HIT: Weeding Question

[Jenni Elliott <jelliott@EHSHOUSTON.ORG>]

Yes, we are pausing for thought after all the wise comments. No we promise
we will not send out books that are giving out of date information.

And, yes, I do understand that much of this stuff is worthy of a landfill.
One response has reminded us that the University of Houston and the Houston
Public Library both hold book sales so texts like Human anatomy (1984) and
duplicates may go there. Another little gem Garbage as you like it (1970),
may not!

Here are some of the more interesting suggestions - thanks for the guidance
everyone. I might add that having the teachers help had the added benefit of
them "discovering" what we have on the shelves.

                ......................
Do you have a local Jewish Federation? I know that the one here has
organized an effort to send books to Russian orphanages. I have sent boxes
and boxes of weeded books to Russia through this group. Hope this helps!

I can see donating duplicate copies of books or books on subjects no longer
taught in your school, but does it help libraries in poor areas to donate
books with inaccurate, outdated information?  One of my library science
instructors always said it was better to have no information than wrong
information.

We donate our older books to a local women's shelter. They have a library
for the ladies and children and welcome the donations. Sometimes the
children there like to keep the books. We like knowing that the books are
being used by someone.

Why would we want to donate materials that are no longer fit for use in our
libraries, to other libraries?  Wouldn't we just love getting boxes of old
reference books and encyclopedias from libraries, garage sales, estates and
others sources.  I remember an elementary principal once asking me to send
the weeded books to various classrooms.  I told her that if the information
was not accurate in the library, why would it be accurate in the
classroom?  It became an "interesting" situation.  She disbursed them, I
would not.

This is just my personal opinion but I don't believe that even if they
don't have a single book that we are doing anyone a favor by sending them
our out of date and used books.  Better to have a bake sale and buy two
good books for the Bosian libraries than to send old stuff.  It is not
worth the postage.

Jenni Elliott
Assistant Librarian
Episcopal High School
Bellaire TX
jelliott@ehshouston.org

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