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Re: [ARSCLIST] Libraries disposing of records
Or is it Britney Spears? How about No Talent Hack?
Steve Ramm wrote:
I specifically said "I don't want to start a discussion" but I see I did.
My only take on this is that when the Temple University library needed to
dispose of their 78 rpm records (to build a new Student Union) they called 5
local knowledgeable person here (I was one but less knowledgeable than the
others). They said "take what you want". I know that when it got to me (5th) I
could only find about 75 records I wanted for FREE! The rest were duplicate runs
of Carusos and other common Red Seals and lots of 10in and 12 in classical
78 sets. The pop stuff was mostly pop vocals and bands on red label Columbias.
Many of these were "donated" to the Temple library. They didn't even have a
78 player. My guess is about 10,000 remaining records were discarded.
I took a few interesting records which will be preserved but the cost of the
University maintaining the collection was too much.
By same token the Frankllin Institute here in Philly needed to build an Imax
Theater and - since overy few were using their library they auctioned off
the contents. I was lucky to get their run of Talking Machine and Phonograph
Weekly from 1918-1942 (they broke up in lots). But no one was asking to use them
so they may be better off this way. Think of all the kids learning about
space, etc at the Imax theater. Certainly more than used the library.
It seems to me that general libraries might cull out things which are
duplicated. If they have the 12 CD set of Victor Carusos they can discard the 78s
-(I know the sound transfers may be controversial), and they can sell them at
book sale to raise money for others. Believe me the Harry Potter books will
be sold in a few years also. Just go to Blockbuster and see the extra copies of
previously-rented DVDs being sold for $5.00 two months after their
popularity has peaked.
Well, I guess I rambled more than I wanted.
Anyway... I'm not sure those on the list have an answer to the problem.
We're too close to the subject to understand why folks throw things out.
And we haven't discussed the need for libraries to keep encyclopedias when
everything is on the Internet! And the World Book fits on ONE CD-ROM (which
seems to come with EVERY PC you buy.
Steve Ramm