John's spam-restrictor was still on when I responded so I'm posting this to
the group. His original message follows my response.
John,
I faced the same dilemma. I was given a list of all the HM titles. I too was
alarmed at the older copyright dates. What you will find however, is that
many are out of print. Of those that aren't, be sure to check the reviews
(Follett's Titlewave is a great resource for comparing several reviews at a
time); just because a book (or I should say, perhaps a chapter or two, in
the case of upper grade fiction) is selected for a textbook anthology
doesn't mean it was of the highest quality literature. It most likely fit
the theme and the reading level. I found that often the books were not
highly rated (especially the chapter books - they were generally rated good
to mediocre) so I'm guessing/hoping that the textbook anthology used the
best chapter(s)!
I ended up not ordering many of them - either due to out-of-print status or
poor reviews. I would rather have other titles that support the curriculum
that are more current and better quality - took a lot of work on my part but
I did find better selections. Hope that perspective helps!
Joanne Ladewig (A.K.A. "Library Lady")
Library Media Tech
Lawrence Elementary, GGUSD
Garden Grove, California
shatz@verizon.net
Comments are my own and may not represent the views of GGUSD
John posted:
I need some advice regarding book purchases that I am considering.
My teachers (K-5) will have a new reading adoption this year which will be
core
reading curriculum for the next 6 years (Houghton Mifflin). HM supplies a
bibliography of picture books
that relate to the units to be taught and I am thrilled that my staff not
only wants me to add these books to our collection, but I am confident they
will use them. However, many of the books have an older copyright date than
most of the books I would normally consider for purchase. I think it will
set
my collection age back a bit, but I am OK about that if the books are
utilized.
(I won $500 to spend as I wish, so that's a bonus-I'm not using my regular
budget).
My question is this: is this addition to my collection good practice?
I have noticed in most bibliographies that accompany texts, handbooks, etc.
that they often refer to older books to help supplement the teaching. I
think
that the editors/contributors can't keep up with the current market and
often
rely on "time tested" oldies. I'm not
wanting to buy older books, but....if they serve a specific purpose in
supporting
the curriculum, then I feel like I ought to do it.
Any comments are appreciated.
John Wolfgang, LMS
Gilbert Heights School (K-5)
David Douglas School District
Portland, Oregon
wolfgang@teleport.com
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