Orthodox6 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 . . . an apparently unused, 2003 edition of a multivolume encyclopedia? A house on our street has been placed on the market. During our morning walk today, DD and I noticed a complete set of encyclopedia volumes, looking brand new other than the damage incurred from last night's rain, placed at the curb for today's trash pickup. Curious, I opened a volume to detect the publication date was 2003. I don't know what word I would use most accurately to describe my feelings about this. Yes, the Internet is available to many people. Yes, there are parents who encourage their children to turn to the archaic activity of using the eyeballs to read printed pages instead of automatically running to a computer or cellphone. Yes, the majority of information presented in an encyclopedia of this date remains accurate. Had the books not been wet, I would have scooped them up to give to the homeschooling group at our church, members of which would not be able to afford this good set. I Hate Senseless Waste ! ! ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 That is weird? Why wouldn't you at least box them up and drop them off at Goodwill? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artichoke Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Absolutely! We have a 1968 set of World Book that all of our kiddos have browsed at one point or another. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 That is weird? Why wouldn't you at least box them up and drop them off at Goodwill? If you mean me, I have a permanently damaged leg and could not lift the set. A little walking is the best that I can manage. Plus, I had to return home to fix breakfast for my elderly father. If those sound like excuses, I can't help it. If you mean the householder, I agree with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 If you mean me, I have a permanently damaged leg and could not lift the set. A little walking is the best that I can manage. Plus, I had to return home to fix breakfast for my elderly father. If those sound like excuses, I can't help it. If you mean the householder, I agree with you. Oh - I definitely mean the person who put them out in the rain in the first place! I wouldn't expect a passer by to clean up someone else's mess out of the blue. What a waste. Sorry about not being clear. I totally agree with you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I wouldn't want them even if they were free, but if I had a set like that I'd find someone who does. I can't imagine just throwing them away. Many encyclopedia companies don't print books anymore. They make digital versions, which can be easily updated. I believe Encyclopedia Britannica's last printed set was in 2010. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Don't feel bad about leaving them. Goodwill doesn't accept Encyclopedias in most areas. Especially outdated ones. Adding rain damage ontop of that, and they would have made you haul them back home. Had you picked them up and dropped them off at an unmannded collection site, or book donation box, they would have been tossed in the garbage anyways. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Don't feel bad about leaving them. Goodwill doesn't accept Encyclopedias in most areas. Especially outdated ones. Adding rain damage ontop of that, and they would have made you haul them back home. Had you picked them up and dropped them off at an unmannded collection site, or book donation box, they would have been tossed in the garbage anyways. Absolutely. Here, there are many homeschoolers that would pick up a set like that, use them for a year and pass them on. But as a passer by, I wouldn't have tried to find a home for books that were already water damaged. And many charities do not take them now. I do not have the room for an encyclopedia set in our house now, but if they were mine, I certainly would have tried to find a home for them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I would have loved them if they were in good condition. My son is dying to have an encyclopedia set for some reason. He checks volumes out at the library and I read him pages at bed time. If they were already waster damaged Iwould have passed them up though. Regretfully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Oh, you bet!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 Water damage was minimal, to be honest. Sprinkles which would have dried just fine in the eyes of this ex-librarian. Technically, water damage. Bad damage, no. Not even medium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I wouldn't although I prefer printed materials. I prefer to buy more updated subject specific encyclopedias. Maybe because it's also a weakness that I wouldn't be able to get rid of them ever. I have a huge number of books, an encyclopedia set is never something I've felt the need to own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I would not want them. Not for free, not even if they were a 2015 edition. I do not think the number of times I would open the encyclopedia justify giving it the space it takes up. But I would have donated it, not thrown out. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 I have known IRL so many income-challenged homeschoolers, that I posted. Many homeschool groups maintain libraries for their members. As I wrote before, the bulk of the information remains valid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I'm conflicted on this issue. We have a 2004 set of World Book encyclopedias that I picked up for $5 at a library sale. I was the kid that loved to look through encyclopedias for fun. However, we've had this set for 7 years now, and we've barely used it. It's come in handy a few times, but it seems like most of the time, when we've gone to it for a specific piece of information, it hasn't helped us. And with the Internet always handy and our library ever ready with more extensive materials, I don't know if I'd bring an encyclopedia set home again. In fact, I was looking at ours just the other day, thinking I could really use that shelf space for other things! So I want to say yes, I'd still use an encyclopedia set. But the reality is that it hasn't been particularly useful here. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 No, I wouldn't. Mostly because they've had rain now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 No. Not with water damage. Mold is not healthy. We had some 12 year old encyclopedias. A big set. I gave them away, as they were a space sucker. We used them a bit, but not enough to justify the space. I have fond memories of reading the encyclopedia as a kid, but we have more options for research now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 I misled readers with my original post. Sprinkles do not equate to water damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 No, I wouldn't. I can't even think of when I would have any use for a new encyclopedia set. If I need to know something I can look it up on the internet. That is easier for me. If for some reason I could not use the internet, I would still prefer to go to our public library and look it up there. Our friends of the library has a twice yearly book sale and it is one of the biggest in the country. This month they say they are the third largest. They no longer take encyclopedia sets because they have no value and no one buys them. I have taken a set off of free cycle, but that was because it came with it's own bookcase. I recycled the encyclopedias and kept the bookcase. That was worth more to me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 I can't agree with the negative votes, but I find the replies interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I misled readers with my original post. Sprinkles do not equate to water damage. Even without the sprinkles I wouldn't want them. I'd rather get updated information online. A lot has changed in the 12 years since they were printed. True, a lot hasn't, but even that information can be found online or at the local library. I just don't have the shelf space for something that won't get used. Most people don't. That's why you will have a hard time finding new encyclopedia sets. They are rarely used anymore. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 It's not a question of age, it's a question of usefulness vs. shelf space. We use our set of older encyclopedias about three times a year. Most of the time we use Google and get the short answer we want without having to wade through pages of info on the topic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 If there was rain damage no. If there was no rain damage, probably not. I do not have the space for it, I already own a set of ignored encyclopedias and I do not have the time or interest to devote to turning them into a project like I have done in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 Thanks all! Poll closed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 That's too bad that they didn't donate them! I'm sure places would take them. Some families still use them, otherwise homes for the elderly, care centers, etc. (I'm just thinking that a lot of elderly people would prefer them over the computer.) But no, I wouldn't take them myself. We have a beautiful set that are just a little older than that. They got a lot of use initially, but the internet pretty much took over. We have another complete set from 1936! We keep those in our living room. They're really interesting to look at. I especially enjoy reading about other countries and their political situation during that period. It's weird to think that at the time it was written, those countries had no idea what was about to hit them. (For example WWII.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I was the kid that loved to look through encyclopedias for fun. However, we've had this set for 7 years now, and we've barely used it. DS read them for fun. The other kiddos weren't interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 You will welcome the set when the apocalypse hits. Lots of good info on edible wild plants, and the pages can be bartered as "bathroom tissue". :D 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHoustonMom Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I'd take them if someone offered them to me but not out of the trash. My only reason for this is silverfish. I would be afraid they might have been in a garage for a time and gotten infested. I've had several books all eaten up by silverfish, and they are just plain creepy bugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 I'd take them if someone offered them to me but not out of the trash. My only reason for this is silverfish. I would be afraid they might have been in a garage for a time and gotten infested. I've had several books all eaten up by silverfish, and they are just plain creepy bugs. In a clean boxes at the curb. No trash allowed in the boxes. The curb is where our city has residents place "bulk trash". Recycle and trash bins go in the alleys behind the houses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Yes. You may be able to find more up to date info online for sci/tech topics but much of the info in a 2003 encyclopedia will be current enough to be useful. Encyclopedia articles are great, somewhat short sources for upper elementary students working on their first couple of years of research papers in which the student compiles info from multiple sources. Less easy to unintentionally fall into "cut-n-paste-plagiarism" and good practice for learning beginning bibliographies/citations. Unlike Wikipedia, an encyclopedia by a reputable publisher has likely been well fact-checked (at least one can hope, aye?). ETA the case I plead above is for the value of encyclopedia IF you have the space (hs library great idea). I do not necessary mean I think you should run back and get THAT set. Your call. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Yes. You may be able to find more up to date info online for sci/tech topics but much of the info in a 2003 encyclopedia will be current enough to be useful. Encyclopedia articles are great, somewhat short sources for upper elementary students working on their first couple of years of research papers in which the student compiles info from multiple sources. Less easy to unintentionally fall into "cut-n-paste-plagiarism" and good practice for learning beginning bibliographies/citations. Unlike Wikipedia, an encyclopedia by a reputable publisher has likely been well fact-checked (at least one can hope, aye?). eh, by that age,upper elementary, wikepedia is just as useful for looking up easily confirmed information (dates of french revolution, names of moons around Jupiter, for example) and beyond that they are using multiple sources anyway. When we used WWS, SWB allowed basic facts to be looked up on wikipedia, but then several other sources had to be used for actual research, quotation etc. You are correct that an encyclopedia could be used for that first step, but who has the space? I know I don't. Heck, libraries don't even have the space. If you want an encyclopedia at the public library they direct you to a computer database. If you do have the space an encyclopedia won't hurt to have around, but it's not a must have by any means. But it will need to be recycled or tossed at some point. They have a limited shelf life by design. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I think if you have a kid aged about 8-12 who might just like to flip through and read about topics that might not otherwise come up, that's a good reason to keep them if you have space. They'd be less useful - for finding answers to specific questions (especially for DS's questions, which are often about astronomy--books older than he is are not really helpful). - for kids who can't read yet, or for kids old enough to be more interested in other nonfiction resources such as primary sources. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 You'd be surprised how hard it is to even give books away. A lot of places do not want them or are very particular. I threw out a set myself. Nobody wanted them. They were much older than that though. I would not pick it up because I wouldn't get enough use out of them and then I'd be stuck once again trying to do something with them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 No. I wouldn't want the clutter in my house. I'm already on the fence about the full set of Harvard Classics (in beautiful condition) that I got for free. They look fancy in my bookcases, but we aren't using them at the moment, and a good number of the selections are available digitally for free now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 We would have loved them, for a while, at least. We used our set of children's encyclopedias for years, till the kids just outgrew them. One of my kids would start the day 'browsing' through a volume. We use digital books too, but there is something about that type of books that is still appealing, even to my kids. Too bad they were left out in the rain! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reign Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 No one seems to want them around here. I had a set I picked up from the library for 2 dollars. It was printed in 2001. I tried to get rid of it but no one wanted them. It was missing one book if that makes a difference. The library didn't want it back and good will said no thanks. I have been letting my kids cut the pictures out for drawing or collages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 No one seems to want them around here. I had a set I picked up from the library for 2 dollars. It was printed in 2001. I tried to get rid of it but no one wanted them. It was missing one book if that makes a difference. The library didn't want it back and good will said no thanks. I have been letting my kids cut the pictures out for drawing or collages. I think that is a great use of old, otherwise-useless books. My daughter got some old (not antique or valuable, just old) map books and she has great creative fun with them. Uhh..."atlases" is the word I wanted there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Michelle. Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Absolutely. The internet is wonderful, but a kid can explore an encyclopedia without ending up on pr0n. We look things up in our set all the time and, inevitably, another entry or page catches their eyes and then we're happily exploring a new topic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valley Girl Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 In a heartbeat! The experience of curling up with a book is different from curling up with an electronic device. A set of encyclopedias you can page through would be the perfect cure for the "there's nothing new to read" complaint. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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