It seems that many other people have had the same problem of what to do
with donations of National Geographics. Thank you to everyone who
replied, and I'm sorry if I leave anyone out. Here are the answers I've
received:
One possible place would be for the art teacher to have for kids to cut
up. The other possibility would be to tell the parent that you will
accept them on behalf of the entire school, and that individual
teachers
will come to you to take what they want, but that most likely either
way
the magazines will be cut up. Even though NG is a well-produced
magazine, with lots of good stuff in it, the text is beyond most
elementary students. The pictures, though, are out of this world!
Do you have the NG on cd? If so, the magazines can be "filed" in boxes
in order. Students can come to you to look up the topic they need, then
find the appropriate issue and cut the pictures out. When an individual
issue has been shredded beyond use it can go to the dumpster. Kids in
future years will have to understand that certain issues aren't
available anymore.
Unfortunately, I don't think there is much of a market for those, even
if they are just like new.
I think this is the eternal library conundrum. I walked into a
similar
situation and realized the best thing to do is recycle. People have a
strange attachment to National Geographic but if you don't have room
you
don't have room!
Can your art teacher use the pictures as cut-ups for projects? If
your
selection policy has a gift statement stating that you can use gifts /
donations as you see fit, then cutting them up for art projects, etc.
should be OK.
Their value as research material will have faded over time. For
example, an article on wolves in the US written before the recent wolf
reintroduction in the west (Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming) will be out
of
date and not accurate.
Several years ago I had a collection from the 30's through the 90's to
dispose of.
I couldn't give them away to a public or school library. They already
had collections and didn't need more. We ended up hauling our
collection to the dump. (In our rural part of Montana, the only
recycling we have available is for newsprint.)
Don't take them...they clone themselves and take on a life of their
own!!!!
Offer to teachers as potential for art materials, collages, etc.
If you have a gifted/talented program, they may be able to use them.
I
know that's where I donated mine.
Donate some of them to a nursing home? Social studies' teachers might
want their students to compare lifestyles, ads, etc. for the
various eras of the 50's - 90's. The high school sociology,
psychology, and social studies' teachers might use them, also.
Recycle?
We always take them and then put them in the teacher's lounge. They
use them for pictures when students need to make visual aids, etc.
I would like to hear your responses to what to do with the National
Geographic donation. Our library has stored every National Geographic
from 1929 on in its closets. When my co-librarian and I began this fall
after the former librarian retired, we said we'd like to get rid of them
because of all the space they take and because students never use them.
We haven't acted on this yet because we're not sure the best way to
"dispose" of them and if there is any value in the collection.
I have at least that many years in the library. Someone donated more
and
they are in the elementary for students to cut out pictures.
You might suggest they be donated to your science, social studies or
art departments.
Aren’t NG’s just the funniest thing? What other magazine do people
honestly save for decades and decades and then expect to donate to a
library. Wild! I have run into this quite a few times. We have tried to
find public libraries to give them to, private libraries (like at Ronald
McDonald House). No one wanted them. I have been in two schools though
where the art department wanted them for collages and paper machete and
decoupage. Maybe your art department could find use for them?
Nancy D. Southard
Elementary Librarian
PDC Co-chair
Midway R-1 Elementary School
5801 E. State Route 2
Cleveland, MO 64734
Work:nsouthard@midway.k12.mo.us
Home:southard1301@fairpoint.net
816-250-2994, ext. 428
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