Weed of the Month Club

[Karen DeFrank <defrank@VOICENET.COM>]

 Dear LM-NET:
As you may remember, since last spring when Mike Eisenberg asked each of us
to weed our Space and Astronomy books to reflect current scientific
information, LM_NET has had a voluntary Weed of the Month group on
different topics. Many of us have been amused and surprised at the books we
found in our own libraries, and decided to remove some of them and replace
them with current, up-to-date, relevant materials.

We then decided to take on one topic a month, with the help of SUNLINK,
Florida's K-12 union database of library materials,
located on the internet at http://www.sunlink.ucf.edu Since we started the
Weed of the Month club, the SUNLINK staff have
noted over 300 hits per week from all over the globe!

The topic for January is DISEASES.   This topic was suggested by a Florida
media specialist who has a student just diagnosed with juvenile diabetes.
He checked his collection and was appalled to discover the most recent book
he could offer this child was 15 years old.  Surely more is know about
coping with diabetes in 1997 than was known in 1982!  He also mentioned
children living with HIV and other medical conditions in our schools.
Please do a check of your books, audio visual materials, and vertical files
and see if you have anything that needs to be tossed and replaced.

If you are in a school with a school nurse,  you may want to check with him
or her. What types of topics does he/she think you need to have covered?
Many school districts have district level heath coordinators or
hospital/homebound staff, maybe a call to the district office is
appropriate.  Guidance counselors may also be a source of information.

THEN - share your findings with other LM-NETters.  Do you have some GREAT
titles of current information about a disease?  Did you find something
absolutely appalling? Our LM_NET discussions are monitored by the SUNLINK
staff.  They are looking for your great/appalling books to add to their
lists on the upcoming Weed of the Month website on diseases. Naturally if
you share the title of an awful book, you name will *not* be used!

Maybe you know of a disease that has a lack of available materials.  We
need to know that, too! There may be aspiring authors out there, looking
for topics to write about.

Thanks for your help.  We can learn so much from each other!

Karen DeFrank, Librarian
Dorothy L. Bullock Elementary School
Glassboro, NJ  08028
 defrank@voicenet.com

*When in doubt, Throw it OUT!*

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
To quit LM_NET (or set NOMAIL or DIGEST), Send an email message to
listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER
1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST
    NOTE: Please allow time for confirmation from Listserv.
For more help see LM_NET On The Web: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=