dirty ethel rackham Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I just went to the library to stock up on books for our next history sections - Barbarians and Vikings. Well, I accidentally wrote down the wrong # and went to the pro football section. Apparently, they purchased a brand new series on NFL football teams and NBA basketball teams - 4 linear feet full of books on this twinkie topic. Yet, there is only ONE book on barbarians in the juvenile non-fiction section and about 6 linear inches of space on the Vikings (not the NFL team.) They are culling books like crazy due to "limited shelf space" and lack of circulation. Well, most of the excellent books I used for my older children on these topics have disappeared to make room for this stuff. Now, I have no problem with having fun books on the shelves, just like I have no problem with dessert once in a while. However, it really burns my bu## to see excellent, engaging academic books being squeezed out by fluff. And this is supposedly the #1 library in the country. GRRRRR!!! Oh, and due to all this culling, there is tons of space on the shelves, which I am sure will be filled in with MORE FLUFF! They have had tons of budget cuts and laid off lots of people (so our holds are taking much longer), but they have the money for this crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Are they giving away the books they are culling? I've gotten a lot of good books for free that way! Can you write a letter to whoever is in charge of these choices, maybe along with as many homeschoolers in the area that you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeeBeaks Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I hate to say it, but that fluff might be what was requested and gets checked out the most. Not that I don't agree with your point by the way (coming from someone who is more likely to check out the Barbarians and Vikings stuff)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I just went to the library to stock up on books for our next history sections - Barbarians and Vikings. Well, I accidentally wrote down the wrong # and went to the pro football section. Apparently, they purchased a brand new series on NFL football teams and NBA basketball teams - 4 linear feet full of books on this twinkie topic. Yet, there is only ONE book on barbarians in the juvenile non-fiction section and about 6 linear inches of space on the Vikings (not the NFL team.) They are culling books like crazy due to "limited shelf space" and lack of circulation. Well, most of the excellent books I used for my older children on these topics have disappeared to make room for this stuff. Unfortunately, I think this is the wave of the future. Just as (certain) book stores carry a lot of crap books because that's what is selling for them. Libraries who are trying to keep their circulation numbers up need to provide books that people will check out. I don't know what will happen, but I hope this trend will reverse itself or someone will open a private library in my area so at least I can continue to get good books without going broke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 They aren't giving the books away. They sell them in the library sale. The problem is that this is an ongoing sale, not one big sale. So, basically, I have to get lucky and be there the day they put the books out if I want a shot at them. I know it is the wave of the future and it's crap. It's all part of the dumbing down of America. So, I guess they don't care that school kids only use Google and Wikipedia for their school reports instead of reading good books on the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Many of the books I would like to request just aren't in our library system. I find it unfathomable since we live in a very large city. Not to mention my little rant about the librarians of the children's section in two different branches not being very helpful at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Our library catalog lists the number of check-outs each title has had. It's sad that I was the very first person to borrow an excellent non-fiction title the the library has owned since 2007 but when I want to borrow some beach-reading novel it typically has had hundreds of check-outs. :rolleyes: Heaven forbid that someone actually reads a book that requires some actual thinking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCyndiGirl Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I read your thread title and thought, "I wish my library would serve LITERAL Twinkies!" (yes, I know they are awful, but I love them.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah C. Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 My guess is that what they decide to keep and not keep is based on circulation count, and sadly, the "twinkie" books are probably the ones that get checked out more. Either way, it is certainly a sad state of affairs. You would think that they would take into account the state of the entire collection before getting rid of the books. :confused: Then again, since it is a public library, maybe they don't consider their main purpose to be research, but rather having what people use? I'd also be curious what the state of their adult non-fiction section is concerning those topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 I get it that it is about circulation. That means that collection management has been reduced to a popularity contest. Is that the mission of a public library? The adult section isn't much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I get it that it is about circulation. That means that collection management has been reduced to a popularity contest. Is that the mission of a public library? The adult section isn't much better. Actually yes, giving the public the books they want is often the mission of the public library. Your library should have a mission statement or collection policy or similar document that you could ask to see. They may not have a directive to support anything that happens in the school system so they may feel that they can purchase whatever people will read. (I hate seeing all my beloved old books culled but...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I gag along with you. Our library is now embracing literacy by purchasing countless copies of wii, and PlayStation games. Apparently books just aren't popular check-outs anymore. Like your library, they are culling and selling books to make space for the hot items. Gag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I thought the title was "...Serves Metal Twinkies." Apparently, I need more good literature STAT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Well Barnes and Noble isn't much better. And I'm supposed to be willing to give them my money? We were there yesterday. Christmas gift card and money burning a hole in a 8yo pocket. After 20 minutes of debate along the lines of "You don't need that, you've got enough legos, just because you can afford it that one, doens't mean you should get it (a whole other lesson in itself!), it's a book store not a toy store! Let's go to the books!" we finally made it to the kids section. Everything that was displayed and put out to look exciting and interesting was total fluff. Of the stuff he was drawn to, meaning the first line of sight things, I'd have prefered the toys! At least with lego's he's thinking! We finally ended "You know you have plenty of books at home right now. You don't DON'T HAVE TO SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY TODAY!!! (hard one to get through!) Save your money. I'll buy out your B&N card for cash. Maybe you'll want something on vacation next week." He wasn't thrilled, and truthfully I think the issue there was he felt the need to spend it all and at that moment. The thrill of the buy and all. But he agreed to it. We'll see what happens on vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I hate to say it, but that fluff might be what was requested and gets checked out the most. Not that I don't agree with your point by the way (coming from someone who is more likely to check out the Barbarians and Vikings stuff)! This is probably it. Practically everyone I know reads fluff, including kids. So that is probably what gets requested and checked out the most. My librarian friend explained to me that libraries aren't supposed to be a repository of great works anymore; they are all about what gets circulated (DVDs, romance novels, and graphic novels. :D) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Well Barnes and Noble isn't much better. And I'm supposed to be willing to give them my money? We were there yesterday. Christmas gift card and money burning a hole in a 8yo pocket. After 20 minutes of debate along the lines of "You don't need that, you've got enough legos, just because you can afford it that one, doens't mean you should get it (a whole other lesson in itself!), it's a book store not a toy store! Let's go to the books!" we finally made it to the kids section. Everything that was displayed and put out to look exciting and interesting was total fluff. Of the stuff he was drawn to, meaning the first line of sight things, I'd have prefered the toys! At least with lego's he's thinking! We finally ended "You know you have plenty of books at home right now. You don't DON'T HAVE TO SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY TODAY!!! (hard one to get through!) Save your money. I'll buy out your B&N card for cash. Maybe you'll want something on vacation next week." He wasn't thrilled, and truthfully I think the issue there was he felt the need to spend it all and at that moment. The thrill of the buy and all. But he agreed to it. We'll see what happens on vacation. I hate that, too. My dc end up having to use their gift cards online to get decent books, which is nowhere near as fun as getting to use them in the store. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 My librarian friend explained to me that libraries aren't supposed to be a repository of great works anymore; they are all about what gets circulated (DVDs, romance novels, and graphic novels. :D) That is sad, but I know it is true. :confused: I agree with a pp about chain bookstores being even worse. :glare: On the other hand, I was truly impressed by the classics available at an independent bookstore which opened here last month. I let them know how happy I was. I guess time will tell if those books stay available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 This thread is making me feel better about collecting so many books just because I might use them for lessons. I've read so much lately about paring down book collections and getting what we need from the library, but I just don't trust the library to have what I want. It isn't clutter, dang it: it's insurance! And as many have said, it isn't the libraries' fault. They have to provide what the public wants to read (or, more likely, according to my librarian friends, watch). And I like a TwinkieBook as much as the next guy. It's still kind of sad, though. When we were considering the Nook v. Kindle in our house, one advantage of the Nook was that it can be used for library books. But my son had a look at the library's YA e-book selection and noted, "They're almost all about dating or vampires." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 One thing to consider...if there are any college libraries around you, look into them. Some will offer a card for a fee and others will allow you in to read in the library even if they won't issue a card. Some college libraries even have a youth and children's section (lived half my childhood in a college town and I loved their library!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Our local library is worse. It has a huge children's wing, won several awards for the children's department - compared to other rural type libraries - and the history section takes up only TWO SHELVES 24" wide. That's it. The science section comprises three shelves of the same width! Most of the volumes are so old that I doubt there is a single science book purchased within the last fifteen years. I keep hoping that it will change and just have to investigate every year when I go to the annual quilt show....but alas, it's comatose. But, one can get every volume of the babysitter's club, Michigan Ghost Chillers, Tales of the Crypt, Sponge Bob Square Brain anything ever made, Hannah Montana, and all things Disney. They don't even have any of the American Girl Books from the last two historical dolls! We stopped going probably four years ago. I wrote them a note and told them that the library reminded me of the dysfunctional characteristics of a brain on drugs! Needless to say, I did not get a response. The downside is that we moved away from a glorious library...literally, just about every single book recommended by SWB in the SOTW series was available. Sometimes we'd even take our school work there and hang out for a couple of hours. Sigh........ Does anybody remember that scene from Night at the Museum 1 when the HUGE ancient sculpture talked? "My Dum Dum want some Gum Gum!" I keep envisioning whole herds of high schoolers graduating and talking like that during their college interviews. VERY SCARY! Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Unfortunately, our college library isn't that great. It has great databases, but not much as far as books are concerned and next to nothing for children. I find it odd that librarians cite budget cuts as a reason to get rid of books, but the shelves are looking more and more bare. I don't remember EVER seeing that much bare space on the shelves. Wouldn't it make sense to hang onto books rather than replace them with expensive fluff? Kinda like we still have our 20 year old TV because it still works, no matter how much dh wants a cool HD tv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Does anybody remember that scene from Night at the Museum 1 when the HUGE ancient sculpture talked? "My Dum Dum want some Gum Gum!" I keep envisioning whole herds of high schoolers graduating and talking like that during their college interviews. VERY SCARY! Faith YES! I have often thought the same thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mosaicmind Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 This is the very reason why I am buying books instead of checking them out at the library. We live in a college town with 3 libraries and none of them seem to have what I need. I always have to "settle" for something less. I hate it. I am headed out to B&N tomorrow to get a look at some books i maybe purchasing from them, hope I can find them. It's just disheartening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 (edited) I get it that it is about circulation. That means that collection management has been reduced to a popularity contest. Is that the mission of a public library? The adult section isn't much better. Circulation = Money = Libraries not being closed do to not being used. So many people don't read any more, that it seems that a lot is done to entice them into the library just so they can at least breathe the same air that books live in. Edited January 5, 2011 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I agree, but also throw in the reason that a lot of school research is now being done online, even for younger grades, so that adds to the lack of borrowing of non-fiction items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 It's all part of the dumbing down of America.. The term I use is "decadence", as from decadent: 1 : marked by decay or decline 2 : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the decadents 3 : characterized by or appealing to self-indulgence <decadent pleasures> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 That would be really frustrating. :( While looking for books on the tundra and mountains in our library, I found not a single book on either. A good half dozen each of rainforests and deserts, but none on other world biomes. Not a single book on worms either. One of our new librarians asked me if there were any books my kids liked to read, to let her know. I had given her a list of probably a dozen great books I'd like to see in our library and the only ones she got was Warrior Cats-which were probably the only fluff books on my list. I buy special books, too, to give us a well rounded library. I can get many from our state's ILL which taps into many colleges, but it's still heart breaking to see so much good stuff lacking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 How sad and depressing. I forget that not all libraries add good books, or have excellent ILL services. I have had anxiety about losing what we have in my town. It could be gone so easily. I've always been able to get anything through our systems, so matter how esoteric. Our main branch is totally open to purchasing books as well. I've lost count of the books they have purchased because I've asked. It's all so very fragile, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Our library checks out more movies than books :glare: It makes our librarians sad. It's a bummer that the withdrawn books are not put out at one time. Would your librarians be open to the suggestion of putting out the withdrawn books on the same day of the week at the same time? Perhaps they'd even be willing to call you when they have non-fiction books that are being withdrawn. Once our library noticed that I was the only patron to check something out over the past year and called me when it was being withdrawn! I love ILL but I think it has taken the pressure off of smaller libraries to have balanced collections, KWIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I just went to the library to stock up on books for our next history sections - Barbarians and Vikings. Well, I accidentally wrote down the wrong # and went to the pro football section. Apparently, they purchased a brand new series on NFL football teams and NBA basketball teams - 4 linear feet full of books on this twinkie topic. Yet, there is only ONE book on barbarians in the juvenile non-fiction section and about 6 linear inches of space on the Vikings (not the NFL team.) They are culling books like crazy due to "limited shelf space" and lack of circulation. Well, most of the excellent books I used for my older children on these topics have disappeared to make room for this stuff. Now, I have no problem with having fun books on the shelves, just like I have no problem with dessert once in a while. However, it really burns my bu## to see excellent, engaging academic books being squeezed out by fluff. And this is supposedly the #1 library in the country. GRRRRR!!! Oh, and due to all this culling, there is tons of space on the shelves, which I am sure will be filled in with MORE FLUFF! They have had tons of budget cuts and laid off lots of people (so our holds are taking much longer), but they have the money for this crap. Your library may be going the way of my library. My library is intentionally becoming an entertainment venue. They are doing this knowingly and on purpose. It is their goal. They've been getting complaints and raised eyebrows from parents and schoolteachers whose children are having a hard time finding material for school assignments. But that's just not the direction they want to take anymore. :tongue_smilie: All I can say is go to every library book sale you can find and buy up the good books they are culling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anissarobert Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Our library system has been doing this for years. I have been buying these books and many others since I started homeschooling 12 years ago.and now I have over 10,000 books on my shelves, mostly non-fiction. Lately it seems I use the library more for movies than books, since they never have the ones I want, and I often have what I need already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I can't complain about our library system, so far. They have huge non-fiction sections, and right now I have about 35 books checked out from the children's science section on astronomy and space exploration. I have about 10 books checked out to correspond to our current SOTW lessons. But, I had to post in response to the Barnes & Noble comments. My sister works at Barnes & Noble, and is frequently assigned to the children's department. She is a brilliant person, working on her PhD in Belgian literature. She has a Master's Degree in French lit and can read in Spanish and German. She read through all of Steinbeck's novels by age 12. The girl knows books. The girls knows fluff from good writing. She simply adores working in the bookstore and recommending things to read. She lives with us, so I get to hear her major complaints about the B&N children's department. Her biggest complaint is about parents. She has kids come in and request things their friends are reading, or she will find out what they are interested in and direct them to some good books. She said you would not believe how often the parents discourage their kids from reading things because they "look too hard" or they "look boring". My sister wants to scream at these people, but she also wants to keep her job. Every time she talks about it, she gets upset about these parents discouraging their kids from reading anything that might be remotely challenging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 But, I had to post in response to the Barnes & Noble comments. My sister works at Barnes & Noble, and is frequently assigned to the children's department. She is a brilliant person, working on her PhD in Belgian literature. She has a Master's Degree in French lit and can read in Spanish and German. She read through all of Steinbeck's novels by age 12. The girl knows books. The girls knows fluff from good writing. She simply adores working in the bookstore and recommending things to read. She lives with us, so I get to hear her major complaints about the B&N children's department. Her biggest complaint is about parents. She has kids come in and request things their friends are reading, or she will find out what they are interested in and direct them to some good books. She said you would not believe how often the parents discourage their kids from reading things because they "look too hard" or they "look boring". My sister wants to scream at these people, but she also wants to keep her job. Every time she talks about it, she gets upset about these parents discouraging their kids from reading anything that might be remotely challenging. I wish your sister worked at ours! I was in the next section over looking at games for Christmas presents, and I overheard a conversation between the children's section worker and a grandmother. The grandmother was looking for classic books for her grandkids for Christmas, and the worker was steering her toward every piece of trash that is popular right now. :glare: I was about to jump in when the grandmother told her that that wasn't really what she had in mind, and she would just get them a set of Illustrated Classics. Not the best, imho, but better than junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Our library system has been doing this for years. I have been buying these books and many others since I started homeschooling 12 years ago.and now I have over 10,000 books on my shelves, mostly non-fiction. Lately it seems I use the library more for movies than books, since they never have the ones I want, and I often have what I need already. This is us, too. Our library book sales are about five times a year, and they are HUGE. The classics section alone is about 20 wide shelves, not counting the plays or poetry, which are in another section. I also go on Bookfinder.com and find giant sales in the Detroit area to drive up to. I don't need to worry about the library keeping good books now or in the future, as I have them myself, and I paid $.10-$.25 for most of them. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I would like to say that our Barnes and Nobles children's section is great! They keep a huge array of classics in both abridged and unabridged form, with illustrations and without, hardback or paper. They are very, very helpful and I can usually order what I need if they do not carry it. The only thing I have suggested is that they do better in the children's history section. Currently, looking at the shelves, it appears that there was no history whatseover in the entire world prior to George Washington and the geography section could use some work too. But, they are beefing it up. Because nearly every single educator store in the tri-county area has gone out of business, they've remodeled and added a very nice teacher's section. I can now purchase ds's Singapore Math books there and with my 20% off teacher's discount, it's no more expensive than Rainbow Resource if I have to pay for shipping. I can get a wide variety of standardized test prep, and lots of foreign language books for younger students, albeit...the most common languages studied. Map Skills, lots of Evan Moor books, etc. line the walls. I really appreciate the effort. They've been careful to keep this department very academic. The space is not used for themed pencils, stickers, rewards, etc. and they keep lots of decent science kits. Their annual educator's store event is very nice as well. They usually have a prominent children's book author and also an illustrator there to speak (I tend to skip this part because it's never an author I'd be excited to hear), tons of freebies, free coffee and pastries (the good stuff), and 25% off your entire purchase including anything personal. I was given a set of 25 markers, three dry erase markers, a box of paper clips, nice scissors, two beautiful notebooks, a calendar, and a coffee mug at the last event. So to all of you who live near a pathetic Barnes and Nobles, I am very sorry. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Because nearly every single educator store in the tri-county area has gone out of business, they've remodeled and added a very nice teacher's section. I can now purchase ds's Singapore Math books there and with my 20% off teacher's discount, it's no more expensive than Rainbow Resource if I have to pay for shipping. I can get a wide variety of standardized test prep, and lots of foreign language books for younger students, albeit...the most common languages studied. Map Skills, lots of Evan Moor books, etc. line the walls. I really appreciate the effort. They've been careful to keep this department very academic. The space is not used for themed pencils, stickers, rewards, etc. and they keep lots of decent science kits. Their annual educator's store event is very nice as well. They usually have a prominent children's book author and also an illustrator there to speak (I tend to skip this part because it's never an author I'd be excited to hear), tons of freebies, free coffee and pastries (the good stuff), and 25% off your entire purchase including anything personal. I was given a set of 25 markers, three dry erase markers, a box of paper clips, nice scissors, two beautiful notebooks, a calendar, and a coffee mug at the last event. So to all of you who live near a pathetic Barnes and Nobles, I am very sorry. Faith Man! We have the same educator's section (they just remodeled and added it after our Holcombes went out of business) and it IS filled with mostly junk. :glare: Our educator's event is lame, and they aren't that nice to homeschoolers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Our library checks out more movies than books :glare: It makes our librarians sad. It's a bummer that the withdrawn books are not put out at one time. Would your librarians be open to the suggestion of putting out the withdrawn books on the same day of the week at the same time? Perhaps they'd even be willing to call you when they have non-fiction books that are being withdrawn. Once our library noticed that I was the only patron to check something out over the past year and called me when it was being withdrawn! I love ILL but I think it has taken the pressure off of smaller libraries to have balanced collections, KWIM? The little library closest to my house has one of the biggest circulations in the system because of movie checkouts. We are close to the university and most of the movie checkouts are by students, esp foreign students. All those movie-checker-outers kept my little branch open when others were closed. Now, the little branches are being phased into satellite-type branches w/limited hours. I am just grateful it is still open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Angela in Ohio, Yeah, I've heard that the educator section in most of the Barnes and Nobles stores is sad. I think ours is great just because of the manager. He's a seriously geeky, child education book nerd and so when they announced they were going to be remodeling, he sent out surveys to each and every educator registered through his store and they held quite a few "coffee discussions" with teachers and parents before finalizing the plan. Though I am sure some things were definitely dictated from corporate, he seemed to be able to play the system and get a better selection and a more serious educational approach. The assistant manager is a history freak extraordinaire...don't start him on a discussion of Stephen Ambrose and David McCullough...Oh my word...he's as animated as a Shakespearan actor! LOL But, if your section is anything like the Barnes and Nobles about one more hour further south of here....THEN I FEEL SO BAD FOR YOU THAT IT MAKES ME SICK! I have never seen a more ridiculous excuse for a bookstore. Half the store is a CD/DVD media center. The children's section is very tiny. The mandatory teacher's section is a pathetic, crappy area in a corner with nothing but CRAP on the shelves of which there are maybe two or three bookcases dedicated to the drivel. There are NO classics of any kind in the children's area and one is quite hard pressed to find any in the adult area. They keep half the periodicals of the our Barnes and Nobles and mostly twaddle. No National Geographic, US Consumer's Report, Ranger Rick, American Girl Magazine, no US COIN collectors magazine, No Electronics, Astronomy, American Scientific or Popular Science, etc. but if there's anything you've every wanted to know about some idiot celebrity, than this B & N is the place for you! Sick, sick, sick..... That said, I do understand that they aren't in this to educate America but to make a buck and so they will stock what sells which means that this Barnes and Nobles is sad commentary on the community they sell to! Sort of like how I feel about the community that is the home of our public library...it reflects so poorly on the locals that there is absolutely no outcry from the public about the direction this library has taken and given that the local teachers have announced at school board meetings that they don't have a problem with it either, you can imagine the depth of literary studies at the local PS!!!! UGH Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Ours is the same way. :glare: There is not a SINGLE kids' book in the world history section between the renaissance and world war I - apparently nothing interesting happened in those years (actually there are a few on the American revolution & civil war in a separate section). Yet somehow there are 3 biographies of Miley Cyrus in the 920s. :tongue_smilie: The science section seems to be trending toward the "things that are gross or slimy" genre, and the comic book section is double the space it had a couple years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 This is the main reason homeschool is so expensive for me. Our library just does not stock books that are one our book lists. They have tons of fluff both in the adult and children sections. They also tend to have tons of copies of the latest books. For instance,they will have 12 or more copies of the latest romance novel. When the latest Harry Potter book came out, our branch had about 30 copies. But, the entire system only had 1 copy of one of the All of a Kind Family books. Now, to book stores. Every homeschool supply store within a 2 hour drive is out of business. Our Barnes and Noble is closed. So, Books - a - Million is our only option within an hour drive. They have greatly expanded their homeschool section. They carry the entire Spectrum series as well as FLL and SOTW. They do not however carry the Well Trained Mind (I just ordered it). They do not carry any high school books, but the lady working there showed me where they have greatly added to their adult education section. I have been able to purchase quite a few resources and supplements for my high schooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I get it that it is about circulation. That means that collection management has been reduced to a popularity contest. Is that the mission of a public library? The adult section isn't much better. I commiserate. We moved from an AWESOME library system, to one where it is far easier to find Dora the Explorer books than children's classics. I waited a year on hold for the only unabridged Wizard of Oz in the county's collection. All the other copies, of course, were abridged. I have had very limited success finding any of the suggested books in the SOTW AG through our library. Sigh. The bi-annual book sale is where I acquire the majority of our reading. I spoke with a librarian about it, but she didn't think there was any problem. Out with the old, in with the new. She, herself, couldn't abide the classics, hated traditional booklists of "the best books", etc., and seemed to take great pride in finding modern replacements for "today's student". :confused: My goal of a a public library would be to act as a torch-bearer of civilization to the public. It should provide, with public funds, the best books to the public in order to sustain and improve our society. It should *not* be a warehouse for modern twaddle. But I'm a young curmudgeon. ;) I do not think that the popular vote should apply. Then again, I find myself nodding as I read Climbing Parnassus. Not everything should be elective; some things in society must remain selective. :) Remember, these are OUR libraries, paid for with OUR dollars. I'm not going down in silence. I continue to check out the classics at the library; I continue to request for purchase excellent books. Perhaps if enough of us do this, the tide will turn. (Or better yet, we can get no the acquisition board. ;) ) Of course, in the meantime, many books I still must buy at home. Insurance? Yes! Bibliophile? Yes :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 (edited) I never really understood the concept of culling books when there is plenty of shelf space. To me, a library isn't supposed to run like a video store with only the greatest hits available. It's supposed to be a place where you can go find that book that's been around for ages. the only way some people will get their hands on an out of print books is through the library. I have to say, though, that despite budget cuts, my library still orders almost everything I ask them to. Right now, I've been asking them to order the New York Review Children's Collection books. They order a ton of history books for children too. Edited January 5, 2011 by nestof3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I never really understood the concept of culling books when there is plenty of shelf space. To me, a library isn't supposed to run like a video store with only the greatest hits available. It's supposed to be a place where you can go find that book that's been around for ages. the only way some people will get their hands on an out of print books is through the library. I understand culling books that are obsolete- travel guides, technology books, etc. My mom was appalled when I came home as a kid in the mid-'80's with a book on computers published in the late 1960's. I hadn't known any better when I pulled it off the shelf but she hit the roof & read the librarian the riot act :lol: And I strongly believe that when a science or history book is culled for being too dated, the library should replace it with an updated book on the same topic if at all possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I check out the classics from our tiny, tiny library even if we've already read them. They won't cull them if they've been checked out in the last year my librarian told me. I believe I may singlehandedly be keeping the Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan on the shelves. He reports to me that people request the 'cartoon character' books for their kids and you pretty much can't give the things we all like away :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I understand culling books that are obsolete- travel guides, technology books, etc. My mom was appalled when I came home as a kid in the mid-'80's with a book on computers published in the late 1960's. I hadn't known any better when I pulled it off the shelf but she hit the roof & read the librarian the riot act :lol: And I strongly believe that when a science or history book is culled for being too dated, the library should replace it with an updated book on the same topic if at all possible. I agree. I was referring to literature. I love old science literature, though, like the books written by Alice Crew Gall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I check out the classics from our tiny, tiny library even if we've already read them. They won't cull them if they've been checked out in the last year my librarian told me. I believe I may singlehandedly be keeping the Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan on the shelves. He reports to me that people request the 'cartoon character' books for their kids and you pretty much can't give the things we all like away :-( Good reminder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I do this too with many books, as well as all Modern Scholar and Teaching Company items. Check them out, put them on reserve, be a pest and request them...I just try to keep them circulating. Try doing a science, state or country report here, haha they don't bother. I check out the classics from our tiny, tiny library even if we've already read them. They won't cull them if they've been checked out in the last year my librarian told me. I believe I may singlehandedly be keeping the Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan on the shelves. He reports to me that people request the 'cartoon character' books for their kids and you pretty much can't give the things we all like away :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 You ought to see the level of ignorance in our library. They devoted a huge amount to the kids' version of Left Behind, with a multitude of creationism books. I understand their desire for a selection of that sort, but guess what disappeared? Yep, science based, such as biology and chemistry DK books, and those on evolution. I live in a town happily marching themselves back to the Dark Ages! Oh brother.:rolleyes::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HejKatt Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Resurrecting this thread.. I wished I lived in your neighborhood where the library has huge sales 5x/year, and books at less than a quarter! :) Also, I belong to this Yahoo group (homeschoollibrary), here's their description: "Do you love those OOP (out-of-print) living books? Are you on a mission to preserve as many as you can? Would you love to make them available to other homeschoolers in your area?.. I intend to open discussion to provide practical help and encouragement to those who feel the call to this type of ministry in their home. " http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoollibrary/ They've recently started a list of members with operational libraries. I thought this might be of interest for those who have overflowing shelves (if this is something they might be interested in), and for those looking (to see if there is a library in their area). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I get it that it is about circulation. That means that collection management has been reduced to a popularity contest. Is that the mission of a public library? The adult section isn't much better. It's kind of a wonky equation, isn't it? Without adequate circulation, the library loses funding and then we'll be stuck without even the piddly handful of books currently on the shelves. Politics. Everywhere ::shakes head sadly::. I live in a small town, and we didn't even get a library until four years ago. I grew up in a big metropolitan area with access to several library branches, so this was an adjustment for me. I was initially upset that my kids would grow up in this teeny, pathetic one-room library. Turns out it's been great! The library does stock lots of fluff, and way more media than I think a library should offer LOL, but they're also great about ordering just about everything I request - even those things that they know will not be huge circulators! We're in a school district that is consistently rated among the state's top five, usually place 2-3, and people move here specifically for the schools. There are very few homeschoolers, and even less classically-minded educators! We're in the library several times a week, and are good at keeping circulation numbers up :D I'm sure this is one reason why my library will order what I ask. Politics can work both ways, no?! I make a point to re-check out the books I've asked the library to order. I feel no guilt inflating circulation numbers :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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