Reply to Fairfax County throwing away books in great condition

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Then why the h ll were Friends of the Library groups not permitted to grab as many of these books to SELL THEM?  Or even GIVE THEM away rather than paying money to a trash service?

The library system has fewer books now than it did last year, so shelf space isn't a problem.

It's disgusting.

"Hearing complaints that the Fairfax County Public Library was throwing away tons of books, County Supervisor Linda Q. Smyth (D-Providence) decided to peer into a Dumpster.

Twice, she found stacks and stacks of high-quality books, bought by the taxpayers, piled in the trash. The second time, she filled a box.

But as Sam Clay, Fairfax’s longtime library director, launched a plan to revamp the county system, no books were given to the Friends of the Library for seven months this year, and more than 250,000 books were destroyed, Smyth said.

As books began disappearing from the shelves, Tresa Schlecht of the Friends of Tysons-Pimmit branch and others pleaded with library administrators to allow the Friends to rescue books, their e-mails show. Then Schlecht did her own literary Dumpster dives this spring, taking photographs of hundreds of books, including “Harry Potter” books and other seemingly desirable volumes, stuffing the dumpster in Chantilly.

“This is just as wasteful as I thought it would be,” Schlecht said. “My hobby is finding new homes for books,” including after-school programs in the District, religious schools and shelters, she said.

So Smyth did her own investigation. Among the items she found consigned to the trash were a pristine[b] 2010 Fodor’s guide to Mexico[/b], some large, good-quality art and gardening books[/quote]

Consider that outdated. That book is 3 years old and perhaps a newer copy is available. True, I'm not sure the dumpster was the best place, but where else should this book, and the thousands of others like it, go? To a charity? To a school? To a 3rd world country?

And the library accepts thousands of donated books a year. Perhaps this was a donated book and if there is a newer copy on the shelf than what? Do you think it would sell at a used book sale?[/quote]

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