When I originally started at my current library, now over fourteen years ago, there were very few graphic novels, a somewhat ratty paperback section, and all the labels were hand-written. Fast forward over the years, and I eventually changed the paperback section to a series collection and finally to juvenile beginning chapters, and after experimenting with a juvenile graphic novel collection, I chose to interfile the graphic novels, both fiction and nonfiction, into those respective collections, marked by a sticker. The problem was always the books that had no definite author and would normally be arranged by series - Star Wars, Superheroes, American Girl, etc. For a long time I had a "favorites" section, but it was confusing for the staff who could never understand that "J STAR WARS" and "J STA" were shelved in different areas.
Finally, as part of a big overhaul and reorganization, I gave this section its own abbreviation and a new, expanded area. Suggested by one of our staff, it became JPOP for "juvenile popular." This also has the bonus of being able to tell people we have "JPOP STAR WARS" heh.
The physical reorganization has left plenty of space for the expansion of this collection and I walk a delicate balance between ephemeral paperbacks and expensive prebound copies that can be replaced for free when they, inevitably, fall apart. I have also started collecting series, specifically Stone Arch books, that do not have recognizable authors. I'd previously tried to get all the Minecraft and other video game books together in one spot, which was nonfiction, but they've been shifted to JPOP to keep them more easily together. I add a Dewey number for the instructional books.
The largest collections are American Girl, Disney, Minecraft, Pokemon, Star Wars, Superheroes, You Choose
The most popular collections are currently: Five Nights with Freddy, Garfield comics, Girls Survive, Minecraft, Peanuts, Pokemon, Sonic, and Star Wars. (During the school year, You Choose goes way up)
I'm still in two minds about including Five Nights with Freddy, but the kids insist that it be "where we can find it" and the main audience is 3rd-5th grade, so that's where it is. American Girl and Superheroes are two large collections that are declining in popularity. Superheroes have gone way down in popularity, although they make up such a big section.
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