RG photo for illustrative purposes only.
Book weeding, changes stir debate at Central Library. (Buffalo News, 1/21/2011)
Excerpt: The removal of so many library books has become a flash point for some librarians.
Both librarians and administrators say libraries must weed their collections for books that are in bad shape, contain outdated material or are rarely checked out. The library maintains a “dusty book list” for books that have not circulated in five years.
But what has happened since October goes far beyond that, with thousands of books winding up in bins marked Metro Waste Paper Recovery (now owned by recycler Cascades Recovery), said a librarian who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal.
“We were instructed by the administration that anything that was a duplicate, even if it was a popular title, or books that hadn’t been checked out since 2008 were to be taken for a book sale. But not all of them made it to the book sale,” the librarian said.
The librarian claims to have seen 18 large bins full of books discarded for recycling in the past three months. “It was against all weeding policies that we have ever learned. I couldn’t do it. It was horrible. It’s not what I do,” the librarian said.
Related articles:
Library officials ask for final decision on budget. (12/22/2010)
Additional funding for library but not for arts groups. (12/12/2010)
Legislators restore County Executive's $4,000,000 cut to library - for now. (12/2/2010)
"No more worthwhile program of service". (11/14/2010)
A bibliopocalypse @ the library. (11/6/2010)
WBEN online poll offers 3 general options for public library future. (10/31/2010)
Reimagining the library. (10/27/2010)
Budget cuts = reduced hours. (10/21/2010)
Deep cuts (again) in the works. (9/17/2010)
Editorial puts in 'a word about libraries'. (8/30/2010)
Library could lose 25% of funding. (8/19/2009)
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