Weeding

For my introductory library science course, we visited several different libraries. At one, the very 'green', spacious, and airy, we were taken aback to discover that the librarians had to sneak books out into the trash. People tended to get upset when they saw discarded books. But there are reasons libraries have to get rid of books, and they mostly come down to time and manpower.

Kominarek said the library has used book sales in the branches in conjunction with their friends groups. The sales allow the library to send some old books to new homes and raise a few thousand dollars each year.

However, the books that don't sell become a liability, she said.

"If we kept every book for a sale until it is sold, there wouldn't be any space to keep them," Kominarek said.