Thank you to everyone who responded to my questions about condensed books. The
response was a resounding "YUCK!" with words like 'hate' sprinkled throughout the
emails. Apparently, I am not the only one who is not a fan of condensed books. I
was asked to post a HIT of the answers to my second question (how to catalog).
Most of you said to simply pitch or donate the books, so there were only a few
suggestions of how to catalog them if they are kept. Just in case you are curious,
I am also including your suggestions for discarding the books.
Original questions, followed by responses:
>#1:
>Do you have condensed books in your library?
>Do people check them out? I can maybe see
>benefits from having a few condensed books,
>but 160 is maybe a few too many... what do you think?
Responses:
Donate them to Goodwill, to churches, or to retirement villages.
-------------------------------------------
If you need the space and esp. if you have the same stories in other forms, I
wouldn't feel guilty about giving them away to a used book store or a garage sale.
Or File 13.
-------------------------------------------
I ran a used book fair and we would get tons of them donated and
would have to toss 98% of them after the fair. No one really likes them.
-------------------------------------------
Ask the teachers if they would like to have these in their rooms.
-------------------------------------------
Pitch them! Ages ago Time Magazine ran a piece on "non-books." RDCBs were
non-books for the same reason bouillon cubes are non-cows.
-------------------------------------------
I would get rid of all! condensed books, but don't just throw then
away. Hasve a book sale. This way people or teachers that think these
books are so "wonderful" can purchase them and look after them themselves in their
classrooms and you'll raise a little money for the library.
-------------------------------------------
I would quietly toss them. Perhaps take them to the Goodwill, or something like
that. Amvets?
-------------------------------------------
I gave them to the local nursing home. They were thrilled
to receive them. On occasion I am asked if I want some by patrons who wish to
donate them, I just refer them on to the nursing home, or local senior citizens
centers, where they also keep small libraries.
>#2:
>If I keep these books, how do I catalog them? They all
>seem to have the same LCCN (why??), and I'm not sure what
>this means as far as cataloging them. Also, if I keep
>very many of them, what sort of call #s would you suggest?
>It seems to me that it might be a little awkward to have
>so many books with identical call #s...
>but maybe this is not a problem (?)
Responses:
I'd put them in Story Collection or just Fiction. If you have time to enter
individual stories so they are searchable, the books might get used more.
-------------------------------------------
We have a separate section in our library for "Story Collections" our
call number for Readers Digest Condensed Books would be SC REA. When
cataloging them we enter the titles and authors into the summary/notes
fields.
-------------------------------------------
For the most part, they are fiction, so what I started doing is give
them a FIC 1998.1 type number, where the first part of the number is the year, and
the second part is the volume number.
-------------------------------------------
My solution to your second quandary is to place them in your story
collection. Use a 3-line cutter:
SC
REA
VOL. 65
-------------------------------------------
Catalog the same as books of short stories. List titles and authors in the
Formatted Notes (505) field.
A few of you suggested that the reason people can't bear to get rid of RD condensed
books is their pretty binding... and I will admit that I am drawn to their
'prettiness.' But since I am not at all impressed with their contents, I like to
make book boxes out of them and give them as gifts... or keep them for myself if I
REALLY like the pretty binding :)
******************************************************
Karisa Hayward, Librarian
EskDale High School
EskDale, Utah
Daisy@goducks.com
What if the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all about?
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