Getting Rid of Old Books

As I walked through a library full of used books today, I started thinking about our discussion on libraries that get rid of old books. They get rid of books that are falling apart, and books that have not been checked out in x amount of years (for UMW its 10). The class had very mixed reactions when we discussed this, but for the most part it didn’t seem like a problem. Logistically speaking, it’s practical. But as I picked up a beautiful copy of a very old book, I started to reconsider. It is a book for a tourist in Italy. One that would not be checked out very much from a random library. Now, both covers have fallen a part, so not in very good condition. This is a book that most libraries would have thrown out, but some how it ended up in this bookstore. I would have been heart broken to know a book like this existed, and was then destroyed. So now, I’m not sure where I stand on the practice.