Featured Library Resource: Curriculum Center

In the EWU Libraries and Learning Commons, we strive to stay informed of the needs of our user community as we curate our collections to ensure that they remain vibrant, informative, and of continued relevance to our students and faculty.

The premise that comics and graphic novels are a genre too casual to earn a place in college libraries has been challenged in the last decade. Karen Green, a librarian at Columbia University, noted in a recent Publishers Weekly article, that graphic novels have become the most frequently requested materials from Ivy League universities. We’ve seen a similar boom in interest here at Eastern, especially from students and faculty in our K-12 teaching programs.

EWU Libraries is pleased to announce the creation of a dedicated collection of comics and graphic novels, located in the Curriculum Center on the lower level of JFK Library. Previously, our extensive collection—totaling over 45 linear feet—was spread throughout the library. The new shelving location collects all our graphic novels in one easily-browsed area. All books in this area are circulating, so all are encouraged to come by and find a good book to carry home!

Examples of graphic and comic materials include the following.

• Titles for grade schoolers like Luz Sees the Light or Raina Telgemeier’s Drama (in both English and Spanish).
• Books more appropriate for an adult audience, like The Sculptor or Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series.
• Adaptations of classical works such as Beowulf and The Scarlet Letter.
• Adaptations of modern classics, such as A Wrinkle in Time and The Kite Runner.
• Titles to help students better understand academic subjects such as Economix: How Our Economy Works and The Manga Guide to Calculus.