One thing that I’ve been wondering is how many libraries will decide to subscribe to the new Yen Plus Magazine. The price point is much higher than Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat, but on the other hand Yen Plus features a bunch of series that the typical library reader might not be familiar with. It is a little tough to get an estimate of how many libraries are currently subscribed to Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat, just because WorldCat has multiple records for each magazine. And there are tons of libraries that aren’t represented in the WorldCat numbers for subscriptions. It looks like Shonen Jump has roughly 500 WorldCat libraries subscribed to it and Shojo Beat has a little under 400 library subscribers. Yen Plus doesn’t have any libraries listed yet. It’ll be interesting to see if libraries start to pick it up. I’ve seen a Yen Press marketing person posting on the Graphic Novels in Libraries List, so at least they are making an effort to reach out to the library market.
I read the first issue, and my thoughts about it tend to agree with the general consensus of most of the people reviewing it – Yen Plus presents some wildly inconsistent series that vary greatly in genre, tone, and age range. While that can be a good thing for a reader wanting to stretch themselves a little bit, the higher age range (Older Teen) listed for this magazine is no joke. School libraries which have more concerns about nudity/fan service will likely not want to subscribe to Yen Plus, it won’t be worth the hassle.

Here’s a mini round-up of reviews for library folks out there who might be considering adding this to their collections:

Mania
Popcultureshock
Good Comics For Kids
シャノンのブログ
Mangablog
Comics Worth Reading
Comics Should be Good – Manga Before Flowers

Updated to add a link about Yen Plus subscription problems.