By Daniel Wu ‘25
Since October, on a shelf in the north facing side of fourth floor Tutt Library, a manga collection is on display. Compared to the previous collection on that shelf, this is certainly a novel change. Although currently only taking up half a shelf alongside with spooky season related books, the display still contains a variety of manga and related art including titles in the shōnen genre, Miyazaki Hayao’s collection, etc. I had the pleasure of interviewing the librarian behind the CC manga collection, Nicole Gresham, and are her thoughts on this unique collection.
1. How did Tutt Library decide to create a manga collection? Are you the first person to start this manga collection? If so, what inspired you to start a manga collection at CC? If not, why do you think it is important to have a manga collection at CC?
I proposed we start a manga collection at Tutt Library earlier this year but none of this work has been solo. The entire process has been a collaboration with the Japanese Department and my colleagues at the library. I noticed that the Japanese Department was using manga in their classes and knew that our manga holdings were not extensive. We would normally add manga to our general fiction section in the garden level (basement), but we all thought it would be nice to try something new for us:, an standalone collection. (We are starting another new, standalone collection, of Tabletop Roleplaying games soon).
2. Where is funding for this collection coming from?
The funding comes from the library’s book budget.
3. Who decides what titles are purchased? What is the criteria for deciding what titles to purchase? When you expand the collection, what are some things in the manga that you would prioritize or favor?
Great question! Any CC-affiliated person (student, faculty, staff) can suggest a new purchase – and this is not just true for manga. On the library’s homepage there is a “Request a Book Purchase” link. Librarians do review the requests and purchase items at their discretion. That said, we do purchase most items that seem both worthwhile and relevant to CC library patrons’ interests. Our current manga collection was mostly selected by the Japanese faculty, librarians, and staff. We have a few limiters – we are not currently buying more than ten titles in a series. If there are titles you would like to see, please let us know! We want this collection to be read.
3. Is there are a way for students to recommend titles for the library to purchase?
Yes! And please do. You can use the link I mentioned above or just contact me – or any librarian – directly.
4. What made you decide to display the collection on the fourth floor? How did you envision the space for the collection?
Basically, the 4th floor had the shelving we needed. We might move the collection elsewhere at some point. Please give us feedback! We envision the space as easily accessible (not in the stacks) and easily browsable (seating nearby, good lighting).
5. How would you describe manga as an art form? What are your thoughts on how the public views it? What do you think are some major takeaways you think CC students can have from the manga collection here and beyond? What are some things people can and should learn about from manga?
These are great questions. My favorite series is Paper Girls (which we don’t yet have yet). There are actually named categories (the names vary) for different types of manga fans – but there’s not a word I’ve found for the casual fan, like me. But this is what excites me about manga: I was at a conference this summer at which three public librarians spoke about how meaningful manga had been in their lives as LGBTQ+ teenagers and now YA librarians. They were openly emotional about how important it was to find books with characters who resembled them – and written in a way that felt new and visceral. Their manga collections were being targeted by groups trying to censor library collections. And as you know these censorship attempts sometimes work. I guess manga looks threatening to some people. This presentation inspired me to follow through on my initial proposal for the collection.
6. What are some of your favorite manga series that the Tutt Library collection has?
We don’t even own my favorites – what I have right now is a giant “to be read” list of all the titles the Japanese faculty have suggested.
7. I see that Tutt Library also has a big collection of graphic novels. Do you think there are fundamental differences between the two art forms or are they two branches of the same stem?
Right, so technically manga is Japanese. Outside of Japan, we tend to call any graphic novel coming out of Japan manga – even though there is quite a bit of diversity in those Japanese publications. So, differentiating between manga and graphic novels sort of falls apart at that level. But I think there are characteristics of manga – reading back to front, certain stylizations, the layout of the panels – that we’re familiar with. That said, our new collection is not technically manga – we do include graphic novels from other countries in this collection.