Everyone,
Thanks for all of your imput! Since I posted I have had 2 kids check out her books
so I'm going to wait and see if more books go out this year. Here is my original
question and all the responses.
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I'm thinking about weeding all the Carolyn Haywood books in my K-5
> collection. They seem so "dated" but I don't have a lot of money to
> immediately replace the books with more recent ones. Students look at the
> covers and put them back. So does anyone still have these books in your
> collection?
>
But oh they are such good stories - I remember how I enjoyed them. It is
too bad that todays children don't appreciate them - instead they want all
that gory stuff! Of course, this statement dates me! :)
I loved this set when I was growing up and yes it was dated even then....
However if you do decide to let them go, please let me know I am trying to
collect the whole set.
Have some. Nancy Drew lovers seem to check them out a few times a year. I have not
thought to remove them yet.
I got rid of the really ratty ones and replaced the
ones that were still IP. The first grade teacher here
still reads them aloud. and there is a demand for them
from students in grades 1-2-3.
I have them but just got in new printings of them with more up to date covers. The
kids are loving them.
I still have them, but they don't circulate much (if ever).
We still have some of them. We can generally get the kids to read
"Snowbound with Betsy," but that's about it. I'd be anxious to hear what
others say.
I do and I have them on the shelves for the very same reason... can't
replace them, but they are ugly to look at. They even have that old
library smell too.
I have those books in my K-5 collection as well. They don't circulate well, but
circulate occassionally just because they are AR. If you get any responses on this
topic, I would love to know.
I think your thoughts are ones many of us have had. Last year, I did weed
duplicate copies and books with faded covers. However, I still have several on the
shelf because they meet the need of high level first grade readers who are
clamoring for a chapter book. We know that there will not be objectionable
material in them. Would be interested in what others have done.
I started pulling these when I started in libraries seven years ago.
They were dated when I read them as a child. The teacher that leaves
work when she gets married wasn't a reality in the early 70s. Even if
I don't have money to replace the titles, having books that turn
students off from reading, in my mind is worse than not having enough books.
I still have them in my K-3 collection, but was
considering withdrawal because my kids won't check
them out, either.
My sister taught third grade five years ago, and she
read one or two of Carolyn Haywood's books to her
class, sparking an interest in those books in the
school library. The librarian was thrilled to see the
books checked out again because she didn't want to
weed them. Do you think you could enlist an ally
among the third grade teachers to do the same?
Those books were dated when I read them in the 70s but
I really liked them. My personal opinion is don't
weed them!
I had both the betsy and Eddie books. Every year I would read B is for
Betsy to the first grade. We would discuss that Betsy went to school
at the same time as my mother and some of their grandparents. They
absolutely loved Betsy. They took her out a lot. However I did not do
the same with the Eddie books and they were not as popular. Also the
first 3 Betsy books have been republished in the last 5 years or so.
Give it a little publicity and see what happens. If nothing, them
discard
I only have How the Reindeer saved Santa which is checked out currently
and her book of selected Halloween stories.
Ugh! Heavens no! For precisely the reason you witnessed.
My Haywood (and Lovelace) books are as old as the hills but every couple of
years, I get a girl (usually a great reader) who reads through the whole
series. I think they might circulate more if I invested in an updated set. I
wouldn't throw mine out, but if yours truly haven't circulated in many years, you
might consider it.
I have a couple. I do like her Christmas Fantasy and Santa Claus
Forever, but the novels are never checked out. I should pitch them, too.
Hi,
"I hear you." I loved the Betsy books growing up (they were probably NEW
then!) and got desparate enough now and then to read one of the Eddie ones.
When I started, our library had most of both series plus a few others. But,
little by little, I have weeded most of them out except for her collection
of Halloween stories called "Halloween Treats" and maybe the original Betsy
book (I'm home and can't check.) But they weren't being borrowed (and I
wasn't promoting them) and, literally, the shelves in that section were full
and there just wasn't any room. Besides, I'm hoping our local library
(which is in a small town) still has them or can get them through
interlibrary loan. I know, maybe more than a few years ago, they were
reissued with different covers but the same pictures inside. I wonder if
those circulate. I'll be curious to hear the responses you get.
I just pulled them all on Monday!!!!!!! The stories are great, but they are so
old, the books are worn out and the
covers so old fashioned. I gave them all to a fifth grade teacher. I worked at
another school in my district last year and weeded them because no one read them.
I hope this helps.
oh, I've been having this debate myself for years! I LOVED the Betsy books
when I was a kid...but I've only seen one circulate in the past five
years...we may just have to bite the bullet...
I weeded mine several years ago. No one had checked them out in quite
awhile. I reread one, but it was very dated, and I knew I couldn't
comfortably recommend it to anyone.
I weeded mine several years ago and no one ever missed them. They never
circulated, the pictures, while quaint, are dated and in black and white which
didn't appeal to the students. Even though you won't be replacing them right away,
you will have the shelf space for new books when you do!
These books were just recently re-released with shiny new read covers--there has
been a renewal of interest in these "old-fashioned" authors, like Maud Hart
Lovelace, Elizabeth Enright, Eleanor Estes, and yes, Haywood as well. I suspect
that what the students are responding to are the outdated covers more than the
actual content. I don't know how to get around that (except maybe by
"hand-selling" them) and I don't know if that really answers your question about
whether or not to weed them. They might be a good choice for students from more
conservative families especially.
I love her books and was going to ask you if you would sell them to me if you
decide to weed them. I didn't know there would be any controversy. I'll be
interested in reading the responses.
If you decide to weed I would be happy to pay for the shipping to get them.
They were a childhood favorite of mine and I would love to won them. Since
I grew up in the 50's, yes they probably are dated. However, I do think at
least one has recently been reissued. You might want to check and see if
any of the titles are still in print.
We do, but they haven't circulated much. You could replace them with Boxcar
Children books, perhaps.
Mary Kate Cullinan
Media Specialist
School No. 12
638 Magie Avenue
Elizabeth, NJ 07208
(908) 436-5669
cullinanma@edu.elizabeth.k12.nj.us
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