared environment and functionality remains consistent.
  • To adapt to the changes, libraries are engaging staff and incorporating resources to keep up with users’ interests.
  • Discovery tools facilitate the end user interface with a corresponding search utility for retrieving, displaying, and interacting with the content in a library catalog system.
  • 26 Social tagging also offers academic libraries the opportunity to take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of the faculty, staff, and student populations on their campuses.

Social tags

  • Social tags are a means of identifying and retrieving digitized information.
  • Social tagging allows users to identify terms and phrases for specific information sources.
  • This Web 2.0 technology is used in many social media applications including Facebook, Flickr, and HuLu, and provides a user-generated labeling on the Internet.
  • Makani and Spiteri posited that these behaviors were the establishment of a folksonomy within a specific site and suggested that the sense of community and personal contributions strengthen the intellectual authority of the added terms.
  • The rapid growth of Web, electronic, and digital resources has created a new and challenging set of information to be searched, retrieved, and organized.

LCSH versus Tags

  • For a long time, libraries have used Library of Congress subject headings (LCSH) to enhance retrievability for the end user.
  • Their study examined tagging in academic and public online catalogs that use LibraryThing in seven libraries hosting a variety of discovery tools and tagging systems.
  • Scott Golder and Bernardo Huberman refer to this as “sensemaking.”.
  • The strengths of social tags play to the weaknesses of subject analysis and indexing.
  • Like social tags, the terminology in genre headings can provide increased access and discoverability of materials in online catalogs beyond what is provided by subject headings.

Research Questions

  • As noted above, tagging and LCSHs provide needed metadata for users to access resources.
  • While studies have compared the two access utilities they have mainly focused on content for metadata purposes.
  • This study will review resource format and access, in particular graphic novels.

Methods

  • This study was initiated to address these questions and test the practices of cataloging and the engagement of social tagging of graphic novels.
  • By searching in library catalogs and discovery tools, the research attempted to identify specific metadata patterns.
  • This review determined that 38 libraries (51 percent) offered users the option to tag records in either the online catalog or a discovery layer; the remaining 37 libraries (49 percent) did not.
  • After this review the sample was reduced to 59 titles .
  • Once the title list was created, the 59 graphic novel titles were searched in each of the 38 library collections to determine availability, whether the genre heading “graphic novels” appeared in the record, and if the records had been assigned graphic novel tags by users; information for each was documented for further analysis.

Graphic Novels in the Study

  • The range for the holdings was zero (0 percent) libraries with the title to 32 libraries (84.2 percent) for the two Maus selections.
  • Eleven (18.6 percent) of the titles were in at least fifty percent of the libraries .

Graphic Novels in Sample Libraries

  • Results from the libraries’ catalog searches indicate that graphic novels are being added to the collections.
  • The searches for the selected graphic novel titles (n=59) found that 668 graphic novels were cataloged in the 38 libraries, each of the study’s libraries contained at least six (ten percent) of the titles; with two libraries containing a maximum of 36 (61 percent).
  • A distribution of the number of titles owned by the libraries showed that four libraries (ten percent) owned between zero and nine titles; twenty (53 percent) had between ten and nineteen titles; twelve (32 percent) had between twenty and 29 titles; and two (5 percent) had between thirty and 39 titles .
  • The mean number of titles was 17.57, with a standard deviation of 7.5, and the median was sixteen titles.

Discovery Tools

  • The social tagging of graphic novels will expand access capabilities to end users.
  • All of the discovery tools clearly offered the user the ability to tag a record.
  • (Note, one institution provided tagging at the start of the search, upon later review that capability had been discontinued).
  • Thirteen (34 percent) offered users a search utility to retrieve tagged items.
  • In these tools, the ability to refine a search required the user to first find a tagged graphic novel record in order to find similar records.

Number of Tagged Graphic Novels by Number of Libraries

  • Two (5.2 percent) of the 38 libraries introduced tags using LibraryThing.
  • These two libraries had 100 percent of their graphic novels tagged.
  • This may not reflect local tagging behavior since these tags may have been created by a larger pool of users.
  • While LibraryThing and other tagging tools offer the possibility of increased tagging activity, it may not necessarily be relevant for the target users at the local level.
  • A closer analysis of the libraries that had graphic novel tagging activity (n=19) indicated that only a small percentage of the libraries’ titles were tagged.

Graphic Novels and Cataloging Practices

  • The results found limited access to the sample titles using the phrase graphic novels.
  • Of the 668 graphic novel records, 64 (9.6 percent) had titles with the phrase graphic novels in the genre heading.
  • Further analysis of those 64 records showed that 39 (60.9 percent) records had been updated in WorldCat and include the genre heading “graphic novels.”.
  • The origination of the genre heading placed in the remaining four (6.3 percent) records was not identifiable.
  • A review of the sample libraries (n=38) found that 28 (73.7 percent) had at least one graphic novel record updated with an identifying genre heading.

Accessibility of Graphic Novels using Genre Heading or Tagging

  • A review of the records was initiated to determine accessibility rates of the sample titles via genre heading or tagging options.
  • Only 143 (21.4 percent) of the sample titles had access either through the genre headings in the bibliographic records or were tagged.
  • There was an overlap of twenty (3.0 percent) titles that had both the genre heading and a graphic novel tag.
  • The social tags offered slightly more added access than was offered in the bibliographic records alone.
  • Traditionally, once a title has been added to an online catalog it is unlikely that the record would be altered unless a specific request was made.

Limitations

  • The identification of “graphic novels” as a genre heading remains controversial.
  • Many cataloging practitioners argue that graphic novels are a format rather than a genre, while others have advocated for the term’s use as a genre heading to improve access.
  • The interest of this study focused on the accessing of graphic novels, and, as such, the use of Table 3 Number and Percent of Tagged Graphic Novels with Corresponding Genre Headings in Libraries with Genre Headings Libraries Number GNS Number with GN Percent with GN Genre Heading Genre Heading.

Conclusions

  • The results of this study indicate that while social tags and/or genre headings did provide additional access to graphic novels, their use is limited across the study’s library population.
  • This approach retrieved not only graphic novel titles but also materials about graphic novels.
  • Libraries need to provide adequate search mechanisms to promote effective retrieval.
  • The benefits of allowing social tagging in their catalogs and discovery interfaces are clear, given the potential pool of engaged users and resident experts on campus who will enhance records through this process.

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University at Albany, State University of New York University at Albany, State University of New York
Scholars Archive Scholars Archive
University Libraries Faculty Scholarship University Libraries
7-2013
Tag, You’re It: Enhancing Access to Graphic Novels Tag, You’re It: Enhancing Access to Graphic Novels
Wendy L. West
University at Albany, State University of New York
, wwest@albany.edu
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/ulib_fac_scholar
Part of the Cataloging and Metadata Commons
Recommended Citation Recommended Citation
West, Wendy L., "Tag, You’re It: Enhancing Access to Graphic Novels" (2013).
University Libraries Faculty
Scholarship
. 45.
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This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University Libraries at Scholars Archive. It has been
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7DJ<RX૷UH,W(QKDQFLQJ$FFHVVWR*UDSKLF1RYHOV
Wendy West
portal: Libraries and the Academy, Volume 13, Number 3, July 2013,
pp. 301-324 (Article)
3XEOLVKHGE\7KH-RKQV+RSNLQV8QLYHUVLW\3UHVV
DOI: 10.1353/pla.2013.0023
For additional information about this article
Access provided by State University of New York at Albany (23 Dec 2014 08:44 GMT)
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Wendy West 301
portal: Libraries and the Academy, Vol. 13, No. 3 (2013), pp. 301–324.
Copyright © 2013 by The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD 21218.
Tag, Youre It: Enhancing
Access to Graphic Novels
Wendy West
abstract: Current users of academic libraries are avid readers of graphic novels. These thought-
provoking materials are used for leisure reading, in instruction, and for research purposes. Libraries
need to take care in providing access to these resources. This study analyzed the cataloging
practices and social tagging of a specic list of graphic novel titles in the academic libraries of the
Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Results found that of the 668 graphic novel records 68
(10.17 percent) used the genre heading “graphic novel” and 99 (14.8 percent) were tagged. This
limited access could be improved by using social tagging and genre heading.
Introduction
E
ach year academic libraries acquire materials to build and enhance their collec-
tions. These resources support an institution’s curriculum; its faculty and student
research activities; and users’ leisure reading interests. For patrons to benet from
these materials, the sources need to be easily identiable for efcient access so that us-
ers can locate them. A great deal of staff time and effort goes into the best methods for
ensuring accessibility of library resources. For many years traditional cataloging practices
have made this endeavor possible, especially with commonly acquired materials, such
as books, journals, and videos. Over the last decade and a half, graphic novels have
emerged as a new medium for users to read and appreciate.
1
Graphic novels have become
quite popular in public as well as academic libraries. Yet accessing graphic novels is not
as straightforward a process as other resources for many reasons, including catalog-
ing. Some libraries are employing social tagging options to enrich access possibilities.
To determine cataloging and social tagging patterns of graphic novels this study was
initiated. This research explored graphic novels in academic library collections with a
specic focus on social tagging and cataloging practices.
Materials with unique publication formats, such as graphic novels, can be difcult
to access via online catalogs and other library applications due to cataloging and clas-

Ta g , Yo ur e It302
sication challenges. Libraries continue to struggle with the best presentation of that
metadata for ease of access. Bibliographic records created by catalogers are the founda-
tion of the traditional catalog, and now discovery tools provide another opportunity
for access. In the pursuit of making data more accessible and provide functionality in a
world that thrives on social applications, it is important not only to create, but to enrich
the metadata placed in records. Simply put, library discovery tools and catalogs cannot
retrieve data that does not exist within bibliographic records. At present, many libraries
are attempting to implement innovative approaches to access library materials through
the use of social media applications. Academic libraries are in the unique position to
maximize access to library materials through social tagging. Since the newest genera-
tion of library users is accustomed to and uent with Web 2.0 technologies, they have
the capability to add and augment library records through a library’s next generation
catalog or discovery layer. Academic
libraries can further increase access by
encouraging user tagging in their local
communities. In addition, many libraries
have users who are experts in a range of
disciplines and engage in different areas
of scholarly inquiry and research. The tag-
ging activities performed by specialized
and knowledgeable individuals would be
an excellent addition to augment the access provided in bibliographic records.
In theory, the idea of social tags supplementing subject and genre headings is an
interesting concept. End users would be able to search for materials or resources us-
ing terms from both a structured, hierarchal system (for example, Library of Congress
Subject Headings), as well as by using natural language terms (for example, social tag-
ging terminology). Much of the prior research focusing on academic libraries’ social
tagging practices explored relationships with the use of LibraryThing as a social tagging
mechanism.
2
LibraryThing is a service that enables individuals and organizations to
catalog their resources and share that metadata. LibraryThing gets its metadata (social
tags) from a variety of commercial sources and library catalogs.
3
An afliated resource,
LibraryThing for Libraries (LTFL), provides the basic LibraryThing options as well as
rened features providing customization and value-added materials, such as reviews.
This current research study explored social tagging activities and cataloging practices
with a focus on graphic novels.
Literature Review
Graphic Novels
There is a wide array of denitions for graphic novels, and as noted by Amanda Stegall-
Armour, dening this term is a “slippery slope” for librarians when working with readers
who range from graphic novel novices to acionados.
4
Catherine Labio contends that the
phrase is misleading and detracts from the genre.
5
Eddie Campbell wrote that “confu-
sion reigns” dening the graphic novel, with four different ways to do so: as a format,
The tagging activities performed
by specialized and knowledgeable
individuals would be an excellent
addition to augment the access pro-
vided in bibliographic records.

Wendy West 303
as a comic book, as a comic book written in a prose style, or one written with a higher
ambition.
6
In the United States, the term graphic novel was popularized by Will Eisner
in 1978, when he placed the term on the cover of the paperback edition of A Contract
with God and Other Tenement Stories.
7
The Oxford English Dictionary denes a graphic
novel within the “graphic” entry as “a full-length (esp. science ction or fantasy) story
published as a book in a comic-strip format.”
8
Sid Jacobson dened graphic novels as
“ction intended for adults in comic format.”
9
In 2003, Francesca Goldsmith connected
the literature aspects of graphic novels and wrote:
Developed plotlines, complex characters, distinctive narrative stylistics, and rhetorical
devices such as irony and symbolism are requisites for books we recognize as “literary,”
whether we are talking about ction or about fact. Certainly, what’s considered “literature”
is much more than just a recapitulation of formula. Some of the same criteria can be applied
to what are called graphic novels, a form encompassing both fact and ction that relies
on pictures (sometimes accompanied by text) to drive a narrative.
10
Graphic novels tend to present provocative stories, both ction and non-ction, in
a visually striking format. “Graphic novels as a format,” asserts Ruth Boyer, “produce
some of the most thoughtful and beautiful stories in the history of humankind.”
11
Li-
braries, including public, school, and academic, are actively adding these materials to
collections since patrons are eager to use these print resources.
Graphic Novels in Academia
College students enjoy reading graphic novels and professors are integrating them into
their curricula.
12
Academic libraries are adding graphic novels into their collections
on account of this increasing attention. Graphic novels not only meet users’ reading
interests, but are useful in presenting historical and biographical topics. The advan-
tages of using graphic novels in the curriculum have been well documented.
13
Thomas
Juneau and Mira Sucharov discussed
the value of using graphic novels in
college courses, stating that graphic
novels reach students on both visual and
intellectual levels that traditional texts
lack.
14
Elizabeth Downey wrote about
the successful use of graphic novels to
improve student comprehension, aware-
ness of social issues, and ability to better
interpret themes.
15
Anne-Marie Davis
uses graphic novels to teach concepts
of war, violence, and genocide.
16
To further investigate the use of graphic novels in the
classroom, Davis conducted a survey of University of Washington professors. The faculty
reported that the use of graphic novels in their courses prompted engaged discussions
among the students, including those that had previously been reluctant to enter into class
conversations. Davis found that graphic novels were used in areas of study including
art, anthropology, European history, cultural studies, and Japanese literature. Steven
Hoover advocated for the use of graphic novels in academia “because graphic novels
The faculty reported that the use
of graphic novels in their courses
prompted engaged discussions
among the students, including those
that had previously been reluctant
to enter into class conversations.

Citations
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01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a Table of Table of contents of the table....................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments....................................................................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents of the Table
Abstract: ...................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................... iv Table of

26 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study aims to focus on how librarians perceive and use tags by focusing on people’s perceptions rather than simply comparing social tags and formal subject headings, so new insights can be collected.
Abstract: Purpose – While examining subject headings and tags is a popular research topic, most studies focus on comparing user-assigned tags and professional subject heading. Studies that compare Library of Congress Subject Headings to user-assigned tags, for instance, dominate the literature. However, little research has involved an examination on how and to what extent these features are actually used by library staff. This study adds to the body of knowledge. This study aims to focus on how librarians perceive and use tags. By focusing on people’s perceptions rather than simply comparing social tags and formal subject headings, new insights can be collected. Design/methodology/approach – This research collects data through semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 library staff from various roles and locations throughout Auckland Libraries. Findings – The research findings show that while social tags have been adopted and used in their work by the majority of library staff interviewed, there remains resistan...

8 citations


Cites result from "Tag, You're It: Enhancing Access to..."

  • ...This is consistent with the conclusions drawn by Lawson (2009), West (2013), and Wetterstrom (2008) who all agreed on the important role social tags have in enhancing the catalogue by adding additional descriptions and access points which are more accessible for users....

    [...]

01 Jan 2018

5 citations


Cites background or methods from "Tag, You're It: Enhancing Access to..."

  • ...Examples include tags applied by readers of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code that were based on characters, locations, emotion and opinion (Weaver, 2007; West, 2013) similar to Desrochers, Laplante, Martin, Quaan-Haase and Spiteri (2016) who found, over three case studies, tags applied by users were…...

    [...]

  • ...In the social tagging literature, terms relating to characters, settings (Carmen, 2013; Desrochers, Laplante, Martin, QuanHaase & Spiteri, 2016; Weaver, 2007; West, 2013), nouns, “compound tags” (Guy & Tonkin, 2006, “Tagging Observed” section, para....

    [...]

  • ...Examples include tags applied by readers of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code that were based on characters, locations, emotion and opinion (Weaver, 2007; West, 2013) similar to Desrochers, Laplante, Martin, Quaan-Haase and Spiteri (2016) who found, over three case studies, tags applied by users were associated with genre, personal opinion, author names, characters, settings, emotions, time period, categorical names or particular topics, among other aspects (Table 1 p....

    [...]

  • ...However, items catalogued using standard cataloguing methods may become mislaid as the terminology and language spoken by users, that is not found with LCSH, is not applied to a record (West, 2013)....

    [...]

  • ...West (2013) states that items with “unique publication formats, such as graphic novels, can be difficult to access via online catalogues and other library applications due to cataloguing and classification challenges” and that librarians are struggling to find the most appropriate metadata for…...

    [...]

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Frequently Asked Questions (8)
Q1. What contributions have the authors mentioned in the paper "Tag, you’re it: enhancing access to graphic novels" ?

This study analyzed the cataloging practices and social tagging of a specific list of graphic novel titles in the academic libraries of the Association of Research Libraries ( ARL ). 

While it can not be determined from this data that the addition of genre headings contributed to the increased circulation, it points to an interesting topic for future research with this collection. By changing cataloging practice and adding this term into the heading, end users will have a stronger possibility of retrieving these materials. The benefits of allowing social tagging in their catalogs and discovery interfaces are clear, given the potential pool of engaged users and resident experts on campus who will enhance records through this process. Genre headings providing more intuitive terminology can be added to bibliographic records to offer an additional access point in the online catalog, when indexed. 

Of the 59 titles, 54 (91.5 percent) were in at least one collection of the sample libraries; five (8.5 percent) were in none of the libraries. 

Of the 280 (41.9 percent) bibliographic records, forty (14.2 percent) had graphic novel tags and 44 (15.7 percent) had been cataloged with the genre heading. 

26Social tagging also offers academic libraries the opportunity to take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of the faculty, staff, and student populations on their campuses. 

Genre headings providing more intuitive terminology can be added to bibliographic records to offer an additional access point in the online catalog, when indexed. 

A review of the sample libraries (n=38) found that 28 (73.7 percent) had at least one graphic novel record updated with an identifying genre heading. 

Materials with unique publication formats, such as graphic novels, can be difficult to access via online catalogs and other library applications due to cataloging and clas-sification challenges.