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Don't know when you checked, but the library has multiple copies of Julian Barnes' "Arthur & George" as per online catalog. Neither Duberman's Kirstein bio nor the Lerman memoir is in the catalog, but then the NYPL doesn't have 'em either, so might still be waiting for 'em from publishers.

i'm a librarian. i work in a public library in somerset county so i can't speak for the JCPL, but i can guarantee you that most people would not want 99% of the books we weed from our collection.

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Wow, ohmigod, that's like the most trenchant description of library, ahem, information workers I've ever heard.
As I understand it, the original post came about due to the opaque nature of library weeding. I think the original article gave a fair overview of the different factors that inform the process. With re: the inventory of a particular library's holdings, collection development also has guidelines - user behavior patterns, trends in library literature, updated editions, and BUDGET. Given the paltry amount provided to most public libraries, individual branches can't stock everything, nor do they need to. In those instances, inter-library loan can take advantage of the holdings of a wide network of institutions. But, if you're too impatient for that, try and see if the local branch can order the book for you. Chances are, they'll do so.
As for accusing people who chose to work daily with books of not being 'book people', that's just idiotic. Bright Moment, for penance, you'll have to listen to Kenny G's version of Cherokee 20 times straight.

+1

Most people in the book business know about libraries culling their stacks and this happens as part of policy of all libraries nationwide. However, as Ech points out below, there are few folks there who irrespective of an MLS or not, are judicious enough or are truly "book people" who know who a Julian Barnes, Kirstein or Kerman are and how important their works.

The same is true, unfortunately, for most book stores as well today.

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Sorry, I missed that line.

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Mostly I focus on "rescuing" books I find on people's stoops and at the Grace Van Vorst Church book sale, just because the scheduling works out better.

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This is silly. The article noted that the library reaches out to schools and local community centers to donate these. It also then places some books into the 'store' where they are sold for 50cents or so. Only after those steps are taken will the books be set aside as discards. The library is already a 'free table', anyone who lives in JC can borrow books for free. If you're so interested in the books - why didn't you go and borrow them from the library? There are several criteria for weeds - one of which the community satisfied by showing no interest in these books over the last 5 -10 years (no check-outs).

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What you're saying makes sense.

One question would be whether any publishers or other organizations donate books to the library on the condition that the books not be resold.

Example: maybe libraries get discounts on some publishers, but they sign an agreement that says they can't resell the books.

Chances are that's not the case, but, if it were, maybe that would explain why the books don't go on a free book table at all.

ALB, the key here for me, and I imagine most other people annoyed by this "weeding", is that the books aren't put on the free table like at Grace Church, or even just put in a box on the street where interested parties are in a race with the garbage truck.

No, the books are first destroyed so that they are of no use to anyone, and then put out on the street so that no one but the garbage truck will take them.

[quote]
Kermit42 wrote:
Haven't they heard of the Grace Church Used Book Sale?
/quote]

What absolutely kills me is going to the Grace Van Vorst Church Book Sale and seeing all sorts of wonderful books on the "free books" table.

Example: I got a rare edition of a well-known "History of Socialism," which was published around 1910, from the free table. I had to force the guy who runs the sale to take a dollar for it, just because he had put it on the free table.

If I look on various used book sites, I see some versions of the book on sale for $3 and some for $50. So, of course, at some level, the book probably is a "free book or trash truck" kind of book, but I feel when I'm saving a book like that as if I'm saving a human being. I also got a 1937 Hebrew dictionary for Polish speakers off the free table, and a copy of the "Boy Vigilantes of Belgium" boy's book, which is a book of pro-Allies propaganda published (I think) during World War I, from the free table.

So, even at that book sale, there's plenty of wonderful books destined for "pruning."

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they should also prune the trees out front

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As someone with an MLS who volunteers at the circulation desk, I can say that the folks who work there know their stuff. While they may not be able to field all the questions thrown at them, they know how to get the right answers. As well, I've seen them go out of their way to cater to the diverse interests of patrons who come in, knowing trends well enough to guide them towards newly arrived books of interest.

Weeding, especially in this digital age, is a regular necessary process, kinda like pruning the branches to keep the tree healthy.

Books suitable for 'weeding'

Resident annoyed that library threw out books

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 07/07/2007

ASKING QUESTIONS – Downtown Jersey City resident Juan Albornoz (right) speaks to Jersey City Free Public Library Director Priscilla Gardner (left) about the library’s policy of “weeding” books from their collection.

Downtown resident Juan Albornoz describes himself as a "pain in the butt," and is well-known to many city officials for being, as one unnamed council aide said, a "person with an opinion on everything."

So Albornoz did not shy away from expressing his opinion to the council at their last meeting on June 27 regarding some books from the Jersey City Free Public Library he found in a hamper earlier this month on Mercer Street, outside the library's Main Branch.

Albornoz was shocked to have found copies of "major books in literature," he said, with their cover torn off and pages gutted - including titles by James Jones, William Kennedy, Joseph Heller, John Irving, R.K. Narayan, Muriel Spark, and P.D. James.

"I let them know that major works of American literature are being destroyed," Albornoz said. "The bottom line is what kind of city is this that would allow this destruction."

His comments to the City Council found their way to Library Director Priscilla Gardner, and she summoned him the next day to a meeting at the main library.

There, Gardner and Assistant Library Director Sonia Araujo defended the dumping of the books in the hamper as following a library policy known as "weeding," where books too damaged or too old to keep are taken off library shelves to make room for newer books.

But Gardner also took Albornoz to task for not coming to her directly to make his concerns known.

He had said that he was bringing attention to this issue as "a friend of the library," but Gardner responded, "If you're a friend of the library, then you should have come directly to me instead of going in front of the City Council."

Going by the book, or seeking cover?

Originally intended as a sit-down interview between Gardner, Araujo, this reporter, and Rudy Pleasant, manager of capital projects for the library, the meeting actually became more of a roundtable that also included Albornoz, four other library staff members, and local architect Helena Ruman.

Araujo explained that "weeding" is done for various reasons such as lack of space on shelves, having too many copies of a title, infrequent borrowing of the book, and damage to a book.

"We don't do this on a regular basis, although we try to keep our collection current," Araujo said, "but its done once or twice a year."

Records provided by the Jersey City Free Public Library show that of the more than 450,000 books in all 12 of the library's branches in 2006, 10,376 books were weeded that year, or a little over 2 percent of their collection.

Judith Frank, responsible for ordering books for the library, said there are different types of books that have to be weeded it out every few years, such as travel books and science books that has outdated information.

She also said that the library tries to order a new copy or copies "if there is a demand for the book."

But Araujo added that if a book has "significant literary value" and has been weeded out, then they will replace the book.

Gardner pointed out that many of the books that were in the hamper may have also been donations to the library for its used bookstore in the main branch.

Those answers, however, was not satisfactory for Albornoz.

Questions of his own


Albornoz wanted to know why good books are being torn apart, which prevents the public from taking them if they find them in the hamper.

Araujo said that before a book is weeded out, it is put on sale in the used book store, or offered to schools, community centers, and used book stores.

Albornoz also wanted to know why they are doing the weeding when he sees many empty shelves in the library.

"The lending section, which is like your main bank account, is half-empty," Albornoz said.

Araujo said they are shifting that section because of new classifications for biographies, which are in that section along with fiction books.

Albornoz recommended a "shakeup" in terms of how the weeding is being done. In particular, he took issue with the ridding of books that are borrowed infrequently.

"If somehow someone here detects a book hasn't been checked out in x number of months or years, it is [seen as] garbage," Albornoz said, "and that is not the way to maintain a heritage."

After the meeting

When the discussion ended, Gardner and Araujo took Albornoz on a tour of the lending section on the second floor of the Main Library, where they pointed out their re-shelving efforts. They also showed him the old stacks area of the library, which once held many of the books that were weeded from the library's collection. The stacks are being rebuilt as the part of the library's renovation project of the Main Library.

Later that day, Gardner said she appreciated Albornoz's input and has taken some of his suggestions, such as creating a bookmark for library patrons that reminds them to donate to the Public Library.

"Like I told him, 'It was good that he came in,' but he won't have to do it again," Gardner said.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

Elsewhere on this site I have read posts from several people looking for places to get rid of their unwanted collections of books, so I know it bothers people to throw them out.

The times have changed since I was a kid, and there are an enormous amount of books published. I have boxes and shelves full of books, most of which I won't read again, but I can't bear to throw out.

I've lugged them over to Grace Church in the past, as have many of you, but I suspect that only a small number of those were ever resold. They must throw out 75% of them, eventually. (that number is a wild guess).

It would be great if all of the schools had libraries, but they don't, not because of the lack of books. It's the lack of space and the cost of staff that are prohibitive. Look in any kindergarden and you will see that there is no lack of books from people eager to donate them, but how many copies of 'Goodnight Moon' and 'The Runaway Bunny' can you use?

Out of curiosity, I went onto the JC Public Library website and looked up those two white guys, Joseph Heller and John Irving. There are twelve and twenty listings for them respectively (including audiobooks). All of their titles that I could remember offhand were there.

So relax.
Move along.
Nothing happening here, folks.

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Nuts!

Books about and for white people - what the ffccukk does that mean?
The librarian in chief sounds like (what for it ) a racist

This business of throwing books away has been
going on for years.
I remember one massive "culling" about
twenty years ago when the so-called
librarian in chief was asked why so much of the
stock was being tossed and he said it was
because the library holdings were too top-heavy
in books about and for white people, which he
thought did not reflect the demographic here.
Tragically, fiction and art books went into the
dumpsters, never to be replaced.
I do not trust anyone at the main branch
to make the decision of what should stay
and what should go. Just ask any person
who works there any question that pertains
to books or literature and he/she will look
at you like you are from Mars. No one knows
anything in the circulating department.

Also, their purchasing has gotten odder.
Big, important new books are not coming in --
but other trashy ones are. Julian Barnes'
last novel never showed up; the big,
destined to be National Book Award
winning bio of Lincoln Kirstein hasn't
come in yet; Leo Lerman's memoir
not yet either. When you ask about
new books, they just feebly blank
out on you and say they never heard
of the book.

The library really needs to be taken over
by people with training and experience
and interest. But in this town it is
patronage that gets jobs filled, not
smarts.

All libraries have to do weeding of their collection periodically. Perhaps these books were already in their 'used book sale' for quite a while and weren't selling.

I highly doubt that the books that were out on the sidewalk were the only copies of those titles in the entire Jersey City library system.

And yes, fiction does not become outdated, but books do become damaged and they do become not as popular as they once were.

Weeding is always a tough and unpopular job in a library, but someone has to do it and believe it or not there is a process to it.

Plus, who's stopping someone from taking those books on the sidewalk and enjoying them. I don't find anything wrong with the public inquiring why the books were out there and wanting to know how the processes work, but I don't think the library should be accused of being wasteful.

The books were sitting out for recycling and not the trash, although seeing how picky the recycle people are in Jersey City......

even more of a disgrace is that instead of these books going to a school - or just someone who might liketo read but not have the $$$ to own books - these books are now headed to a landfill to sit for years. Good going, JC Public Library.

jackasses

FAB sounds like he could be on to it. Just like all government agencies they have to spend their alloted budget in full to make sure and get even more next year.

There doesn't seem to be an incentive for any govt organization to be efficient.

Ok, I could see if the shelves couldn't hold any more books - then you try to sell them, and if they don't see and you're running out of space - you toss some of the outdated books.

But (a) fiction doesn't get "outdated," and (b) they've got plenty of room in that library!

They do have a "used book sale," on the 2nd floor, but when I've gone there, it seems like they're selling more tchotchkes with library logos than actual books.

This town is so backwards.

Sounds like all they were doing was trying to maintain their annual allocated funds - disgraceful, but they would not be alone. I can only guess that most city recipients of funds would have bogus activities this this.
If the library was to sell old books, their claim would be reduced!

Haven't they heard of the Grace Church Used Book Sale?

Or just setting up a card table on the sidewalk out front?

please tell me they tossed "Bridges of Madison County."

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i noticed this too and was a bit upset. then i saw they were throwing out Lake Wobegon Day's and was more ok about it.

When I first visited the library a few years ago, I was surprised by the empty shelves.
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THROWS THE BOOK AT THEM

Peeved by library's dumping

Friday, June 29, 2007
By LYSA CHEN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Juan Albornoz has been a frequent visitor of the Jersey City Public Library for decades, so when he discovered several hampers of discarded books - sitting in the rain and waiting to be recycled - outside the library's main branch, he was shocked.

Albornoz said he knew something was off when he noticed several shelves in the library's circulation room were "noticeably empty" last Friday.

"I was sort of shocked, because the circulating section is the main section of the library, and I found nobody could tell me why the shelves were so empty," he said.

Unable to find someone in the library who would tell him what had happened, Albornoz looked for himself, discovering three hampers of books - some torn to pieces with their covers ripped off.

Among the piles were names like Joseph Heller and John Irving, he said.

"And I just went through the top," Albornoz said. "The books that I pulled out of the library garbage were critical American key authors. They were more than critical, essential."

Sonia Araujo, assistant library director, said the books were not "just being thrown away."

"It's a weeding procedure that every library in the world does," she said. "It is a way of us trying to keep out books that are factually incorrect - medical books, science books and computer books- so we can make room for new editions."

Outdated and damaged books from the library's 12 branches are first offered to different community centers and schools or put in the library's used book store, she said, but if nobody wants the books, they become brittle and yellowed and are eventually discarded to make room for new books.

Albornoz, however, said the empty shelves in the library did not justify the disposal of books, adding that the weeding seemed "indiscriminate and wholesale" given some of titles he was able to salvage.

Albornoz met with directors of the library to voice his concerns yesterday and Araujo said she was surprised when Albornoz presented some of the books that had been weeded. She said the library will be taking into account some of Albornoz's concerns and suggestions.

"We're going to make sure before any books are put outside that we get a look at them," Araujo said. "Even now we get second opinions, but this time we'll make sure any title being put out is not any kind of really good book that should be in the collection."