I wrote to Peoria Public Library Director Ed Szynaka and asked him for his response to anonymous reports I’ve been getting about books being indiscriminately discarded, as reported earlier on my blog. He sent me this explanation:
First of all let me assure you that our weeding guidelines, created and adopted from best library practices, are still in force. I do understand that it is human nature to see an action and believe you know what is happening and to spread that tale with your own interpretation. My explanation for why people are reporting such things to you are that they do not understand what they are seeing. They are responding to the end of the process and not seeing what happens ahead of that.
They see recycling bins of books and do not or may not realize the steps leading up to that point. Also, they don’t see how much we are keeping or realize where books are going. For examples, truckloads of books are being taken to Lakeview Branch to bolster their collection during construction. Other books are boxed to be moved within the building.
Yes, people are seeing large amounts of materials leave our building. Some are being recycled. Other materials are being donated to other libraries and in some cases sold so that we have further funding to purchase the materials Peorians want on our shelves. For example, we did not throw away bound copies of Railway Age. That title and other periodicals have gone to a service that makes them available to other types of libraries, such as academic libraries, that want to complete their collections. Periodicals were weeded and then double-checked by our local history authority who did have the final say on retaining some titles and in fact, pulled bound periodicals to be retained for the local history collection.
For many of the items that are weeded, we know we can obtain this information either online or through inter-library loan for the few patrons who may want to access it. It would be irresponsible to continue to use large amounts of space for items in poor condition or items that only one or two people want to use. Other items have gone to other academic libraries where students of various topics want, need and will use the information on a regular basis
You mentioned that it was reported to you weeding was being sped up. In reality weeding is not being sped up, but the staff is very focused. More people are working on the project for longer hours, but they do not proceed any more quickly. For instance, a team of professional, Master-degreed librarians are involved with checking materials before anything is discarded as part of the weeding process.
The decisions are made carefully, and then the last step occurs when librarians at computers are quickly scanning and discarding books. As this last task has become familiar our staff have become very practiced at the physical motion required and yes, they have “sped up” their ability to scan, but the weeding process itself is not done any more quickly.
Another visual effect that is contributing to the sense that the Main Library is being emptied is that we are in the process of clearing three floors – second, first and IB – and moving all books to the basement so we continue to retrieve them for the public during construction. That moving is going on at this moment and lends to the sense of materials disappearing when they are actually being relocated.
You mentioned that perhaps we should be using our expansion to house books and weed more carefully. The extra square footage you may be hearing about is only our new stair tower and entrance, not space for library materials. We will have the same square footage within the library itself, although IB will now be a public floor with a dedicated Local History and Genealogy room as well as an expanded gallery and more public meeting space.
I do hope this has answered your questions and as always I appreciate your continued support for Peoria Public Library.
I would only add for clarification purposes that when I mentioned that the library was gaining square footage, I was not referring to the main branch in isolation, but to the entire Peoria Public Library (all branches). They are building a new north branch and dramatically expanding the Lincoln branch. Those add a significant amount of square footage.
My thanks to Mr. Szynaka for taking the time to respond.
Mr. Szynaka, “YOU LIE”
For example, we did not throw away bound copies of Railway Age. That title and other periodicals have gone to a service that makes them available to other types of libraries, such as academic libraries, that want to complete their collections.
But the PPL will no longer have RAILWAY AGE prior to 1954. That is the problem.
I understand the principles of weeding a library’s collection. However, a burning question remains that has not been answered by the Peoria Public Library:
Why are the unwanted books not being made available to Peoria organizations and the taxpaying citizens of Peoria, via book sales, book giveaways, or other means, BEFORE they are given away or sold to parties outside of Peoria? And, most horrifyingly, before they are recycled or thrown away in the garbage dumpsters behind the library? (As was previously witnessed by a concerned taxpayer and reported on The Peoria Chronicle here: http://peoriachronicle.com/2009/02/07/peoria-public-library-weeding-its-collections).
Please do not feed us the excuse that the books are old, outdated, or in poor condition. The sentiments expressed by commenters on this website clearly indicate that there is indeed interest in books that are old, outdated, and in poor condition.
The tax dollars of the citizens of Peoria paid for the books in the Peoria Public Library. Why are they now being given/sold to parties outside of Peoria and not first made available to the people of Peoria? And why are books being thrown away/recycled at all?!
This library issue represents yet another time when C.J. has kept us informed. First of all the library is a tax supported institution. As such, shouldn’t the director have been proactive (to assume that people would question this weeding out process) by providing the information, now conveyed to C.J., before the infomation “leaked” to the public?
Although the library director goes into some detail here describing the procedures that the library is following as it weeds there is something that continues to stand out. PPL has and is still eliminating many thousands of items from its collections never to be seen again. This is something that is never denied. The amount of items that have already being eliminated were way in excess of anything that the friends of the library could handle at the annual book sale and the weeding process has continued beyond that. Is there no organization or individuals that would be interested in the books that are being “recycled”? Surely many books that were “recycled” could have found homes. Why could the library not just set the books out for the public to take rather than throw them away? Yes, there is no doubt that the library has not eliminated its entire collection, but it is in the process of going from having two basement levels that were almost full of materials to two basement levels that will be completely empty. How many of those books have been “recycled”? What information did those books contain? Will we every really know the answers to these questions? As a supporter who has donated time and money to the library I would like answers, as would many others.
Sharon — I doubt the library director wants the public to know that their tax dollars are being thrown into garbage dumpsters and driven by the truck-full to the recyclery.
As Amy states, answers to these questions are wanted. If Mr. Szynaka does not reply here personally, I hope that C.J. will follow up and report his findings.
Thank you C.J., as always, for your quality journalism and your service to the public.
Ask Mr. Szynaka what he spends on new fiction when he could get it for pennies on the dollar by just waiting a year or so after publication.
RE: Paul O’Donnell – are you suggesting the library wait a year to purchase bestsellers/new materials?
what???-I’m suggesting they wait until fiction becomes cheap. What’s more important? You get the latest Dan Brown novel NOW(you could, after all, buy it NOW if your gratification cannot be delayed) or saving the taxpayers bundles of money? Read one of those books the library is tossing while you wait, or better yet, buy the new novel and donate it immediately to the library so they buy fewer copies of it.