Letter: Check Out Books And Save Our Books

Under current library policy, novels that don't circulate for a year are culled from the collection.  Nonfiction books have a bit longer, 18 months, before they are "weeded."  

If you ask about books that are weeded you are told by librarians they were damaged or inaccurate.  They are not allowed to be repaired by staff or volunteers.  They must go to central operations and be decommissioned.  Then it's off to the landfill.  No chance for a reprieve in ownership with a layover at the Friends of the Library.  No chance for a new home.

Is the library trying to get rid of books with that policy?  It looks like it.  Sam Clay has spoken of smaller digital-only libraries many times.  The problem is that there isn't much in the way of digital books at the moment. Most publishers won't sell them to libraries.  It costs $85 for the library to buy an ebook from a publisher.  Only the library doesn't buy it, they just lease it until it has been borrowed 25 times.  Then the lease expires.  A $10 real book could last for years.  Well, unless somebody drops it and a corner is bent. 

So what can we do about this?   Sam Clay is not backing down.  He won't fully retire for two years.  Is there anything we can do to preserve our beloved books from the dumpster until the new librarian arrives?  

Yes!!  We can check them out.  So do this:  Go to the library and check out every book that you ever read and loved (providing it's still there).  We can borrow up to 50 books at a time.  Bring a travelers trolley and a canvas bag.  If even half of the folks in Reston take out 50 books once a year, Sam can't throw them away.  If half the people in Reston do that twice a year, we can save our books until Sam is replaced by a new head librarian.  And we have to insist that the Board of Supervisors not hire another librarian who wants digital-only libraries.  We want a tried and true bibliophile.


Kathy Kaplan
Reston


Related:  Fairfax County Libraries Prepare for Cuts