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Comic books have been part of the stock of public libraries for a long time. They belong to the group of books that are borrowed frequently. Although their reputation is not the best, an appropriate selection and a skillful presentation can turn the comic book stock into an attractive segment of every library. This article describes how comic books are handled at the Cologne Public Library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on interviews and empirical data this article analysis whether comic books, graphic novels, and manga still can be considered as neglected, marginal media in the library landscape, or if collection building and cataloguing procedures and routines have changed since the 1970s seeing comics become remarkable parts of the libraries' collections sufficient to satisfy readers and researchers. A further aspect of the article is the level of national organization of cataloguing and collecting. The main thesis in this paper is, that major developments in the general field of librarianship but also on the specific field of comics librarianship have passed without inducing any further recognition in the treatment of comic books in German libraries: Not only a comparative view on major comic collections in other countries shows the enormous effort necessary for integrating comics in modern German librarianship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]