Making Room for New Books- Old books are removed from the library collection to clear space for new purchases.
What Happens to Old Books?
To maintain a fresh and relevant collection of materials, PCC subject librarians "weed," evaluating titles for condition, appropriateness, audience level and availability of updated editions or scholarship. The "Big Weed" generally takes place each year in December, but evaluation is a continuous process. What does the library do with books and other items it retires from service?
Since many of these titles may be of interest to others, discards and unwanted donations are offered to Summit partners (36 Pacific Northwest academic libraries), other statewide libraries and PCC instructors for department use. The library has also contracted with Better World Books, a for-profit organization that sells used books online and donates a portion of the proceeds to literacy programs worldwide. The company even pays for shipping materials and related costs. We use our commission to purchase new materials for the PCC collection.
The library makes every attempt to conserve resources and follow sustainable practices. By sharing our discarded materials and using a service like Better World Books, we save recycling costs and make needed resources available.
Just in case you were wondering, the library is prohibited by law to give discarded materials to individuals.
If you have purchase suggestions, we invite you to submit them using the library purchase request form.