I remember reading an article from NY Times article last year about some really interesting businesses in Japan that cater to Manga addicts. It might not directly apply to a startup collection in the U.S., but I think it shows the direction that teen libraries might be heading in, with easy access to entertainment in multiple media forms from manga to internet to video games and DVDs. We just don't serve clean underwear or massage chairs yet. ;)
In Tokyo, the New Trend Is 'Media Immersion Pods' By VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN
Published: May 14, 2006
I found lots of pictures on flickr of Manga libraries in Japan, from little roadside collections to huge stores and cybercafes like the one in the article with rentable cubicles:
Woman & Her Comic Lending Library "Convenience Mart" style "comics library"
Originally uploaded by The Kozy Shack Originally uploaded by Ikhlasul Ama
Manga library Kyoto "Room" in a Cyber-Cafe "Library
Originally uploaded by Tim Eyles Originally uploaded by yoni.holmes
Originally uploaded by Tim Eyles Originally uploaded by yoni.holmes
Beyond Japan, I also saw pictures of a really awesome graphic novel library in Stockholm. Since the whole library is dedicated to this genre of literature, the images of the layout and storage options is very informative for our project. Michael Casey, who writes the LibraryCrunch blog, has a slideshow of more images here. I sent him an e-mail and he was nice enough to say I could use any of his photos for our website, he would just like to see it when it's up.
3 comments:
That article was interesting. At first I thought it was going to be about manga on i-pod, and wondered how that would work, since the pictures are essential. But it's a little cubical pod. :) The pictures look good. I'm going to look for articles now.
Glad my photo(s) are being put to good use.
If its of any further interest, I have a few shots from the Kyoto Manga Museum (the first three shots at the following link http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=manga&w=8315837%40N02)
Where they exhibit a 'wall of manga' that runs over 100 meters in length and is over 2 meters tall.
Cheers.
Tim
Woah, sorry was a bit slow to get around to reading my 'recent activity' thingy in Flickr. Yeah those manga cafes in Japan are pretty whack. All the ones I went to were pleasantly air-conditioned, very relaxing. In one the staff were dressed as French maids, and everyone acted as if everything was normal. Zany, but fun! =)
That picture in the article is of a cubicle I spent the night in. They rented it in 4 hours blocks, but their computer system wouldn't let me pay for 2 blocks in advance, so I had to wake up at 3 in the morning to pay for the second block, which was a bit annoying. ;p
Post a Comment