Why Don't They Read a Good Book Instead?: Librarians and Comic Books, 1949-1955

This paper surveys the attitudes of librarians towards efforts to restrict and censor comic books in the period from 1949-1955. This period includes the years leading up to and just beyond the creation of the Comics Code in 1954, an event that censored comic books determined to be obscene. The analysis finds that librarians in the late 1940s and early 1950s were divided over exactly how to approach the issue of comic books and children. Part of this ambivalence stemmed from the inconclusive research regarding relationship between violent comic books and juvenile delinquency. Moreover, the anti-censorship position that is fundamental to librarianship further complicated the actions of librarians. The study concludes that librarians were no better or worse than other cultural ambassadors of the era in their reaction to comic books.