Graphic novels have found a place on library shelves but many librarians struggle to move this expanding body of intellectual, aesthetic, and entertaining literature into the mainstream of library materials.

Covering everything from getting to know a library’s materials to marketing and promoting RA, this practical handbook will help you expand services immediately without adding costs or training time.

Everyone’s favorite guide to fiction that’s thrilling, mysterious, suspenseful, thought-provoking, romantic, and just plain fun is back—and better than ever in this completely revamped and revised edition. A must for every readers’ advisory desk, this resource is also a useful tool for collection development librarians and students in LIS programs. Inside, RA experts Wyatt and Saricks cover genres such as Psychological Suspense, Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Literary and Historical Fiction, and introduce the concepts of Adrenaline and Relationship Fiction; include everything advisors need to get up to speed on a genre, including its appeal characteristics, key authors, sure bets, and trends; demonstrate how genres overlap and connect, plus suggestions for guiding readers among genres; and tie genre fiction to the whole collection, including nonfiction, audiobooks, graphic novels, film and TV, poetry, and games. Both insightful and comprehensive, this matchless guidebook will help librarians become familiar with many different fiction genres, especially those they do not regularly read, and aid library staff in connecting readers to books they’re sure to love.

This revised edition provides a way of understanding the vast universe of genre fiction in an easy-to-use format. Expert readers' advisor Joyce Saricks offers groundbreaking reconsideration of the connections among genres.

This guide will help readers' advisors understand what teens appreciate about their favorite genres while also serving as a helpful collection development tool.

Vampires, zombies, ghosts, and ghoulies: there are more things going bump in the night than ever. So how do you wend your way through all of them to find the ones that interest a particular reader? RA expert Spratford updates her advisory to include the latest in monsters and the macabre, including Lists of recommended titles, authors, and sub-genres, all cross-referenced for quick reference Tips for effectively practicing horror RA, with interview questions for gauging a reader’s interests An expanded resources section, with an overview addressing the current state of horror lit, and suggestions of how to dig deeperAs both an introductory guide for librarians just dipping their toes into the brackish water of scary fiction, as well as a fount of new ideas for horror-aware reference staff, Spratford’s book is infernally appropriate.

A guide to graphic novels for children and pre-teens offers historical and genre information, provides collection building tips, and discusses how to manage, promote, and maintain the collection.

Genre fiction has always been a complex mixture of themes and elements. The increasing popularity of “genre blends,” or fiction that straddles the traditional labels, means greater pleasure for readers but a greater challenge for readers’ advisory. In this informative and entertaining book McArdle gets library staff up to speed on these engaging titles, showing how such crossover fiction appeals to fanbases of multiple genres. Complete with booklists, summaries, read-alikes, and thorough indexes, this guide Covers suspense, fantasy, historical fiction, horror, mystery, romance, and science fiction, as well as non-genre titles that don’t neatly fit into any categoriesOffers guidance for shelving, displaying, and marketing genre blendsShows how to make the most of online discovery tools in cataloging these titlesIncludes “Blend MVPs,” a section spotlighting several popular authors who regularly move between genres, and a useful bibliography of additional resources Providing a unique look at how common genres are often combined, this guide will open up new worlds of fiction to readers’ advisors and those whom they serve.

Graphic novels have recently exploded in popularity. Using them to encourage reading and support the curriculum, then, is a natural step for teachers and librarians. This useful guide to collecting and using graphic novels contains lesson plans linked to school curriculums for all ages, helping educators to harness the instructional potential of these books. The authors also discuss how graphic novels can be important learning tools, particularly for reluctant readers. The guide features lists for collection development and helpful information, including reviews, jobbers, Web sites, publisher information, tips for partnering with local comic book stores, and interviews with librarians who use graphic novels. Including illustrated pages from popular graphic novels, this is an invaluable resource to help you select quality graphic novels for students while providing helpful justification for the use of graphic novels in schools, both to advance students' pleasure reading and to support instruction. This ultimate guide to collecting and using graphic novels in a school library is written by an elementary librarian who uses graphic novels in her library media center for instruction and to advance pleasure reading. The book contains lesson plans linked to school curricula for all ages, plus a discussion of why graphic novels are useful with certain types of readers, particularly boys and reluctant readers. It features helpful information and lists for collection development-- including reviews, reviewing sources, jobbers, Web sites and publisher contact information--and posits reasons to help the librarian defend the use of graphic novels with students.