Year End 2012

Yesterday we closed the year at the Meals on Wheels Cheyenne book room. We cleaned up, discarded unsellable books, and took the monthly physical inventory.

During 2012, we received 55,212 book donations. We sold 27,603 books. On the average almost exactly 50% of the donations are sold. We discarded 26,655. A certain number are in no condition to sell. Most are on the shelves for a period of time and do not sell. I hate tossing books but (1) we only have so much space, and (2) people do not like looking through books that no one wants. The latter I know from many years experience.

Book room volunteers donated a total of 753.50 hours. So for every 37 books sold there has been one hour of volunteer time.

Book room volunteers also donated 2,066 miles of vehicle usage.

David Sneed

Expurgation

Many types of books come in to the Meals on Wheels Book Room. If books are unsellable due to damage, missing covers, or whatever, they are discarded. Also Reader's Digest condensed books and old textbooks. No one buys them anywhere. But what about censorship? What should we do if we find books that may be objectionable for whatever reason? The Book Room volunteers have adopted the American Library Association interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. See below for text.

Plain and simple, if a book is potentially marketable it goes on the shelf. It does not mean that Meals on Wheels or any staff or volunteers endorse the book.

That leaves removal for lack of sales. Every library, book store, and thrift store only has room for so many books. If books do not sell after a period of time they are removed.

 We are open to any other ideas or comments?

David Sneed

Expurgation of Library Materials

An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights

Expurgating library materials is a violation of the Library Bill of Rights. Expurgation as defined by this interpretation includes any deletion, excision, alteration, editing, or obliteration of any part(s) of books or other library resources by the library, its agent, or its parent institution (if any). By such expurgation, the library is in effect denying access to the complete work and the entire spectrum of ideas that the work intended to express. Such action stands in violation of Articles I, II, and III of the Library Bill of Rights, which state that "Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation," that "Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval," and that "Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment."

The act of expurgation has serious implications. It involves a determination that it is necessary to restrict access to the complete work. This is censorship. When a work is expurgated, under the assumption that certain portions of that work would be harmful to minors, the situation is no less serious.

Expurgation of any books or other library resources imposes a restriction, without regard to the rights and desires of all library users, by limiting access to ideas and information. (See also other Interpretations to the Library Bill of Rights, including Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks and Free Access to Libraries for Minors.)

Further, expurgation without written permission from the holder of the copyright on the material may violate the copyright provisions of the United States Code.

---

Adopted February 2, 1973, by the ALA Council; amended July 1, 1981; January 10, 1990.

[ISBN 8389-5419-7]

Related Files

Expurgation of Library Materials (PDF File)

End of October

Tonight we closed the month with a physical inventory and our monthly report of activity. Records are an important part of the process. The whole inventory turns about every 2.5 weeks. always something new. Some customers visit several times a week.

The new shelves we got as a donation at the first of the month are really working out well. They are a good looking wood product. With the carpet and the wood tables the Book section really looks good.

We did lose another of our stuffed cats, our bookstore mascot, even though it waas glued securely. The perpetrator had to struggle to get it loose. Again we have replaced it.

David Sneed

How Can Rene Descartes be at Meals on Wheels?

Everyone knows that Air Force 1 refers to any aircraft that has the President on board.

Why limit the idea to the naming of aircraft?

At Meals on Wheels we use a shopping cart for loading up discard material. A "discart" if you will.

Today I decided that we would call any cart that we use for discards by the name Rene. "Rene Discart."

If you do not get that double pun then you need to do more reading. Of our philosophy books and humor books.

At the Meals on Wheels book room there is plenty of quality reading material. We often have books by and about Rene Descartes the French Philosopher, Scientist, and Mathematician. His work would never be in "Rene Discart"because his books all sell.

To Hipsters, college and high school students, and to those who just want to learn.

David Sneed

PS: The photo to the left is Rene Descartes and not the author of this blog. 

Dick Francis

Ever heard of Dick Francis? I had not until yesterday when  we received quite a few hard back novels written by him.

Wikipedia describes his occupation as jockey-turned-writer. Francis, who passed away in February 2010, made a name for himself as a jockey and did the same as a mystery writer. 

Look him up on wikipedia. his biography is too lengthy to summarize here.

David Sneed

Encyclopedias

The Meals on Wheels book room, like most book stores, does not keep encyclopedias. They are obsolete. The Internet is a much better source of information. Can you believe that it was not so long ago that we would spend a lot of money to get an annual update book to our encyclopedias?

We did take it what I would have to call a brand new set of World Book from 1973. The original owner was convinced by a door to door salesman of the value of having this set of books. And he was right. The books contained plenty of information. It would be of benefit to their children. Alas! I think no one ever looked up anything in the set of books. We decided to see what would happen.

The books are sitting on our shelf untouched.

No one wants them.

David Sneed

Ray Bradbury, the science fiction writer, died today at age 91. The Meals on Wheels Book Room frequently has his works available though I don't think anything is there now. 

Bradbury is best known for his 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451. Paper will burn at 451 degrees fahrenheit. In 

the story the job of the fire department is to burn books. The government has decided that books can make people unhappy and therefore books are banned. The heroes in the story each become a book by memorizing it and constantly repeating it. 

Bradbury also wrote Martian Chronicles. 

In one of his short stories a man is arrests for talking a walk and for not having a tv. 

The basic theme of Bradbury's work is the problems with love of technology. 

He will be missed. 

David Sneed