Illustration

The Spencer Collection surveys the illustrated word and book bindings of all periods and all countries and cultures, from medieval manuscripts, Japanese scrolls, and Indian miniatures to monuments in Renaissance printing, illustration, and binding to contemporary livres d'artistes.

The collection offers a wealth of circulating materials for children of all ages, and for adults with an interest in children’s literature, music, and media.

Reference material on the history and cultural significance of comic books are collected by the General Research Division (GRD) and may be requested from the general stacks. Some titles dealing with comic books as a graphic art form are collected by the Arts, Prints and Photographs Division. In light of the recent increased interest in original comic books and the publication of many new reference titles, GRD has begun expanding collection development in this area. Due to the difficulty of obtaining original comic books circa 1930-1960, emphasis has been placed on reprint collections, microforms, and reference titles. Graphic novels, selected current comics and titles on comic artists, writers, collecting, etc., are presently being added to the collections. This guide represents the current state of comics related material. Users are advised to consult the online catalog for the latest available items.

The Butler Library at Columbia University has a good collection of comics and graphic novels, largely due to the efforts of Karen Green, who is both Graphic Novels Librarian and Medieval and Ancient History Librarian.

"Graphic novel" is a term gaining acceptance that is used to describe bound narratives that tell a story through sequential art with or without text. These may have been conceived originally as novel-length works or be compilations of previously serialized stories.

Barnard's zines are written by women (cis- and transgender) with an emphasis on zines by women of color. We collect zines on feminism and femme identity by people of all genders. The zines are personal and political publications on activism, anarchism, body image, third wave feminism, gender, parenting, queer community, riot grrrl, sexual assault, trans experience, and other topics