Filmstrip cumulative - part 2

[lori joffe <lkjof@ICDC.COM>]

Hi, Everybody.

Here are the rest of the answers.  Thanks for all who answered.

Next will be the Proquest responses.

Lori K. Joffe
Librarian
Bensalem High School
Bensalem, PA

lkjof@icdc.com
215-750-2800


Put them together by subject and ask any interested
teachers who teach these subjects to have a look at
them.  You might want to also show them what the
library does have on this subject that is more up to
date.  They can give you suggestions on what to toss
or not. This way they won't come to you in the future
wanting that filmstrip "they use every year" that you
just tossed out.  Hopefully you don't have too many
pack rat teachers - you could give the sets to these
teachers to keep on their own if they can't stand the
idea of throwing things out (This might especially
happen if they were the teacher to request the $200
kit 10 years ago).  Make sure you dont' look to see
how much this stuff cost in the first place either
I really, really would like to have this info too, as I inherited "tons"
of
the stuff!  Please let me know if you get any responses, or post a HIT.

I was in this situation last year, and I ended up doing a global toss.
But,
I did evaluate what I had before making the decision.

1.  What are the topics of your kits?  Are they time sensitive?  For
instance, science ones are quickly out of date.  Technology ones become
dated, as do careers and community service ones.  (I found the average
age
of the ones I was looking at was 1975.  Most were time sensitive.)

2.  Do you still possess the technology to run these kits?  What shape
are
they in?  i.e., Do you still have the film strip/tape projectors?  Do
they
still work?  Listen to a few of the cassettes.  Do they still run okay?
If
there are records involved, do you still have working record players?

3.  Do teachers ever use them?  In my case, the kits had so much dust on

them that I went home with major dust allergy induced headaches for
several
days.  If there are some the teachers are particularly attached to,
consider
giving the kits to them to keep in their rooms.  They may not be so
interested in keeping them if they have to house them!!

4.  Do you have the space to keep them?  Are you being crowded out by
new
CD-ROM and computer-related technology?  Can you still turn around in
your
office?  Do you have to do the backstroke to move about?

After I had determined my answers to these questions, I got a bunch of
heavy-duty garbage bags and HAD TOO MUCH FUN!!!

I just did a major toss-a-thon. We automated 5 years ago and I cataloged

all that old stuff because the teachers did not want it thrown away. I
went
through my records and if the item had not circulated and we had a video

that was closely related to the topic--then I tossed the kit. There were

some that teachers still use, I kept those. And there were a couple that
we
didn't have anything else available on the topic so i'm keeping those a
little longer.
        Next I am going to do the records. I have more than 200 and I
think only
10 circulated last year.

On a staff development day with nothing required for high school
teachers, I brought chips and cookies and asked teachers to set aside
any A-V they *would* like me to keep.  I had checked with the
principal in advance, and I gave each teacher a printed invitation.  I
had a good turnout, and at least somebody from each department came
in.  Just about everything not "reserved" was pulled from the shelves.
I kept the throwaway pile for several days and had notes in the daily
bulletin offering a chance to reconsider/rescue any of the material.
I also invited the intermediate and middle schools to claim anything
they wanted.  What was not claimed, I deleted from the computer and
took to the dumpster.  This was done in prep. for conversion to a
different automation system.  We had had very brief records for 90% of
our collection, and I discarded so as not to waste time on upgrading
records of obsolete/unused material.

i too wanted to toss them but i offered them to the teachers who i
remembered used them and they took them.  the others i put on a cart in
the teachers lounge and most of them disappeared.  the others i put in a

big baggie and took to the dumpster.


I weeded an extensive and outdated "multimedia" collection over this
past
summer.  First, check out what equipment you have (or can be found in
your
building) to run this old stuff.  I immediately pitched filmstrips with
record albums because I do not have a record player.  The
filmstrip/cassette
kits - I checked the content against my video collection.  If I had the
content available on video cassette, I pitched the old kit.  Those that
remained in my collection (precious few) are targeted for replacement
with
videos ASAP.  Of the items I decided to delete from my collection, I
skimmed
the best stuff that still had curricular relevance, and offered it to
teachers at the beginning of school - displayed on a table during the
faculty
meeting.  Free for the taking.  Not much moved, but they know I'm
getting rid
of stuff, and like to have a look-see.  For single filmstrips, open it
up, look at the art, see if it is appealing or dated.  Some absolutely
crumbled in my hands.

Let me know what you hear on this subject.  I personally like the
"global
toss".  We have hundreds of these in our AV room and they haven't been
used
in over 5 years.  We also have 9 filmstrip projectors and nine record
players.  My co-librarian starts shaking and stuttering when I start
talking
about tossing all this "junk" out the door.  I think I may check
Sunlink's
Weed of the Month to see if anything has come across that about this
subject
also.  I'd still like to hear from you.


No one was using them in either of my 2 buildings.  Many had been bought

in the 70's. I set them out at the end of the year on tables by topic
and emailed teachers in both buildings that they were up for grabs.  If
they still used any, they could have them to store in their classroom.
I removed the titles from the computer and had the custodians pitch all
the rest.


I'm doing the same thing.    Get the staff involved.   I just packed up
items that haven't been used in  many years ( therefore, discarded from
library) and gave them to some of the department chairs to either keep
or
toss,  I would have liked more help from them but time was important
since
we just moved into  a new space and space needs are now defined
differently
as we move toward 2000.

Sometimes keeping things can be helpful.    We have reintroduced Music
Appreciation at HS but there were no $$$ for materials.    That teacher
was
glad for kits and records which had been collecting dust in recent
years.

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