'Manga' Library "an Archive for Serious Study"

Yes, Library and Archival Students and Professionals, and to all those who are fond of manga. There is a plan to have a Manga Library in Japan at Meiji University. The opening is suppose to be early 2015 and will "be available to researchers and fans from Japan and abroad." Of course, as an archival and preservation student, I have a few questions. However, it is too early to ask, more like 6 years too early. I will wait to see what the University will present in regards to their protocols, research, conservation and preservation standards, and all the good stuff related to the world of library and archives. (^_^) Til then, enjoy the articles and their coverage. Thank you Professors for letting me know :)

How To Preserve Comic Books

Collecting Comic Books: How To Preserve Comic Books

HELL YEAH BABY!!!! Oh my goodness! They said acid free! Thanks professor for the tip!

Want to learn more? Click on comic book preservation or manga preservation! Enjoy!

Library of Congress and Comic Books

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the lack of posting but school comes first (^_^) Lots of reading and assignments. I got a tip from my professor and I wanted to share it with you!

The Library of Congress has a challenging task to be dealt with. According to Preservation Technologies, "100,000 comic books in their collection were at risk for damage and deterioration due to their highly acidic paper and older housing." So to save the wonderful comics the Library of Congress is working with Preservation Technologies, L.P. and a manufacturer or enclosures "to create an effective preservation plan addressing the unique needs of comic books."

Go comic book preservation!!! Thanks Professor!

Read more at Preserving 100,000 comic books at the Library of Congress

© 2009 Linda Thai

Student Project: Comic Book Preservation

I figured since my site is about both manga and comics, I figured why not add my classmate's project on preservation of comic books? So now there are both worlds of preservation. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Because this is a fellow graduate student's student project, which is required to be online, please seek a professional on preservation of comic books. You can read this just for fun.

Comic Book Preservation

© 2009 Linda Thai

Student Project: Preservation of Manga

Disclaimer: Because this is my student project, which is required to be online, please seek a professional on preservation of manga. You can read this just for fun.

This project only focuses on preserving the physical manga as is. No discussion of rebinding or digitization will occur. Those are separate issues to deal with.

~What is manga?


Manga in Japanese means comics and whimsical pictures. In America the word was adopted to represent graphic novels or comics from Japan. Manga is a licensed product from Japan. A Japanese publisher, licensor, has granted permission for a US publisher, licensee, to do something with the manga such as translate it in English, usually in exchange for some amount of money. The manga, in a graphic novel format, are compilations of chapters or segments of a story in either a single or multi volume series.

~Why should we preserve it?

Personal value- Manga fans read manga for leisure and entertainment. Some collect the manga for the artwork it contains. Others use the manga as reference tools to draw characters with similar style. Not only are they for leisurely reading, but they have been recently used for academic purposes, such as teaching a science class using manga.

Corporate value- Manga is a licensed product from Japan granted to a US Manga publisher. The existence of the English-language version produced by the US Manga publisher could be used as a record of the existence of manga in the US. This overseas license and production of the Japanese product can prove that manga has been accepted into the US market. Manga titles are licensed materials from Japan. Once the license for a manga title is over, if the original licensee does not renew the license, the English version of that manga title from that licensee will be out of print and will not exist anymore. Even if another publisher decides to obtain the license of that manga title, it may not be the exact same English version. It may be a different version altogether.

Library value- Believe it or not, manga, like United States produced comics and graphic novels, promote reading, literacy and can be used as a teaching tool. If a library wants to get people to read and learn, manga should be added and kept in their collection. Because people read and learn from manga, the usage and check out of manga could increase the circulation stats of the library.

~Examples of library value:

~Mahon Library-
According to the Spring 2008 article In Texas Library Journal by Robert G. Weinerm, who is a reference librarian at the library, due to their graphic novel collection there was an increase in circulation. Weinerm, the self proclaimed "zeal of a fan boy," place similar items together in one area. He separated the collection by publishers and then by the publishers respective characters, such as Batman for DC Comics and X-Men for Marvel. "We put them with the graphic novels; and after they were moved, circulation of the Batman, Superman, Spider-man, etc. prose novels improved...We found that the circulation did indeed go up on all levels."

Weiner, Robert G. "One Library's Solution to the Cataloging Problem." Texas Library Journal 84.1 (Spring2008 2008): 8-16. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Simmons Library, Boston, MA. 9 Nov. 2008 .

~Talcott Public Library-
According to their website, Graphic Novels for Young Adults: A New Collection at the Talcott Public Library, the library has a new approach to get teenagers to use their library. What the library is proposing is that they will be "reinvigorating" the young adult collection with a new collection that will catch the attention of the young patrons. The new collection, which will consist of graphic novels and manga, could be used as a promotional tool the other teen resources. As a result, it will increase young adult patronship and circulation in the library.

In regards to preserving the materials, according to the site: ""Items will be removed from the collection if they no longer meet the needs of the community, either by currency, physical appearance or use" (Talcott Public Library Collection Development Policy)." Even though this policy exists, this does not stop the library from trying to fight "the natural decomposition process" of graphic novels. If available, one way to fight this from happening is by ordering hardcover version of graphic novels. Another is the "BeeWee Bound books which are specially rebound to withstand the wear-and-tear of children and young adults." This is to "prolong the life of the materials."

"The goal of the new Young Adult Graphic Novel collection is to meet the needs of the patrons of the Talcott Public Library. This means that the collection will reflect the needs of those patrons, items will be repaired until they are no longer useful because of damage then they will be removed."

~Roncalli Primary School and Roncalli Elementary School-
According to the article "Graphic Novels in the School Library to Help Promote Literacy for Boys" in PNLA QUARTERLY Summer 2005 by Sandy Andera, who is a librarian for the Primary and elementary schools, the comic books in thier collection were old and in poor condition. Because of the condition of the comics, she went into book stores and public library for current titles of the worn out comics. She discovered the graphic novels for the comics, but was I was questioning the "importance to the library." After conducting research on graphic novels, she "found that graphic novels help promote literacy while also encouraging the reluctant reader...By adding graphic novels to my collection, I was hoping that circulation by boys would increase."

To advertise the graphic novel collect and to "get the boys to read more books," she promoted "two or three different genres each month," such as humor, horror and sports. After having the graphic novels on a "special shelf" and having a "book talk" on the promoted genre, there was a fast circulation of graphic novels. As a result, "the graphic novels were so popular that at the end of the school year, there were still many circulation holds on them."

To protect the books from damage, if available, she purchased hardcover version of graphic novels and more than one copy. Unfortunately, soft cover version can not withstand the handling of patrons. "I have had to mend/glue/tape them a few times."

Andera, Sandy. "Graphic Novels in the School Library to Help Promote Literacy for Boys." PNLA Quarterly 71.4 (Summer2007 2007): 5-8. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Simmons Library, Boston, MA. 9 Dec. 2008 .

~Cleveland Public Library-
According to Rollie Welch, a year after ordering their first manga collection, the library has an "active anime mania club." This club meets biweekly and had an anime film festival that was attended by more than 100 teens in one day at the library. The manga was quickly circulated and an estimate of twelve titles were checked out each time.

After presenting information about and the teen sensation towards graphic novels and manga to the serials committee, Welch "was given the directive by the committee to begin a collection that would be archived, so that future generations could visit CPL and view a sampling of twenty-first-century pop culture...With the archive project, we have the beginnings of a graphic novel collection that will stand the test of time and truly represent a fascinating (and oft neglected) segment of current pop culture."

Welch, Rollie, and Julianne Brown.. "Y Archive?." Young Adult Library Services 3.4 (Summer2005 2005): 22-26. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Simmons Library, Boston, MA. 9 Dec. 2008 .

~The components of the manga:



text block, back and front cover, glue and any additional items on the manga, that may not be part of the actual book.

~Acidic or Not Acidic that is the question

To figure out if the manga is made from acidic materials, such as recycle paper, use a pH Pen as the testing tool. This is the cheapest way to test out the manga. Take the pen and make a small mark, usually in the middle of manga, on a page near the inner margin. If the mark turns: yellow = acidic = poor quality, purple = non-acidic = good quality.

~How could manga be damaged?



The purpose of manga is also what causes the damage. Manga is meant to be viewed for purposes such as reading and reference. The problem is how we view it. We do not simply open the book, but we open the book enough for us to view it. Manga can be further damaged by mishandling, improper storage areas and storing and poor preservation techniques.

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 2 Handling
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 3 Storage Area
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 4 Protection, Dark Horse Comics Archiving and Thank You's

© 2008 Linda Thai

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 2

Disclaimer: Because this is my student project, which is required to be online, please seek a professional on preservation of manga. You can read this just for fun and check back for updates on this project.

This project only focuses on preserving the physical manga as is. No discussion of rebinding or digitization will occur. Those are separate issues to deal with.

Manga handling

~Placing manga in a bookshelf or book truck



Since it is made out of acidic material, which is cheaply made, you should carefully place the manga in the shelves without shoving the manga in between other manga or books. If you aggressively put the manga into a bookshelf, it will damage the cover of the manga by bending it or removing of the exterior of it. This handling could also damage the exterior of neighboring manga and books.



You should make a space wide enough to place the manga in the bookshelf. Between manga and books.

~Removing manga from a book shelf or book truck

Even though manga does not have a head cap like hard cover books, you should not aggressively pull the book out. Since manga is already made out of acidic material and cheap glue, just grabbing it out of the book shelve can further damage the exterior of the book such as the coloring of the cover. This could also damage the exterior of neighboring manga or books.





You should push the neighboring books and manga slightly in enough so you can carefully pull out the manga.

~Shelving Manga

Manga should not be placed on the opening side. The weight of the spine will damage the pages of the manga and the pages are not strong enough to hole up the book. You should not place the manga on its spine, because the weight and the open side of the paper glued to the spine can further weaken the spine and possibly the strength of glue.



Manga should be placed in an upright position.

~Viewing manga or opening it



No matter what the reason is for opening the manga, how to view or open the manga is an issue that will probably be difficult to deal with.



Unless you can look at the contents of the manga without completely opening it, you will end up damaging the spine of manga. If you see cracks along the spine of the manga, you know the spine is damage.

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 1 Introduction
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 3 Storage Area
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 4 Protection, Dark Horse Comics Archiving and Thank You's

© 2008 Linda Thai

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 3

Disclaimer: Because this is my student project, which is required to be online, please seek a professional on preservation of manga. You can read this just for fun and check back for updates on this project.

This project only focuses on preserving the physical manga as is. No discussion of rebinding or digitization will occur. Those are separate issues to deal with.

Manga Storage Area

~Keep the storage area and manga clean



Manga, like anything that stands still for a long time untouched, should be dusted. If the manga needs further cleaning, before and after storage, like removal of dirt, you should consult a professional who has the proper training in cleaning books. Keeping the storage area clean also prevents and keeps rodents away that could eat away the manga.

~Maintain the storage area of manga



Make sure all operating facilities, such as pipes, are in good condition and properly working. Make sure the environment is free from water, molding and rodents. Bad facilities and storage areas can further damage the manga, like making them wet and you would have to dry them out.

~Keep manga protect and shield it from sunlight



Ultraviolet rays from the sun can harm and damage the manga, such as changing the color of pages from white to yellow. This causes the breakdown of manga pages, which will cause it to brittle and crack. To protect the manga from the sun one can cover the windows with curtains and place books in areas where the sun will not touch them.

~Regulate the temperature and humidity where manga are stored



If they are not regulated, high temperature and humidity will increase the speed of deterioration of the manga. As a result, the manga will worsen in quality, value and strength. The proper temperature and relative humidity for manga is probably the same as for any other paper based material, such as paperbacks.

~Keep manga from drying up and high humid conditions

Depending on how old the manga is, when a manga dries up the pages or text block falls out and become separated from the cover. When the humidity becomes high, the increase in heat will cause mold to develop, which can danger both manga by eating it away and causing people to become sick. If mold exist, the manga should be carefully isolated from people and everything else, including other manga by a professional. If you have the money have it placed in a special storage freezer. For the time being, wear gloves and a protective mask when handling the infected manga and place it in an airtight plastic.

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 1 Introduction
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 2 Handling
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 4 Protection, Dark Horse Comics Archiving and Thank You's

© 2008 Linda Thai

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 4

Disclaimer: Because this is my student project, which is required to be online, please seek a professional on preservation of manga. You can read this just for fun and check back for updates on this project.

This project only focuses on preserving the physical manga as is. No discussion of rebinding or digitization will occur. Those are separate issues to deal with.

Protecting from
Damage or Further Damage

~(Follow the suggestions about Manga storage)

~Manga should be placed in phase boxes





If manga has lose pages, keep the lose pages in page number order inside the manga. Do not separate them. Then place the manga with its lose pages together in a phase box. If a manga does not have lose pages, it should still be placed in a phase box. You can either buy phase boxes that fit the size of the manga or you can make one yourself. You have to first measure all sides of the manga, including length and width of each side. Then buy non-acidic glue, cardboard and tape. Cut the board up to fit the size of each side; expect the spine, but enough that it will not suffocate the manga when placing it in the phase box. Take the tape and tape up the cardboard together that corresponds to each side of the manga to create a phase box. When taping up the cardboard, remember that the spine is the open end of the phase box. The manga spine should be the only visible part of the manga when placed in the phase box.

~Manga should be placed in upright position

As if it was placed by itself in a bookshelf, the manga in the phase box should be placed upright.

~Manga should be placed in non-acidic bookcases or shelves



Since the manga is already acidic from birth, place them in bookshelves, possibly aluminum, that will not further damage the manga and the phase box.

~Saving your place in a manga

Do not fold the pages of a manga to keep your reading place. Since manga is already acidic, folding the pages of a manga will further weakening the strength of the page. You should use a non-acidic bookmark to keep your reading place. No metal bookmarks!

~Do not stuff the manga

Placing a bunch of items in the manga, whether it is paper based or not, will weaken the spine of the manga. It places the spine under a certain amount of stress, which will weaken the strength of the glue. As a result, pages of the manga will fall out.

~Food and manga = bad combination

You should not be eating food or drinking while reading manga, because if the food or drink spills on the manga, it damages the manga and its contents. Food can also attract insects and rodents. Keep unwanted pests away from manga.

~Manga that is wet



Do not get the manga wet. If the manga becomes wet, the pages will change in shape and possibly the content will be removed due to water. Dry out the manga by having it in a fan like open position and stick paper towels in between the pages to sponge up the water. Change to a new dry paper towel to prevent further water damage. Also have a fan in front of the manga to dry it out, but keep the fan setting low enough to dry it out with out damaging the pages. No sun drying! No hair dryer or blow dryer!

~Manga that smells

Manga that smells is due to the acid base materials it is made from. Unfortunately, you will not be able to get the actual smell out of the manga. Once it stinks it will continue stinking.

~De-acidification of manga

Although manga can be replaced, which is cheaper than getting a preservationist or specialist, if manga is to one day not exist or be limited in existence, de-acidification maybe the thing to help preserve manga. If you have the money consult a specialist or professional about de-acidifying the acid manga.

Dark Horse Comics and Archiving

I thought this is pretty cool so I decided to add links to a few articles about Dark Horse Comics, Inc. founder and president Mike Richardson and executive vice president Neil Hankerson donating their comics to the Portland State University Archives. Below are a few articles, but I will see if I can dig up more to share with you guys.

Dark Horse Press Release
Dark Horse Comics collection celebration on October 16 video
Dark Horse Comics collection celebration coverage
Dark Horse Comics, Inc., Donates Complete Collection to Portland State University Library by Office of University Communications, Portland State News September 17, 2008
Dark Horse Donates Complete Collection To Portland State University by IcV2 September 19, 2008
Portland State Library Celebrates Donation of Dark Horse Comic Collection, Oct. 16 by Office of University Communications, Portland State News September 24, 2008
Pow! Zowie! Comics in the library by J. David Santen, Jr., Portland State News September 25, 2008
The Country's First Comic-Book Archive, Courtesy of Portland State and Dark Horse by Matthew Perpetua, New York Magazine September 30, 2008
Comics 101: This month Portland State University and Dark Horse Comics open the country's first comic book archive by Kristen Hall-Geisler, Portland Monthly Magazine October 2005
Downtown: Dark Horse Comics finds home at PSU by Jessica Machado, special to The Oregonian Thursday October 02, 2008
Portland State gets a whole lot of Dark Horse by Kristi Turnquist, The Oregonian Wednesday October 15, 2008
Dark Horse, ' Doctor Who' and 'Heroes' in Everyday Hero headlines by Geoff Boucher, Los Angeles Times October 23, 2008
Every Dark Horse comic avaliable at Portland State University by Aaron Humphrey, Publishers Weekly The Beat blog October 23, 2008

Acknowledgments and Thank You's

Sites I used for my project, but they are not manga preservation sources:

http://www.biblio.com/unbound/2008/6/preservation.html
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/preservation/chlm/
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/books.html

Thank you Brooklyn College Archive and Special Collections for letting me burrow their facilities for this project.

Thank you Slava Polishchuck from Brooklyn College Archive and Special Collections for teaching me and helping me with this project.

Thank you Mike Gombos from Dark Horse Comics, John Fuller from Kinokuniya Bookstore, Ali Kokmen from Del Rey Manga and Kensuke Okabayashi author of Manga for Dummies for helping me out with the manga part of this project.

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 1 Introduction
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 2 Handling
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 3 Storage Area

© 2008 Linda Thai