BEING A LIBRARIAN

One of the saddest and most difficult parts of my job as a librarian is "deselection," weeding books from our collection.  We weed for a variety of reasons: too many copies after the demand is over, lack of circulation, poor condition, outdated information, etc.  I always feel especially bad when I see the hopeful, excited face of a first time author or the confident expression of an established, popular writer looking out at me from the back cover of a novel as I stamp DISCARD on what could be their life's dream.  I definitely have an emotional connection to my work!

The fact is that most libraries have space limitations.  There have been protests in some areas of the country over libraries dumping books that are no longer needed into the trash, but that doesn't happen very often.  We just don't have room to keep every book, no matter how good it is, if no one wants to read it.  In our library, we hang on to books with literary or educational merit (there are actually professional resources that identify these for us, so it's not just our personal opinions) for as long as we can, and sometimes they sit on our shelves for 6, 10, or even 15 years with absolutely no one reading them.  Eventually the time comes when the shelves could literally be stuffed with books that no one wants to read, so we have to take action!  When we weed fiction and nonfiction, we consider writing quality, how long it has been since the book was checked out, if it is part of a series, how many times it has been borrowed, publication year, whether a blockbuster movie is likely to be based on the book, its condition (ugly, dirty, REALLY old-looking) and whether the information in it is outdated or even dangerous (like really old health resources or legal forms). 

We always weed reluctantly.  I hate getting rid of great literature or really interesting pop culture books, but sometimes it is necessary.  When we weed, our discards go into our book sale and, if not sold, are donated to charity or sold as a lot.  Books that are simply useless because they are outdated may be thrown out so there is no chance of people accessing incorrect information.  Books that are old and ugly may be thrown out, too, but don't worry.  If they are classics we usually have multiple copies already or have ordered a replacement.

If you are concerned about the library discarding great books the solution is simple:  Check them out!  Libraries, including ours, have all sorts of resources to help you find wonderful materials that have stood the test of time.  Be sure to go beyond the NEW area and into the stacks.  There are all sorts of treasures there, but if no one looks for them they may eventually be gone.