Complete Issue - Vol 74, No 1 (2016)

T his pathfinder will assist patrons in a school library as they find resources and complete research about the growing world of comic books and graphic novels.Comic books and comic book-inspired entertainment are more popular than ever; comics are increasingly a part of English/ Language Arts curriculum; and library users are more and more often seeking graphic novels (and information about them) when they go to the library.This pathfinder collects sources which help address patrons' needs regarding this subject, providing the starting points for research about comics.Patrons using this pathfinder will be introduced to a variety of sources that allow them to become familiar with the creative forces behind and the imaginative creations within comic pages.The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has standards 4.1.2(Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, the world, and previous reading) and 4.1.3(Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres), and this pathfinder, for reference materials for a specific and sometimes-overlooked genre of literature, helps meet both of these standards.The Common Core Standards for English/Language Arts & Literacy address several elements for texts which apply to comic books and graphic novels.For example, the high school standards for Reading: Literature include 9-10.2 & 10-11.2(Determine theme or central idea of a text and analyze in details its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details), 9.10-3 (Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme), 9-10.9 (Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work), 11-12.3(Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story), and 11-12.7 (Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem, evaluating how each version interprets the source text).The majority of materials provided to ELA teachers focuses on traditional printed texts, but the movement in education is to use a variety of sources and textual types, with graphic novels at the forefront of this movement.This pathfinder helps both teachers and students in a school library find appropriate and effective resources. 741 (comic books).Materials about film and television adaptations of comics and videography lists of films based on comic book properties can also be found with 741, but further DDC numbers to browse are 777 (cinematography and videography) and 791 (film adaptations).