Miskatonic University PressHere’s another of the rare Archie stories where a librarian is mentioned: “My Loss is My Gain,” first published in Betty 165 (July 2007).
In the story, it’s a hot day and Betty offers to buy Jughead a cold soda, but she’s lost the five dollar bill she thought was in her pocket. She’d tucked it into a library book, so they first go there to look, but the librarian says it hadn’t been found it when the book was discharged (that is, checked back in). Later Archie takes Jughead and Betty for a soda at Pop’s. Veronica finds the bill but gives it to Betty when, displaying extraordinary powers of memory, the latter recites the serial number. The story ends happily with Betty having both the money and a soda with Archie.
The name “Dewey” is a reference to the Dewey Decimal System and its creator Melvil Dewey. It’s a name very commonly associated with libraries, and understandably so, but Dewey’s bigotry and sexism are well explained in a resolution by the American Library Association to strip his name from an award.
See also Ms Hoskins and Mrs. Bell, Miss Dewey’s colleagues at the Riverdale Public Library.
“My Loss is My Gain” was written by Mike Pellowski, pencilled by Stan Goldberg, inked by John Lowe, coloured by Barry Grossman and lettered by Jack Morelli. I saw it in Betty and Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest 275 (September 2019). It is copyright Archie Comic Publications.