Week Thirteen Prompt

            Librarians should always work hard to serve adults that enjoy young adult literature or graphic novels. I believe that it’s acceptable to promote books to any age group. I think that it’s strange that individuals consider young adult novels or graphic novels to be unacceptable, since I believe that young adult novels or graphic novels are subgenres. Subgenres may not be promoted as much as primary genres in libraries and bookstores, but they are significant parts of genres. Also, all books from all genres are legitimate literary choices. Unless there are immoral ideas present in a book, pieces of conveyed information in a book are worth promoting in relation to the pursuit of gaining knowledge. So, I strongly feel that it is ridiculous that individuals believe that capital shouldn’t be utilized towards the purchase of the materials of young adult books or graphic novels and the promotion of the materials for adults.

            In addition, I believe that there is a certain stigma attached to reading materials below one’s age, since reading below one’s age can seem immature. So, a common belief exists that adults shouldn’t read young adult literature or graphic novels. Also, I feel that there is a perception that materials for children exhibit less information or quality and that materials for adults exhibit more information and a high quality. This perception is completely subjective and irrelevant in relation to books of literature, since these books are merely containers of information.

            Another reason that the common belief exists may be due to the culture of the internet and the demographic of millennials, since I believe that there is much misunderstanding and negativity towards the culture of the internet and millennials in relation to appreciating young adult materials and graphic novels. I feel that individuals may view appreciating young adult materials and graphic novels as a juvenile behavior or mentality. Also, I would argue that popular culture is closely tied to young adult literature and graphic novels, which naturally makes young adult literature and graphic novels popular for millennials. At the same time, some adults may view popular culture and any associations with popular culture as pointless and irrelevant in relation to real life, so these adults may view materials that are associated with popular culture in a negative manner.

            However, declaring that adults shouldn’t read unsuitable books for an inferior audience for adolescents or individuals of the demographic of millennials is ridiculous, since the young adult books or graphic novels are merely repositories of information. Reading the books or novels has nothing to do with one’s maturity level, since these materials contain only plots and information for one to experience and comprehend. Meaning in these books is conveyed by one’s own experiences and beliefs and by relating these experiences and beliefs to the characters and events of a fictional plot.

            While it is understandable that young adult literature or new adult literature may be shunned from its liberal ideas, such as the idea of “getting out from under the proverbial thumb of controlling families” (NA Alley – Books, Art, Education, and Learning about a Healthy Home, 2018, n.p.), young adult literature is still information that is being conveyed to individuals. Whether a product of young adult books or graphic novels is originally hated or loved will become irrelevant as time passes on. New rhetorical narratives will be created by the public for the product. Sometimes, the narratives will focus on negative aspects of the plots, but the narratives will often be positive, as nostalgia and the need to recognize the product as being culturally relevant takes over the public’s original experience or perception of the plots. So, the public disapproval towards adults reading young adult materials or graphic novels will likely deteriorate over time.

            As librarians, we should strive to make every effort towards serving adults by addressing their needs for young adult novels or graphic novels. Librarians have a duty to shape reader’s advisory in the current time, since they helped to respond “to social concerns articulated by forces outside the profession” in the past (Burek Pierce, J., 2006, p. 42). There is still a “popular concern today about teens’ time with computers, television, and music rather than with books” (Burek Pierce, J., 2006, p. 42), so librarians need to be ready to defend the freedom to read young adult literature and graphic novels in the face of criticism and censorship.   

            Librarians can promote young adult literature and graphic novels in a positive manner or emphasize the timeless quality of the story of the materials by setting up posters in public libraries. In addition, librarians can schedule events or meetings that include community involvement to promote young adult novels or graphic novels. For instance, a public library could schedule a festival that involves local adults selling or showing their young adult or graphic novels at certain booths; this festival would raise awareness of young adult or graphic novels and display the books’ significance towards the public. Furthermore, by showing that the young adult books and graphic novels are significant, the public library will encourage ordinary individuals to view young adult books and graphic novels in a more positive manner and be more accepting of other age groups to read the content of the young adult books and graphic novels.

            Also, since a number of young adult novels appear to be marketed for an adult audience under the label of the new adult subgenre, librarians could promote materials of young adult novels with the title of new adult books. The new adult genre, which is “aimed at an adult audience”, would exhibit a strong appeal for adults (Brookover, Burns, & Jensen, 2014, p. 42). Also, it has been claimed that works of the new adult genre “have mass appeal among teens and adults” (Cataldi, 2015, p. 42), so it is suitable to promote a number of maturely written young adult books as part of the new adult genre for adults. In addition, authors of new adult books “have amassed huge followings and on average write several books a year each” (Cataldi, 2015, p. 42), so librarians can easily advertise the popularity of the authors and their new adult books in a beneficial manner for the public. Additionally, adults would likely present themselves as “an audience of dedicated, loyal, even ravenous readers” for the new adult books (Brookover, Burns, & Jensen, 2014, p. 42).

References:

Brookover, S., Burns, E., & Jensen, K. (2014). What's New About New Adult?. Horn Book

Magazine, 90(1), 41. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.ulib.uits.iu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=4b56ecee-bacd-4729-89b5-dd70316dcdaf@sessionmgr4009

Burek Pierce, J. (2006). The Borderland Age and Borderline Books: The Early Practice of

Reader's Advisory for Youth. Young Adult Library Services, 5(1), 42-47. Retrieved from

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.ulib.uits.iu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=ce1c3c19-8ca4-4ca0-8a59-787b0296ad6c@sessionmgr103

Cataldi, E. (2015). Betwixt and between. Library Journal, (14). 42. Retrieved from

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.ulib.uits.iu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=aab00f0c-ceaf-4f6e-ada7-cacc7b09f18a@sessionmgr103

NA Alley – Books, Art, Education, and Learning about a Healthy Home. (2018). FAMILY-TIES

IN NEW-ADULT FICTION. Retrieved from http://www.naalley.com/2013/07/match-5-lucas-1-vs-trent-17.html