Character Demographic Assessment in an Academic Library's Graphic Novel Collection: Implications for Collection Development

This article presents an analysis of the main character demographics across a graphic novel collection housed at the Paul Meek Library, University of Tennessee at Martin. The study evaluates the presence of specific identified character traits such as race, ethnicity, ability, emotional or psychological themes, and the settings of the 451 evaluated titles. The assessment also evaluates the genre distribution of fiction, nonfiction, and biographical content and how often the novels were set outside of the United States. The goal of this study was to better understand the narrative scope and representation within the graphic novel collection, with a focus on informing future collection development practices. Key findings in the study highlight both areas of strength and underrepresentation in main characters and themes. The study provides a clear and practical approach to analyzing a small collection’s content and supports using informed decision-making for future collection additions.