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Libraries and librarians in “Family Guy”. Library reputation in U.S. animated

TV Series audience

Joanna reflect common perceptions about librarians, and the show’s sharp humour effectively depicts

opinions about what happens (or is believed to happen) in U.S. public libraries. The aim of the paper is

to use a popular U.S. animated series to discuss the reputation and identity of the librarian profession,

through the most effective and common clichés portrayed by non-library-professionals’ illustrators for

a general, non-library-professional audience, thus providing an external and unbiased perspective. The

appearances of the Quahog Public Library (and other libraries) or librarian Joanna (and other librarians)

are discussed case by case, with dialogues quoted verbatim. The resulting image is quite close to how

U.S. citizens and common people in general use to perceive librarians, libraries and their patrons. These

first are women, poorly integrated socially and yet good and clever, with a passion for cats and a sense

of childlike humour. They work in quiet and reliable research locations, often frequented by homeless

El artículo examina escenas de la serie animada de comedia "Family Guy" protagonizadas por

bibliotecas y bibliotecarios para explorar los estereotipos que se representan. Muchas características

atribuidas a la bibliotecaria Joanna reflejan la percepción común sobre los bibliotecarios, y el humor

agudo de la serie refleja eficazmente las opiniones sobre lo que sucede (o se cree que sucede) en las

bibliotecas públicas estadounidenses. El objetivo del trabajo es utilizar una popular serie animada

estadounidense para analizar la reputación y la identidad de la profesión bibliotecaria, a través de los

clichés más efectivos y comunes representados por ilustradores no profesionales de bibliotecas para

un público general, ofreciendo así una perspectiva externa e imparcial. Se analiza caso por caso la

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Lo que sí se desprende es que los estereotipos retratados en la serie son muy similares a los ya

conocidos y estudiados, y a los que se muestran en otras películas y series de televisión, aunque no en

todos los aspectos, y el personaje de Joanna, la bibliotecaria de la Quahog Public Library, es sin duda

positivo.

Palabras-Clave: Bibliotecas; Bibliotecarios; Serie TV; Reputación de las Bibliotecas; Estereotipos de los

Bibliotecarios.

RESUMO

O artigo examina cenas da série de comédia animada "Family Guy", referente a bibliotecas e

proporcionando assim uma perspectiva externa e imparcial. As aparições da Quahog Public Library (e

de outras bibliotecas) ou da bibliotecária Joanna (e de outros bibliotecários) são discutidas caso a caso,

com diálogos citados literalmente. A imagem resultante é bastante próxima de como os cidadãos

americanos e as pessoas comuns em geral costumam perceber bibliotecários, bibliotecas e seus

usuários. As primeiras são mulheres, pouco integradas socialmente, mas boas e inteligentes, com

confiáveis, frequentemente frequentados por moradores de rua em busca de um teto ou um banheiro.

O que se percebe é que os estereótipos retratados na série são muito próximos daqueles já conhecidos

e estudados, e retratados em outros filmes e séries de TV, mas ainda assim não em todos os aspectos,

e a personagem Joanna, bibliotecária da Quahog Public Library, é definitivamente positiva.

MacFarlane and produced by Fox, it has aired for 23 seasons since 1999 and recently celebrated 25

years on the screen. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, MacFarlane—who also voices

three of the characters—remarked that he doesn't see "a good reason to stop." (Itzkoff 2024). Like

many successful series, Family Guy spawned a spin-off centered on one of its characters: The Cleveland

Show (2009-2013). Although its strong structural similarity to The Simpsons has been noted (and

sometimes criticized) (see Biderman & Devlin 2007), Family Guy features elements not found in earlier

animated series. Compared to the "yellow family," the Griffin-centered series uses cutaways and

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the actions and remarks of certain characters. Using Culpeper's model (1996), Puspitasari Mulyadi et

al. (2024) have measured its (high and intentional) degree of impoliteness. Looking at Lyotard,

Biderman & Davlis also observe that:

Among these is also the library environment. The Quahog Public Library appears in about two dozen

episodes out of the more than 440 that have aired so far, averaging one appearance every season.

Overall, most of the appearances last only a handful of seconds, yet they are sufficient to reveal a

certain American perspective on libraries through the sharp humour of its characters.

The librarian of the Quahog Public Library, whose name is Joanna - except in the latest episode

(see chapter 4 “Wild West (19x07): The librarian starring in an episode”) where, probably for an ironic

inversion, is called Elle Hitler - is depicted with the stereotypical traits of the profession. The stereotype

of the female librarian in American popular culture is far from new and was already seen in movies and

tv series analysed, among others, by Fajte & Börjesson (2015), Mendes & de Souza (2019) and Yanes

(2002). Stereotypical librarian is commonly described as a “little old lady with the bun, the shawl, the

analysed by Yanes (2022) are female, and even if Fajte & Börjesson (2015) notice “an increased

representation of male librarians”, they admit that “the old stereotype seems to persist” (ivi: 2). On

the other side of things, according to Kneale (2014, 12) “if you’re a male librarian, no matter your age,

people assume you must be gay”.

Exactly as in the standard representations of spectators collected by Mendes & de Souza

(2019), Joanna wears glasses; she is a spinster, middle-aged, plump woman, dressed unattractively,

with her hair in a bun and wearing earrings typical of mature women. While her character also reflects

the collective imagination about librarians, she also has relevant traits worth noting. Joanna is

repeatedly described as “smart,” but she has a mediocre sense of humour (she makes terrible jokes,

has an awkward laugh and is easily entertained). Although she is aware of her lack of attractiveness to

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appearances of libraries and librarians have increased in the last seven seasons (16-22), where they

are more than in the previous 15 seasons (see graph below).

popular US animated series in order to bring out adherences and divergences with the stereotype and

shared image of librarians and libraries among a general public. In order to do this, we will report

between the main characters while they are in the library and discuss them in the context of the

episodes.

Chart 1: Occurrences of libraries and librarians in “Family Guy”

Source: Series Data (2024).

The first episode in which the Quahog Public Library appears is in Peter Griffin: Husband,

Father...Brother? [03x14]. Peter takes Chris to the Quahog Public Library to look for information on the

Griffin family’s genealogy. It is Chris's first time ever entering a library, and he asks his father:

CHRIS: What’s a library, Dad?

PETER: Oh, it’s just a place where homeless come to shave and go BM [Bowel Movement].

It will be Chris himself, despite his inexperience, who quickly finds the useful information for

their research.

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card,” likely a play on words with the library card.

[10x04], reading is depicted as the worst activity to invest in on a Friday night: Lois is on the couch

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just what I need/ home bowl, home bowl/ poop before my anus bleeds.

from a gunshot fired by his friend Joe, who announces, “He ruined my summer too.” In the following

TOM TUCKER: The public library suffered damage this evening when an area fat man smashed

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JOANNA: (laughs) Oh Stewie, you’re gonna make me spit out my saltwater taffy. (laughs)

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JOANNA (smiling): Promo code: lonely.

In Peterschmidt Manor [20x07], the librarian finally gets a romantic comeback and ends up

being pursued by two suitors: Principal Shepherd and Dr. Hartman. Ultimately, it will be the money of

the latter that wins over the two's seduction tactics. On this occasion, Joanna, in addition to her classic

identifying outfit, wears some childish accessories: a fanny pack shaped like a teddy bear and a purple

teddy bear on her backpack; moreover, she carries a trolley with a third pink teddy bear and a pillow

with drawings of teddy bear heads. Stewie’s voiceover, in a tone reminiscent of a voiceover narrator

or a television host, announces her like this:

STEWIE: The Librarian, never married, Adult Disney. First kiss was whit a boy at theather camp

who would one day get beaten up by David Hyde Pierce for being too fancy.

she asks with an irritated attitude: “Who is this froggy little bitch? How come she’s sitting with us?”.

3 OTHER LIBRARIES, OTHER LIBRARIANS

Together with the Quahog Museum of Science and the Quahog Theater, the Quahog Public

Library is among the few places of culture represented in the series. However, QPL it is not the only

library to make an appearance in the series, as Joanna is not the only librarian to appear in Family Guy,

even if she’s surely the most important. The dialogue of the other librarians, when present, is also

rather short. Three of the four alternative appearances are in the eleventh season. Here we see the

appearance of two female librarians, neither of whom is Joanna, however, and whose physical and

clothing characteristics are decidedly less close to the stereotype of the profession. In The Old Man

and the Big C [11x03], Quagmire, feeling old because he has lost his hair, tries to make conversation

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application of the sanction, rather than hoping that they will be returned.

suggests they try a different one this time to take his level of education to a higher point. Compared

people, as suggested in the episode The Old Man and the Big C [11x03].

4 WILD WEST (19X07): THE LIBRARIAN STARRING OF AN EPISODE

As we have seen, in most episodes of Family Guy, the library and the librarian occupy a

generally secondary space, serving only to advance a plot point or provide a brief gag. However, unlike

these episodes, Season 19, Episode 7, titled “Wild West,” features the Quahog librarian as a sort of co-

protagonist or positive antagonist, certainly not secondary in terms of the space and role she occupies

in the episode.

at her home to listen to the proposals of those present. Among them is the town librarian, who seems

[…]

LOIS: You know, I think you might be a really good candidate. You know the town, you’re smart

and you clearly have nothing better to do. So all in favour of the librarian running for mayor say “aye”.

EVERYONE: Aye!

[…]

LOIS: Let’s toast our new mayor. Um…I’m sorry I don’t even know your name.