Is my library burning books?

[StandWatie]

There are three dumpsters outside the library full of books. I asked the librarian what they were and they said they were "weeding out" the books and getting rid of things that hadn't been in circulation for five years.

I asked why they hadn't made this public or if they had offered the books to charity or something and I couldn't get an answer.

I was wanting to look up something in Fateful Triangle by Chomsky so I went looking for it and it wasn't there? Checked out? I went and asked and I was told that was in the dumpster and they sent a runner out to get it. Now I know damn well I have checked that book out in the last five years.

Is anything like that happening anywhere else?

[Kamika]

1. Thats weird

My local library always sell the books theyre weeding out.. cheap too.

[meegbear]

2. Two words ...

BOOK SALE.

The main library where I live does this every year and it's much better solution to yours.

[WoodrowFan]

6. Book Sellers

My wife and I have a small used book store online and we get most of our stock at Friends of the Library book sales.

[bearfartinthewoods]

14. wee sell to but those that don't sell and aren't picked off the freebee

rack within a month or so are tossed.

[CWebster]

3. Wow

report it to the ALA:

http://www.ala.org/

The books are taxpayers property. You bought them with your taxes.

[bryant69]

4. I worked at a library

And they did this--weeded out thrashed books and sent them down to the "Friends of the Library" to sell. But occasionally we would be sent to toss them.

We also got donations, which we sometimes tossed as well. It's a tax right off, so it's not uncommon for books to get donated. And if they are 1) text books printed before 1995 (i'd guess) or 2) national geographics, they get tossed almost immediately. At least taht was our policy.

Librarians also make mistakes--and they generally regulate this sort of things to pages--which are often college or high school students (and it's not unreasonable to suggest that they have opinions as well).

I guess I'm of the opinion that there are lots of ways to explain this situation without supposing a conspiracy.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[AverageJoe]

5. Weeding is a standard practice

I'm currently a non-practicing librarian, though I've worked in a number of public libraries.

Most libraries weed regularly because shelf space is at such a premium. When new books come in, something has to go in order to make room. Libraries usually have a policy in place which governs what is weeded out and what stays, but sometimes mistakes are made.

Some libraries do try to sell the books they weed in an annual book sale.

I hope this puts your mind at ease about your local library! :-)

[CWebster]

7. Perhaps

but there are stupid and ignorant librarians who would relish nothing more than tossing Chomsky in the trash - if they knew who he was to begin with.

[mark0rama]

9. There are stupid and ignorant librarians?

I don't doubt there are, but I'm happy to say one of the ones I know fit that description.

Fortunately, being around books so much usually gives people more opportunity to read and enlighten themselves.

[CWebster]

10. Well,

must of them I know are idiots and I've been working in libraries for 30 years.

;-)

[displacedvermoter]

12. I trust that was supposed to be humorous?!?

If you've worked in libraries for 30 years and you are content to work with people that you think are idiots, that must say something about you.

A librarian

[CWebster]

13. Idiots abound

I am sure you are the exception.

;-)

[supernova]

8. Converting to CD storage

After saving info to CD and I suppose now DVD too, libraries regularly will trash the hard copy. Especially true of newspapers and journals.

[alfredo]

11. But CD's, as it turns out,

start losing data after a few months. They are not good long term storage.

[carolinayellowdog]

15. Three dumpsters full? Bad PR

Hey,

I've been working in public libraries for 30 years also and don't know any librarians I consider idiots. But I do know one who ended up being fired for (among other things) weeding thousands of books in a cavalier way, just discarding them.

We are constantly weeding but have sale tables and closets (big walk-ins with shelving) that weeded materials go into. When we have a big annual sale, what's left goes to the Goodwill. Surely some things end up trashed, but it bothers me to trash even falling-to-pieces books so I'd rather pass the buck.

Discarding large numbers of books in a public manner is just asking for trouble, and even if they have been sitting on sale tables forever and won't sell I would advise finding some other way to dispose of them.

CYD

PS-- ALA has no authority over any individual library so there's no need to sic them on anyone. If you want to make trouble for your local PL there is a more appropriate way but I'M NOT TELLING.

[TrogL]

16. My library system has books sales

They're very popular. I was at one last week and picked up about 40 books. I'm surprised at what they were throwing out.

Last year I picked up a Harry Potter.

[Mairead]

21. I did something similar

I stopped in at a FotL bookstore and found a BRAND-NEW copy of Tamora Pierce's 'Lady Knight' only a week or so after publication release. It turned out to have a few pages printed across the splice of the rotogravure roll, and for some reason that made the library decide to discard it and get another copy. Completely readable. I was baffled. But also thankful :evilgrin:


Discarding books is really awful. I have several hundred, mostly pbacks, that I hope to put onto the sale table once our local library system gets over its upheaval (we just 'public-ised' it)

[Ein]

17. Thought is dangerous

Fahrenheit 451 isn't :eyes:

edit: I would ask if I could take em. Then make a concerted effort to save all the books that weren't covered in dumpster sludge, and offer them to people for free?

[prolesunited]

18. In defense of libraries and the ALA

Not sure what happened with this particular library, but I was rather distressed by some of the comments on this thread. Libraries and librarians are among our biggest allies right now. They are NOT about censorship or burning books. In fact, they sponsor a national observance of Banned Books Week in the fall to draw attention to such issues.
http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Our_Association/Offices/Intellectual_Freedom3/Banned_Books_Week/Banned_Books_Week.htm

The ALA has mounted a vigorous campaign against the PATRIOT Act. In fact, here's what they recently did.

Area Activists, with Support of ALA, Gather Today in Philadelphia to Express
Their Concerns About the USA PATRIOT Act
     (Philadelphia) -- Attorney General John Ashcroft visited Philadelphia this morning to speak to a selected and pre-screened gathering of law enforcement officials as part of his taxpayer-funded promotional tour to defend the USA PATRIOT Act.  Ashcroft’s road show will take him to Cleveland later in the day – and tomorrow to Detroit and Des Moines, Iowa. The American Library Association (ALA), People for the American Way (PFAW) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), worked closely with area activists in Philadelphia today to peacefully voice their genuine concerns about the chilling effects that the USA PATRIOT Act is having on our nation’s most precious constitutionally protected rights and civil liberties.

       The ALA is particularly concerned about Sections 215 and 505 of the USA PATRIOT Act, and that is why  ALA enthusiastically supports legislation such as the “Personal Records Privacy Act,” introduced by Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), and the “Protecting the Rights of Individuals Act,” introduced by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). The Feingold Bill would help to protect the constitutionally protected privacy rights of law-abiding Americans by setting reasonable limits on the federal government’s access to library, bookseller, medical, and other personal information under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The Bill, introduced by senators Murkowski and Wyden, would seek to restore civil liberty protections, including provisions of particular interest to the library community, which were dramatically weakened under the USA PATRIOT Act.

http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=News&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=41759

They've also joined the ACLU in opposing Internet filtering in libraries.
http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Our_Association/Offices/ALA_Washington/Issues2/Civil_Liberties,_Intellectual_Freedom,_Privacy/CIPA1/CIPA.htm

[blondeatlast]

19. Weeding IS very common and very valuable. About the "burning"

While PPL donates most books to the Friend of the Library, we do NOT donate technology, science, and especially medical books that are over 3 years old or which have been replaced with newer editions. It shouldn't be hard to see why. These books are destroyed (although we definitely don't burn them!).

There are also books that the FOTL just can never sell.

What I find interesting is that they still had the weeded books in their system. We deactivate the bib records as soon as we decide to discard a book.

Also, you may have checked out a different copy of the Chomsky book. After 5 years, it isn't practical to keep more than one copy of most nonfiction books in a single library.

Don't even get me started on donated books . . .

[blondeatlast]

20. Another, very relevant possibility:

the books could have become bug or mold infested; absolutely DEADLY for libraries as the infestation spreads alarmingly quickly. If that's the case, burning is the only solution, libraries can't risk the spread. If they somehow became wet, the same thing can occur depending on the degree of damage.

If you are really upset, just use your libraries InterLibrary Loan system.