Ugly Books!
(some excellent examples showing why libraries need the "Public School Library Collection Development Grant!!"
The Alaska Association of School Libraries announces the Ugly Book Show.
- Take a photograph of an ugly, old, outdated book you need to weed
- Write a short paragraph giving some details: publishing date, outdated content, condition
- Email your entry to mail@alaskaemptyshelves.com
For the Love of Reading!!!
Hi, my name is Paige Merriam and I am the teacher librarian at Gastineau Elementary School in Juneau. My library hasn't been weeded or inventoried for at least 18 years. The average age of our collection is 28 years. The books I am holding, "David's Little Indian" and "Red Fox and His Canoe," are about Native Americans. These books portray Native Americans in a negative and bigoted light, and they aren't the only ones we find in our library (and quickly discard).
An excerpt from one such book reads, "The savage Indians, wearing only loincloths and uttering gutteral noises, crept up to the fire like dirty little field mice." Do we really want our kids reading such books? I think not. At 53 years old, I routinely find books from my childhood in the Gastineau Library. Some books date back to 1938. Children need books that are from their own time. Obsolete books teach inappropriate ideas. Please fund the "the library collection grant." Our kids are depending on you.
 Computer books with copyright dates 1982 and 1984. In the past year I have weeded and withdrawn approximately 5000 books. The average age of our collection in December of 2008 before I started the weeding project was 1985; as of March 2010 the average age of the collection is 1987. After weeding 5000 books the average age is only two years more current. According to industry standard, books on technology, computing, data systems are outside the acceptable age range after three years.
More books to weed. Over 80% of the entire collection is beyond age range.
 Hi I'm Kari Sagel from Blatchley Middle School. A couple years ago I pulled a history book from Blatchley's shelves. Opening to an illustrated page, I discovered a drawing of a Native American facing some European men. The caption read something like, "Ugh...me no like French man. Me want to meet with White Father." I pulled the book for weeding, but somehow it ended up being shelved again. Since then, I have been trying to find that book. The Blatchley library has been roughly weeded through the 700's, but the 900's remain an old, dreadful mess. Today, when I came across this book, I thought I had found my old nemesis in this 1952 book with its lurid cover. But...no such luck. I will delete it. But like the white whale, my "ugh" book is still out there taunting me. I will find it!
These books were weeded in 2010 from a middle school and elementary library.
 
Ahhhh!!! MISINFORMATION!!
As you will see from the photos below, many of our reference books are in very bad shape, with many loose pages. I think the book on World War II is probably as old as the war itself.
Deby Reed, School/District Librarian, Southeast Island School District
 
 A library volunteer at Hermon Hutchens Elementary in Valdez was helping inventory the books and came across these gems from over 40 years ago. Though these are stories from various countries around the world, the pictures and text styles are not going to hook any readers. In fact, when I went to see the last time the book had been checked out, it was over 9 years ago. I'd love to have traditional stories from around the world to suppliment our curriculum. Unfortunately these books will not appeal to teachers or students.
 Valdez High School Library para Sandra Crump is really not too sure why
this book was still on the shelf! She's been weeding extensively because
her library is rapidly going to more nonfiction digital formats. In this
rapidly changing information age students and teachers want up-to-date,
accurate information in a variety of formats.
Barbara Bryson, District Librarian
Valdez City Schools
907-835-4728
Hi! I'm Erika Drain, librarian at Mt. Edgecumbe High School library. This is a small example of the books I found while weeding my 900 sectio n in the non-fiction. I have three more hip-high stacks in the back room waiting to be discarded. My favorite was Pirates of the Spanish Main. The publishing date is 1961! Our students' grandparents checked these books out. The book on the left Rocket Ship Galileo was published in 1941 and from the date checkout slip I know for sure that someone checked it out December of 1963 - five and a half years before the United States sent a mission to the moon. We need better books for Alaska's students!
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