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Thanks for all your responses. Here is a compilation of various strategies= : I have generally offered discarded materials to the staff for permanent classroom collections and to students "for keeps". Generally, I weed twice a year: at the end of the calendar year and at the end of the school year. The December discards are put out at conference time for anyone who wants them, with a suggested goodwill offering of $1.00 for hardcovers and .25 for paperbacks. =20 When I weed periodicals, I follow the same pattern: I first offer them to teachers, then I allow students to take as many as they wish. I=20 rarely=20 find myself throwing these away: they generally are snapped up pretty quickly. While it may seem a bit mercenary to discard items this way, it is in keeping with my mission statement to provide support to the curriculum and to provide access to materials for all my patrons. I consider it one of th= e easiest ways to generate P.R. and awareness within the community about the to provide access to materials for all my patrons. I consider it one of th= e easiest ways to generate P.R. and awareness within the community about the need to provide enough funding so that the collection can be comprehensive, up-to-date and in good condition. Teresa Holten Lyle Public School Media Generalist Lyle, MN 55953 teresah@selco.lib.mn.us Hi My name is LaWanda Dale and I'm the Primary Media Specialist in=20 the Dover School District. I have used my discarded books in several=20 ways over the 15 years of being a media specialist 1. Cut out the pictures for flannel board stories. 2. Cut out pictures for story starters. 3. Give the books to children. 4. Give the books to new teachers who do not have a library started=20 in their classroom. =20 5. We have a migrant teacher and she loves to have the discarded=20 books. 6. Last year we had a request from a local church that was needing library books for a missionary in Russia. They paid for the=20 shipping so I was glad to give them the books. =20 Hope this gives you some ideas. =20 LaWanda Dale Dalelj@Dover.afsc.k12.ar.us =20 From: "Richard R. Shook" <rshook@edcen.ehhs.cmich.edu> Discarded books: !.1. Some should just plain be destroyed--not valuable to=20 anyone for anything. 2. Pass along to a subject teacher for their personal yuse. 3. Pass along to a department office or content classroom for whatever. 4. Give to anyother buiklding if age appropriatge. Richard Libarrarina From: Rayna Patton <rpatton@freenet.columbus.oh.us> This is my first attempt to send a message on LM_NET, so I hope I get it right. Regarding old books weeded from the collection, I suggest you quietly dispose of them in the trash - your own at home if necessary. I faced teh necessity of getting rid of about half the books in a 6000 volume library when I started this job twelve years ago. My principal was understanding - we labelled it the "reserve collection" and put it in storage. Later he asked me if these books were needed and when I said no, he had them put in the trash (still in boxes). Not many principals are so understanding. Most measure the library program in terms of books on the shelf, regardless of the merits of thebooks in question. In this case, some librarians take to quietly withdrawing the books and lugging them home for disposal. You must be careful that the word doesn't get around the community that "the librarian is throwing out the books." So - no book sales or donations to worthy community projects. I still regret some of the community that "the librarian is throwing out the books." So - no book sales or donations to worthy community projects. I still regret some of the volumes I got rid of , like "Jobs for Girls" (1937) and "Turf for Golfcourses" (1920s), plus a complete collection of Neville Shute's work, which had reposed undisturbed for twenty years. However, the collection is much better, newer and more useful now. Good luck! RaynaPatton. rpatton@acme.freenet.oh.us (I think) I have had some success selling deleted books to furniture stores. I've=20 had to convince them that stacking three or four books on a table and=20 perhaps placing a candle stick on those books is very decorative. I've=20 also sold some recently to an antique store. Of course, I didn't get a=20 lot for them (less than 50 cents each); I noticed that the dealer is=20 selling them (or trying to sell them) for $3.00-8.00 each). My next=20 attempt may be to crafters who sometimes tie two or three together with=20 decorative ribbon and add bows and flowers. Of course, before I sell any to any outsiders, I let students and faculty= =20 have any they want for 50 cents each. I often give books to faculty=20 members who will use them in their classes. I'm interested in what=20 others tell you! Geneva Johnson Central High School Bruceton, TN From: Paula Hughart <phughart@oemsunix.onysd.wednet.edu> Our district surpluses them and sells them at a garage sale. From: d_shidler@sparc3.sparcc.ohio.gov We give the books to teachers first. Then we give them to our local PL=20 who has=20 an annual book sale. Locally we also have a book recycler as a final=20 resort=20 forgetting rid of old books. Dolores A. Shidler I weeded last year and the process I went through is as follows. I first= =20 invited all classroom teachers to the library and allowed them to take=20 what they wanted for their classrooms. I was amazed at what they took. =20 I took the leftovers to my book fair and had a table set out that I put=20 the books on and charged .50 per book. The rest I donated to the public=20 library for their book sale. Johnnie Frisbie Librarian K-12 Shawnee, Kansas Maranatha Academy ksmarc@coop.crn.gen.mo.us Our district requires taht surplus school things (books, equipement etc.)= =20 be boxed up and sent to a central place for auction. That suits me just=20 fine. I rarely pass the junk (and believe me, most books I weed are junk)= =20 on to the class room teachers...my theory being...if it's not good=20 enough for the library, why is good enough for the classroom? Some=20 teachers will take the oldest, out of date stuff because"I might need it=20 some day" or "well some of the information might still be good (said of a= =20 book on space with a 1965 copyright date!). Sometimes, if it is a=20 picture book that is still good, I'll (gasp!) tear our and laminate the=20 pages for bulletin board purposes. Old Waldos I cut up, laminate and=20 give away as bookmarks...the kids love that. I'd be interested in=20 hearing what others do. Guusje Moore ********************************** Marian had a giant sale of my 5,000 discards along with th other junk and got rid of everything-remainders went to Goodwill. I think they made some money and both Alums and Used book Dealers came. =20 =20 Sarah Peckham, Library Media Specialist=20 E-Mail: speckham@bluejay.creighton.edu =20 speckham@unomaha.edu MARIAN HIGH SCHOOL From: Linda Anne Ellis <laellis@tenet.edu> Some elementary teachers like to have a classroom "library" for sponge=20 time, quiet time, rainy day time. =20 Most taxpayer/patrons are horrified to know that books wind up in the=20 dumpster, no matter how little value they have for our library. That=20 kind of discarding is better done very quietly.=20 From: Vickye Jean Drury <vdrury@tenet.edu> In our district, when we weed any materials, we offer them first=20 to the classroom teachers. This is a good public relations idea,=20 especially if you make it clear why the item is being discarded. I know=20 one librarian who invites teachers to help her weed the collection,=20 giving them a specific area and criteria to work with. They get first=20 choice of the discards--once the librarian has confirmed the need to=20 discard. If no one wants the items, they are placed in a box, labeled=20 "trash" and are disposed of. However, if the materials are being weeded=20 because the information is no longer accurate or is prejudicial, then=20 they go directly in the trash. In a former position, in a different district, I received=20 approval to sell discarded books and other materials for 25 cents each.=20 The funds were used to replace or add new matreials and was a very=20 popular fundraiser. However, my current district specifically prohibits=20 reselling school district property. So if that sounds interesting to you,= =20 you might want to check your district guidelines first! We hold a used book sale once or twice a year during parent-teacher=20 conferences and sell the books for $.50 each. It works well in some=20 school, but not in others. We think it depends on the economic level of=20 the parents. Some we have given to the public library for their used=20 book sale. Frankly, we simply throw a lot of them away, especially if=20 the information is dated. Joie Taylor Coordinator of Libraries Columbus Public Schools P.O. Box 947 Columbus, NE 68602 Because my administration thinks everything should be kept forever, we=20 weed in secret. Take things home one at a time and lose them there. I=20 have been told it isn't legal to sell them, but some schools do that for=20 about a quarter apiece. Burning them seems to make taxpayers angry. Mary Lynne Jarvis Ozark R-6 Schools mjarvis@ozarks.sgcl.lib.mo.us Weeding was hard for me to get used to but I quickly learned how necessary it is, especially with limited space. This is what I did: I sold some to second-hand stores; kept some out-of-date books and labelled them historical or if the book was only partially out-of-date I indicated that with a label "may contain out-of-date information"; gave teachers opportunity to take any they might have wanted; cut out good pictures for picture file before discarding; boxed up a lot -- especially paperbacks -- to be sent to Desert Storm troops; the majority I pitched (a few at a time in school dumpster so noone would get upset!) It used to be that weeded books were to be sent to district office=20 where THEY usually threw them out -- however, they have no more storage spa= ce than we do so it has been suggested that WE pitch! Sometimes we trade arou= nd amongst ourselves. Geri Moulton Beechcroft High School Library gmoulton@freenet.columbus.oh.us =20 6100 Beechcroft Road Columbus,Ohio 43329 614-365-6800 This is only my third year as media specialist at Central City High School in Central City, NE, however, I do know how weeding was conducted by my predecessor, Alan Wibbels. The discarded books were offered for sale to the public at parent/teacher conferences for a very low fee (25=A2 to 50=A2= ). Those books that did not sell were unceremoniously burned (no need to tell the district patrons as I'm sure many would believe that nothing should be discarded). **************************************************** * LaJean Hadenfeldt * * Media Specialist & Technology Coordinator * * Central City High School * * 1510 28th Street * * Central City, NE 68826 * * 308-946-3086 (work) * * 308-946-2954 (fax) * * lhadenf@gilligan.esu7.k12.ne.us * **************************************************** From: Alan Arena <jarena@freenet.scri.fsu.edu> No matter what smelly dumpster, what flaming volcanoe, or what=20 Scottish Loch you put them in, some of those books will come back to=20 haunt you. I suggest removing all references/associations to any=20 Library =20 and then you can A) let the teachers have them B) take them to white=20 elephant parties C) give them to some shelter/children's home/church or=20 more needy library or D) all the above. =20 I have found that teachers are natural hoarders and will take=20 most of the books off my hands! From: "Meadville Jr. High School" <meadjh@iu05trc.trinet.k12.pa.us> We send them to a recycling firm. We are not permitted to sell or give=20 weeded books away.=20 ****************************** We discussed weeding and disposal repeatedly in my fall quarter "Selection" class. Students just couldn't accept that the trash is often the best place. Other suggestions: Ship to underdeveloped countries - cost is high Give to students and staff - but often the nonfiction is out of date. I believe in most cases if it is no longer of use on the library shelves it is not usable in a teacher's collection or a student's unless it is fiction Tear out pictures for art projects and vertical files. Give to "service agencies" ie goodwill, salvation army, senior's= =20 homes Use as insulation in remodeling or building a cabin (not fire=20 resistant) someone actually did that. Share with other schools. I'd be interested in knowing what you come up with for suggestions. Barbara Fiehn, Assistant Professor Mankato State University Library Media Education MSU 20/Box 8420 Mankato, MN 56002-8420 AOL: bfiehn Internet: bfiehn@vax1.mankato.msus.edu