More comics collections are being added to libraries. Each time it’s wonderful news because it means more of the wonderful materials will be preserved. The most recent (at least the most recent I’ve heard of) is at the University of Minnesota, explained in this story and this story. The collection will be part of the University of Minnesota’s Children’s Literature Research Collections, which is also wonderful because so much of the history of comics and children’s literature connects in terms of illustrators, innovative designs, techniques, and more. Similarly, the University of Florida’s Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature is housed alongside the Popular Culture Collections, which include the Performing Arts Collections and the Comics Collections.
The closeness makes sense for our collections because of the interplay, but the division also makes sense because of the relationship of comics and performance related materials. The similarity and difference between these two configurations make sense because comics are so closely related to so many areas in terms of form, function, and content. Thus, comics collections can be added in a useful manner to any library collection and I’m hoping more will be added soon so researchers can benefit from greater access to these important materials.
2008-03-05