Alameda Co Brd of Spvr's to approve Co Library's plan for book elimination

County of Alameda Board of Supervisors' Regular Meeting

agenda: http://alamedacounty.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=alamedacounty_11c873a350d1e905378984caef167087.pdf&view=1

Item 61. Library - Approve the new procedures for the Alameda County Library’s discarded materials - CAO Recommends: Approve
Attachment 61: http://www.acgov.org/board/bos_calendar/documents/DocsAgendaReg_07_28_15/GENERAL%20ADMINISTRATION/Regular%20Calendar/Library%20(Alameda%20County)_221136.pdf


some context ...

March 12, 2014 | East Bay Express - News & Opinion | by Sam Levin

Alameda County Trashes Library Books : Library administrators are discarding older books in bulk, prompting a backlash from longtime staff members.

link: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/alameda-county-trashes-library-books/Content?oid=3861815


I'll leave it up to the reader to determine if the proposed policy is appropriate. Personally, I am worried. The Oakland Public Library removed it's ranking system over a year ago. Patrons could rank an item (1-5). My hope was that valuable (though possibly not "popular") items could be maintained by providing a high recommenation. Be wary of the following ...

"There is one determining aspect here: control is not established unless there is a conviction involved. There is no religious, political, or military hegemony without cultural hegemony. Those who destroy books and libraries know what they are doing. Their objective has always been clear: intimidate, erase motivation, demoralize, enhance historical oblivion, diminish resistance, and, above all, foment doubt. We should not forget that numerous fundamental human rights are violated in bibliocausts: the right to dignity, the right to a complete written memory for individuals and nations, the right to identity, and the right to information."
– Fernando Báez (1970- ) director of Venezuela's National Library, from "A Universal History of the Destruction of Books" (2004)