re: "I give up. We smuggle books to the dumpster in plain,
unmarked boxes, like we are moving contraband across the border."
Hear, Hear !!! Someone who finally tells it, like it is.
The only way I throw out books now (after 25 years of fighting this
perpetual problem) is singlely in the trash can...each and everyone
marked in black permanent marker... "Deleted" or "Withdrawn"
WITH what's wrong with it... "pages missing" or "damaged" also in
black permanent marker. WITH the barcode ripped off. Sometimes,
when I'm in a snit (that happens when I've just had that same comversation
AGAIN about "throwing away good books" ) I even remove the front
cover and throw it out on another trash day.
I think the WORST EVER PR that has ever come from weeding books is from my
own teachers. They do NOT understand professional library weeding
philosophy. This goes especially for when in the past I have put the
weeded books in the teachers' lounge for teachers to choose from in case
they could make use of any of the titles. The comments are often
snide. Such as "I NEED XXX... and SHE is THROWING away GOOD BOOKS.
Believe me, every time I have explained the professional philosophy... for
all the good it has done...
The down side of this, I believe library schools are still telling new
"librarians-to-be" to donate old books to classrooms, teachers and
elsewhere. And if that is so, it is quite a disservice.
A point: I have always donated specific books that are still good, but
not appropriate, i.e. great titles, but not used for a long time....case
in point, some great how-to books on stage production... to the teachers
that could make use of them. BUT they have become a terrible problem...
they are continuously returned to the library, because they still look
like library books...even when I've written, again in black permanent
marker..."property of" with the teacher's name...
The only bright spot in this for me now, is that I presently have
supervisors that understand and promote and as well as stand behind us in
proforming our weeding duties. And that has not always been the case.
Thank you Tony, for putting this perpetual problem in the same
context that my 25 years of experience shows it to exist in... to the
dumpster "like contraband to the border."
On Mon, 3 Nov 2003, Anthony C. Doyle wrote:
> When I weed books that are inappropriate to give to students or to put
> in the classroom I have to box them and have my student helpers put them
> directly in the dumpster when no one is watching. My predecessors
> (apparently) did no weeding. I have spent 6 years trying to get rid of
> all of the garbage. The teachers and custodians were freaked at the
> idea of a librarian throwing out books. If we put books in the garbage
> can, the custodians would take them out. If we box them and leave them
> for the custodians to remove, clearly labeled as trash, they leave them,
> certain that I have made a horrendous mistake. I had a teacher actually
> stop my TAs from throwing books in the dumpster, certain that they had
> misunderstood me or that Mr. Doyle had lost his mind. I have had the
> "can't these books be donated..." conversation with at least 10
> teachers. No matter how eloquently (or forcefully) I argue you can see
> in their eyes that they are never fully convinced. They are sure there
> is a flaw in my logic that they are missing. I give up. We smuggle
> books to the dumpster in plain, unmarked boxes, like we are moving
> contraband across the border.
>
> ----
> Tony Doyle, Librarian
> Livingston High School, Livingston, CA
> tdoyle@muhsd.k12.ca.us
> <Http://www.lhs.muhsd.k12.ca.us/library/index.htm>
> "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get
> people to stop reading them."-- Ray Bradbury
>
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______R____E____A_____D_______________R_____E_____A_____D_______
Ann Cober Reed, MLIS, Librarian/Media Specialist
A 1999 Maryland Technology Academy Fellow
Col. Richardson High S., 25320 Richardson Road
Federalsburg, Maryland 21632
(MARYLAND'S EASTERN SHORE...THE DELMARVA PENINSULA)
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