Does Your Library Carry Las Novelas Gráficas? Perhaps It Should.

By Jessica Blaker, Spanish Services, Collection Development & Acquisitions

Over the last decade, graphic novels have gained in popularity and are now widely considered an essential component of almost any library’s collection. Beyond graphic novels in general gaining recognition, librarians have been clamoring for expanded Spanish graphic novel collections. There are two main audiences driving the increased demand for Spanish language graphic novels: Spanish-speaking library patrons and students learning Spanish (or, more precisely, teachers trying to encourage students who are learning Spanish).

So why are Spanish graphic novels so important to a library’s collection? Graphic novels, whether in English or Spanish, have high appeal because these types of books are fun to read and encourage literacy. Spanish-speaking patrons are picking up (and checking out) graphic novels in their native language. One librarian mentioned to me that while some children from bilingual families may speak English outside of the home, they still prefer reading in their native language and may also share their reading material with their parents. Graphic novels translated from English to Spanish can provide immigrants with valuable insights into their adopted culture.

Spanish graphic novels are beneficial for students learning Spanish because there are numerous visual aids that provide hints to the plot of the story and aid in comprehension. The dramatic illustrations grab readers’ attention, pulling them in. With the help of such visual cues, students are more apt to absorb and retain vocabulary. Reluctant readers are also more inclined to pick up a graphic novel because the exciting illustrations and small amounts of text provide a sense of accomplishment when finished, building the reader’s confidence.

Demographically speaking, the demand for Spanish-language graphic novels has increased because there are more Spanish speaking people in the US than there have ever been before. Hispanics accounted for 18% of the nation’s population in 2016, according to the Pew Research Center. Not surprisingly, libraries across the country have more Spanish-speaking patrons requesting reading material.

In addition, immersion programs have gained momentum in urban areas with diverse populations. One of Brodart’s customers recently noticed that children whose first language is English are checking out graphic novels in Spanish. They may be in immersion programs and feel comfortable reading in Spanish — doing so for pleasure, not necessarily for classwork. It stands to reason that demand for Spanish graphic novels will also continue to grow.

With the skyrocketing demand for Spanish graphic novels, publishers are doing their best to keep up with new titles. There are many children’s and YA popular titles in translation, such as Raina Telgemeier’s books, the Hombre Perro (Dog Man) series, and the Rick Riordan graphic novel adaptations of his novels, to name a few. Also, there are many Spanish editions of some adult graphic novels and graphic nonfiction. Some of the well-known publishers and distributors actively acquiring and promoting Spanish graphic novels include Lectorum, Spanish Publishers, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, IPG, and Stone Arch Books. The one area lacking in Spanish graphic novels, however, is superheroes. Marvel and DC do not currently have Spanish translations available to customers in the United States.

Booklist announced through ALA News that July 2019 will be Graphic Novels in Libraries Month. Suffice it to say, when a highly recognized and accredited journal deems an entire month should be dedicated to graphic novels, their importance should not be ignored.

 

Jessica

Jessica Blaker has been a Spanish cataloger and a customer account manager at Brodart. She came back to Spanish as a collection development paraprofessional, which she loves due to the variety and the opportunity to work with customers. Click here for more.

Spanish-Language Collection Development: What to Keep in Mind When Selecting

By Jessica L. Blaker, Spanish Services, Collection Development & Acquisitions

The demand for Spanish materials in public libraries has increased dramatically over the past few years, and librarians have accepted the challenge to find the right titles for their library’s demographic.

Often, libraries do not have in-house staff with enough experience or language skills to make the best decisions. When you don’t speak the language and reviews are nonexistent, how do you know what to buy? Simply filling your shelves with Spanish language titles does not guarantee success, and it doesn’t mean your materials will appeal to patrons or circulate.

Know Your Patron Base

One of the keys to selecting Spanish materials for your library is knowing your population’s country of origin. The Spanish dialect in which a book is written can have a big impact on how readable or useful it will be in your community. For instance, the Spanish spoken in Spain is much different than the Spanish spoken in Latin America. A picture book or board book that contains words and expressions colloquial to Spain, for example, may look odd to Mexican readers, and therefore be less appealing.

While it is important to be mindful of regionalism, it’s a mistake to take this too far and totally exclude authors and publishers from Spain (assuming your patrons hail from countries other than Spain). Doing so could cause you to miss out on a big chunk of what’s out there.

Thinking that Mexicans or Salvadorans would not want to read materials from Spanish authors is akin to me saying that, because I am an American, I won’t ready Harry Potter, since the author of that series is from the UK. Spanish authors such as Carlos Ruiz Zafon, who enjoys universal readership, could get lost in the shuffle. That would shortchange your community.

Brodart’s Spanish materials experts vet as many titles as possible — particularly children’s titles — reviewing them for dialect and quality. We also note author country of origin on adult titles to aid in selection. These are the factors that will be important to your Spanish-speaking patrons.

English Language Titles in Spanish

Many Spanish translations of popular English language titles are published in Spain. For example, “Miedo: Trump en La Casa Blanca (Fear: Trump in the White House),” by Bob Woodward, is being released in December by Roca Editorial. This is likely to be one of the biggest books of the year. But a library that excludes publishers from Spain would never see that title in its library collection. Other examples of popular and must-have titles coming out of Spain include “El cuento de criada (The Handmaid’s Tale)” by Margaret Atwood and “La forma del agua (The Shape of Water)” by Guillermo del Toro.

Appropriateness for American Libraries

We Americans tend to be more prudish than much of the rest of the world when it comes to sex and nudity. An example of this is a book from Spanish Publishers called “El pañal de Bumba.” This is a board book about a little boy who has lost his diaper. Right or wrong, the illustrations in this book, while perfectly acceptable in Europe, would be challenged in the US. The title does not meet American standards for board books, due to depictions of nudity (albeit childish nudity).

In this case, it would be understandable to exclude the title due to the illustrations. This is why book-in-hand reviews are imperative.

Here’s another point you may not have considered: juvenile titles from Spain are often printed in cursive font. This may not sound like a big deal, but many schools across the US are no longer teaching children cursive. Conversely, cursive writing (la caligrafia) is still widely taught in Central and South America. Thus, while a book’s subject matter may be deemed appropriate for American children, and while Spanish-speaking children who have learned to read in another country might have no trouble with it, it would be unintelligible to English-speaking American children learning Spanish. Titles printed in cursive are not of interest to many public libraries.

What Is Popular among Spanish Speakers?

Like their English-speaking counterparts, Hispanic patrons read a balanced mix of both fiction and nonfiction.

In nonfiction, the most popular Dewey categories are the 100s, 200s, 300s, and 600s. The general trend in Hispanic nonfiction is toward self-improvement books. Leylha Ahuile, writing in Publishers Weekly, points out that there is a high demand for self-improvement literature in the Spanish-­language book market in the US, including books on “finance, health, marriage, parenting, acquiring or improving skills, entrepreneurship, leadership, and spirituality.” The same holds true for English speakers: these topics are universal and tend to be among the most in-demand and highest-circulating items in libraries today.

Graphic Novels

Most Spanish-language graphic novels tend to come from Mexico and Spain. Spanish Publishers have recently picked up the wildly popular “Lumberjanes (Lenadoras)” in Spanish for the YA market. Interestingly enough, there are a number of current widely popular graphic novels that poke fun at the US President and our current state of affairs. These titles are mostly from Mexico.

Háblanos! (Talk to Us!)

Overcoming language barriers and reaching underserved populations is one of the most rewarding experiences for librarians. We would love to hear your stories and welcome your questions and concerns about Spanish-language collection development. Leave a comment to share!

For further reading:

Library Journal’s Collection Development feature on Selecting Spanish

RUSA’s Guidelines for Library Services to Spanish-Speaking Library Users

Jessica

Jessica Blaker has been a Spanish cataloger and a customer account manager at Brodart. She came back to Spanish as a collection development paraprofessional, which she loves due to the variety and the opportunity to work with customers. Click here for more.