ETL 503 Weeding

I love weeding, both literally and metaphorically. There is nothing so satisfying as seeing clear space between beloved items. But weeding in the library is fraught with problems, the likes of which a garden bed never encounters. For instance people walking past your garden don't rifle through the wheelbarrow and grab a weed and lament its passing, or replant it in a 'just in case it's needed' garden bed. They don't abuse you for pulling weeds, in fact they can see the need for it. Gardeners don't normally sell the weeds or put them in a box to send overseas.
   Weeding the collection makes the shelves more attractive, rids the library of misleading/outdated information and keeps the collection relevant to patrons.
   Our local Primary school library hasn't been weeded in years and it shows. Books overflow from the shelves; many books are bent or pushed behind others, damaging them. Many books are dusty, shabby-looking tomes with fraying spines or torn pages. Lots in the picture story book section are so well worn that the front covers are wrinkled and soiled like soft leather.
   Many of the books date back to the 1960s or beyond. I recently found two published in the 1950s. That means they are approximately 60 years old. Relevant? I doubt it. Cutting edge, up-to-date info? Definately not.
   I have hinted many times that the shelves need weeding. I've even had a go myself and been chastised for it.It's not seen as a priority. 'Getting kids to read' is the priority. As the library stands now it is a cob-webbed old tomb of obsolete knowledge. I wonder how many more kids would explore the library shelves willingly if they were filled with clean, shiny, new books filled with contemporary information.
 

Dusty titles

Each week I volunteer at the local primary school library. I only get to do an hour or two which is quickly filled with shelving and shelf reading. The collection is a total shambles. The assisstant librarian is in charge as the school hasn't got funding for a librarian let alone a teacher librarian. The poor assistant librarian spends only a few hours on a Friday in the library, the rest of the time she is an integration aide. As a consequence the shelving rarely gets done or students shelve things themselves: upside down, back to front and in the wrong banks altogether. I count at least five books each session which are in the wrong part of the library.
   I asked the harried assistant librarian this morning if we could weed out some of the titles that are covered in dust and haven't been borrowed for over thirty years. 'It's not a priority,' she said. I asked her what was.
   'Keeping the library open, keeping the students borrowing, getting them interested in reading,' she said.
   I would have thought that a contemporary collection would be more attractive to borrowers, but as I'm only a volunteer I don't feel I can push my case.
   She said it was impossible to get any of that other work done when her time was so limited. All she can do is tidy up after the kids.