In May 2013, a collection of over 15,000 volumes of Korean graphic novels was donated to the East Asia Library. The collection includes mainly Korean graphic novels and a small portion of translated Japanese Manga and novels.
While not “academic” in the traditional sense, the Korean Manhwa collection is a popular and useful resource for the University’s students who are learning the Korean language and literatures. This collection is also important in advancing research on Korean popular culture through graphic novels in the fields of literature, history, anthropology, political sciences and many other subjects.
This Manhwa collection ranging from 1980s to 2000s will stimulate further research on Korean contemporary topics. This research area is not only one of the fastest growing subject areas on campus but also a globally popular research area.
Processing of the Manhwa collection is made possible, in part, by awards from the Friends of the University of Washington Libraries and the Center for Korean Studies.
A selection of over 1,000 images of the covers is available online at http://cdm16786.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/collection/p16786coll5