Re: [LM_NET] vent

[Shonda Brisco <sbrisco@FWCDS.ORG>]

It seems that the schools (that are more well-to-do) that I've been associated with 
feel the need to also support programs / schools by sending all of their outdated, 
weeded, obsolete, incorrect materials to foreign countries....because, they need 
them, of course!  There also seems to be a "need" to send worn, torn, dirty, and 
outdated fiction to the homeless shelters because they'll use "anything they can 
get."

I have been extremely adamant about NOT allowing this to happen when I'm weeding 
(if I can keep the withdrawn books within my sight).  My thoughts are that if these 
books are being withdrawn because they are not good enough for our students to use 
for research OR if they are not used / read because they are outdated, dirty, torn, 
or abused, then why send them to a homeless shelter or to a foreign country's 
school?

While we have had great budgets in our schools, there seems to be this misnomer 
that the "trash" that we would normally discard is okay for those who are in need.  
This really burns me....I would much rather provide a "buy one-get one free" book 
fair and ask that any "free titles" be provided as NEW titles to these groups than 
to send the outdated, worn, worthless materials that we feel is inferior for our 
student to others because they need materials for instruction / reading.

With "friends" like this stocking libraries (or organizational book shelves), we 
don't need politicians!

Just an opinion....

~Shonda




Shonda Brisco, MLIS
US / Technology Librarian
4200 Country Day Lane
Fort Worth Country Day School
Fort Worth, TX
817.732.7718 ext. 339

"We can't wait for somebody outside of ourselves to rescue us, because nobody is 
coming to the rescue..." 
 ~ Ross Todd, Professor
School of Communications, Information, and Library Studies, Rutgers University

sbrisco@fwcds.org
http://www.fwcds.org/campus/libraries/default.asp

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