THE EFFECT OF GRAPHIC NOVELS ON TEEN CIRCULATION

November 20, 2006

IRLS 506

One problem that young adult librarians face today is getting teens into the
library. There are more school and extracurricular activities available than ever before.
And during a teens free time, there are again more options than ever. This is in addition
to the more general library problems of limited funds and resources and support. So how
can libraries get teens to enter their doors (Tychinski, 2006)?
Background and Literature Review
What is a graphic novel? According to Fletcher-Spear, Jenson-Benjamin and
Copeland the following is a standard definition of graphic novels: So, "graphic novels"
is an imprecise term used to describe a format that uses a combination of words and
sequential art to convey a narrative. Graphic novels can be of any genre on any topic
(2005).
So why are graphic novels so hot? Tychichiski offers several reasons. To begin
with, graphic novels are fun to read. Thanks to the visual component of graphic novels,
these books are better able to reach those who are visual learners, those with short
attention span, and those with poor reading skills. Also, because graphic novels are a
format and not a genre, there is literally something for just about anyone (2006).

Other reasons for the popularity of graphic novels cited by Fletcher-Spear et al

include the fact that the visual nature of these books makes ESL learning easier and more
pleasurable, and that todays teens are more visually oriented -- making this format a
good fit for them (2005).
According to Tychinski graphic novels not only are the current hot item, they
can also help revitalize the young adult section of the library. An article quoted by
Tychinski from the School Library Journal gives encouraging news. "The presence of
comics in a junior high school library resulted in a dramatic 82% increase in library
traffic, and a 30% increase in NON-COMIC books circulation (2006).
Ratieri also reports increased circulation of graphic novels just in the past year at
the Green County Public Library system in Ohio. For 2004, 107 graphic novels circulated
sixteen times or more, while in 2005 254 graphic novels circulated sixteen times or more.
Unfortunately, Ratieri does not list non-graphic novel circulation in his article (2006).
While these numbers are impressive and these observations no doubt valuable,
what seems to be needed now is a comparison study between libraries with graphic
novels and those without.
Hypothesis
Graphic novels have become increasingly popular over the past ten years or so
with teens. And even todays young adults may not always have enough cash to get every
single title they might be interested in, along with everything else they would like to
have. Here is where the library can step in, providing access to a wide variety of titles for
free.

My hypothesis is that a library that has graphic novels as part of its teen collection
will show an increase in overall teen circulation.
Overall teen circulation will increase because teens that come for the new graphic
novel collection may see something else they are interested in. They will come for one
item and leave with several, much like going to the grocery store.
Definitions
Teens will be defined as anyone between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. This
will be further subdivided into two groups: thirteen to fifteen will represent younger teens
and sixteen to eighteen will represent older teens.
Methodology
The independent variable is graphic novels. The dependent variable is circulation.
Four public libraries will be chosen at random in the same library district so that
hopefully any effects of history will be the same on the four of them. The only other
stipulation is that none have a graphic novel collection at the beginning of the research
project. Demographic data on neighborhoods the two libraries serve, such as ethnicity
and socio-economic status, will be included in the report. These factors cannot be
controlled for without making the selection of the libraries to be studied non-random, but
the data can be reviewed to see if these might also be factors.
The actual sample will consist of the teen patrons of the four libraries. Given the
longitudinal nature of the study, the sample will change during the course of the study
through maturation. The control sample should account for any fluctuations in the general
population.

Circulation records will be measured for six months prior to the treatment. This
will be done through the patrons library cards. No specific personal information will be
asked, but the age group the teen is in will be noted along with the number of items
checked out. Also, the number of different teen patrons who check out books will also be
calculated to see whether it is the amount of books being circulated or the number of
patrons or both that is being affected. After the first six months, two of the four libraries
will be chosen at random to begin a graphic novel collection. This will be the test group.
The other two libraries will be the control group. Three months prior to the new
collection being introduced, it will be advertised at nearby junior high and high schools,
comic shops, video arcades, and anywhere else teens tend to congregate.
In addition to the definition of graphic novels given by Fletcher-Spear et al above,
we also include the following stipulations regarding the graphic novels chosen. First, that
they be chosen from a wide variety of genres. Second, that no graphic novel be chosen
above a standard T or T13 rating. This will not only help avoid possible issues with the
parents or community, but will also ensure that that there is no jump in circulation due to
the sudden appearance of books with images that are violently or sexually explicit.
The circulation of all libraries will continue to be observed in the same way for
one year after the treatment.
First, percentages will be measured first to determine the difference in circulation
and number of active patrons between the four libraries before the test. The mean teen
circulation will then be measured both before and after the treatment, along with the
mean of the number of patrons. The median will also be measured to make sure the mean
is not skewed. The standard deviation will also be calculated to see if there are any

particularly high or low points in circulation. If there are and they skew the results, they
will then be dropped from the calculations. The t test will be used to test the null
hypothesis with respect to the mean. The null will be rejected if p<0.05. If the results are
not a bell curve, then the appropriate statistics will be used. The Pearson r will also be
calculated to find the significance of the relationship between a graphic novel collection
and circulation.
Results
Ideally, the demographics between the four libraries, both ethnic and socioeconomic, will be very similar. However, if this is not the case and the results of the two
tested libraries are still similar, this would indicate that the study might be generalizable
to teens in this particular city or county.
The first result that we expect to see is a significant increase in circulation for
teens in the library that has the new graphic novel collection. It is expected to be higher
for ages 13-15 than for ages 16-18 since it is assumed that the younger group will have
fewer funds available and therefore will be more interested in free sources of graphic
novels. We expect that older teens will be more worried about preparing for college and
other post-high school activities, and may also have less time to devote to reading for
pleasure.
We also expect to see the number of teens checking out items from a library to
rise at least 25% in the libraries with graphic novel collections.
When the t test is calculated, we expect p<0.05, and therefore the null hypothesis
will be rejected.

We expect to find that there is a significant relationship (above 50%) between

graphic novels and circulation for the first six months after graphic novels are introduced
to a library based on the Pearson r.
By the end of the first year after graphic novels have been introduced to a library,
we expect circulation to have leveled off, but the library will benefit from new teen
customers hopefully for life.
Limitations
One limitation is the fact that teens may choose to use the library card of a nonteen to check out books, especially a parents card. Unfortunately, measuring the teen
books circulated will not help since children and adults both sometimes check out young
adult items. No way at present is seen to be able to get around this dilemma without
infringing on the privacy of library customers. It would be possible to create a study
where teen library patrons volunteered to give information regarding their library use
habits, but this is probably not the best way to design the research. Teens may not give
accurate information because they forget to write down the desired information or
because they want to present what they believe the tester wants to know. This also would
lead to the fact that the subjects would then know that they are being tested.
Given the requirements of the study for four libraries chosen at random, this
would preclude any small library district from being considered. This may be a limitation
of the study.
Another possible limitation is the fact that different cultures and ethnic groups
may view graphic novels differently and may not all have the same desire to make use of
graphic novels, and may not even have the same desire to use the public library. There is

no way to control for this factor without making the selection process non-random. This
is, however, an interesting question that should be studied further.
Finally, those teens who are socially and economically more well off may feel less
need to use the library for their graphic novel consumption since they may have more
discretionary funds available for their use. Since graphic novels are generally read for
pleasure, these teens may very well choose to purchase their favorites instead of borrow
them from the library. Again, there is no way to control for this without making the
selection process non-random.
Conclusions
It is hoped that when the hypothesis is born out these results will encourage
further study of the issue of graphic novels in libraries, particularly with a view to
increasing the generalizability of the findings. It is also hoped that creative and energetic
librarians who serve teens, particularly in libraries without a graphic novel collection,
will use the opportunity afforded by introducing this collection to the library to
strengthen and revitalize existing aspects of their teen programs and collections.
Hopefully this will give librarians a chance to educate more teens on all that the library
has to offer.

Bibliography
Fletcher-Spear, Kristen, Jenson-Benjamin, Merideth, & Copeland, Teresa (Winter 2005).
The truth about graphic novels: a format, not a genre [electronic version]. Alan
Review (32)2, unknown.
Raiteri, Steve (March 15, 2006). Graphic novels [electronic version]. Library Journal
131 (5), p. 58.
Tychinski, Stan (unknown). Building a New Reader Base. Last accessed on November
10, 2006 at http://www.graphicnovels.brodart.com/new_readers.htm.