Starting in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the term graphic novel was first coined as artists and writers began to create more and more sophisticated stories using the traditional comic book format. With the publication of Art Spiegelman’s Maus in 1985, the violent and disturbing subject of real-life war was first presented through the format of the graphic novel. In Spiegelman’s award-winning Maus, Spiegelman shares the stories told by his father Vladek Spiegelman about life in Poland during WWII. Since Spiegelman’s Maus, the genre has continued to make giant leaps beyond Archie jokes and superheroes to such complex issues as war and wartime, aging and disease, and GLBTQ issues amongst others.
Now available on Madison Public Library’s Don’t Miss Lists, check out our new Graphic Novel Biographies and Memoirs booklist featuring such titles as Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Joe Sacco’s Palestine, and David Small’s Stitches. While some of these graphic novels tell the story of such famous historical people as Emma Goldman, Martin Luther King, and Leo Trotsky, many of the books are firsthand accounts of the actual writer/artist at some pivotal point in their life story.
Ask your librarian where the Graphic Novels section is in your library today!
February 2nd, 2010
KathyB
The Hawthorne Branch Library knows that experiencing what once was “popular culture” gives us a window to view our past and gain perspective on our culture. Thanks to a generous grant from the Madison Community Foundation, Hawthorne is able to expand its collection of pop culture media. The collection will focus on DVDs of classic films and television programs along with supplemental books.
See all new materials at Hawthorne purchased with the grant. Visit the Dane County Collections website for more information about all Madison Community Foundation grants awarded to libraries in Dane County.
April 6th, 2009
Tana
The Madison Community Foundation granted $192,500 to Madison Public Library to build focused collections at seven Madison library locations. The collections will be created over the next three years.
The libraries and collections are: Central Library (Small Business & Entrepreneurship); Hawthorne Branch (Pop Culture); Meadowridge Branch (Strong Families); Monroe Street Branch (Audio Books); Pinney Branch (Sustainable Living); Sequoya Branch (Art of the Picture Book); and South Madison Branch (Success U: Education, Employment & Housing). The Madison Community Foundation previously awarded grants for $27,500 each to the Alicia Ashman Branch (Comics & Anime) and the Lakeview Branch (Film & Film History).
“This is a generous and significant contribution to our libraries and we are grateful to the Madison Community Foundation for their ongoing support of Dane County libraries. The grants will allow us to offer in-depth specialty collections on topics of interest to Madison residents, and will provide much-needed funds to help combat shrinking book budgets and rising prices,” says Carla DiIorio, Collection Development Coordinator for all Madison libraries.
Research demonstrates that people value public libraries and see them as essential community cornerstones. Library usage continues to increase, and libraries were seen as an “essential” city service in a recent City of Madison Resident Satisfaction Survey. When asked how to enhance libraries, users and non-users alike want more current materials. Madison Public Library was one of 256 libraries to receive a top-star rating last week in a nationwide comparison of public libraries.
The grants come with a challenge to use the gifts to help build more community support, to develop partnerships, and to raise additional funds for the collections. As the collections grow, the library and community partners will hold events and offer outreach opportunities around each distinctive collection. Madison residents will be able to subscribe to updates about the collection(s) of their choice.
The Madison Community Foundation has supported Dane County’s public library system with over $5 million in donations for collections, programs and capital campaigns since 2000, including a total of 27 collection grants awarded to Madison and Dane County Libraries.
“It’s simple - great libraries make great communities. We continue to support this wonderful asset and are thrilled to see the collections grow and be shared so widely across the county,” says Kathleen Woit, President of the Madison Community Foundation.
Madison Community Foundation encourages, facilitates and manages long-term philanthropy. Since 1942, the foundation staff has helped people realize their philanthropic goals, allowing them to support charitable interests anywhere in the world. The community foundation also awards grants throughout Dane County to build communities. More information is available online at www.madisoncommunityfoundation.org
March 13th, 2009
Tana