06-28-2023, 03:26 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-29-2023, 09:59 AM by lbishop.
Edit Reason: Corrected and clarified.
)
This question has been raised in other threads, but with limited results: what is the most appropriate way for VCCS colleges to dispose of outdated library materials?
The most frequent answer is Better World Books, which has a limited scope of what they will accept, and which needs some administrative approval and a waiver from the state surplus system or something.
But here is the current VCCS policy, and I think it may need to be updated, because the Duplicate Exchange League and U.S. Book Exchange no longer appear to exist (per Google):
VCCS Policy 4.4:
4.4.1 Disposal of Surplus Library Books and Periodicals (SG and SB)
In the case of library books and periodicals that are surplus to the needs of an institution, since this type of item is quite difficult to sell or transfer through our normal surplus procedures, disposition should be made to the best interest of the Commonwealth in one of the following approved ways:
a. Exchange with other State-supported institutions;
b. Exchange with other non-supported State institutions;
Dispose of through the "Duplicate Exchange League;"
c. Dispose of through the "U.S. Book Exchange" in Washington, D.C.;
d. Sell locally intact or as wastepaper, depositing any monies to the State Treasurer, giving credit to the institution's surplus property code. This would require reporting dollar amount received and certificate of deposit number to the System Office Purchasing Division;
e. Donate, only after the above methods have been explored and with written authority from the System Office Purchasing Division, since the Code of Virginia requires donations to be reported by us to the Auditor of Public Accounts; or
f. Dispose of all other library items through the normal surplus property procedure as set forth in the Code of Virginia.
---
The Code of Virginia is fairly reticent on the matter. Chapter 12 of the DPS Agency Procurement and Surplus Property Manual (APSPM) (https://dgs.virginia.gov/procurement/pol...ew/policy/) does have some information.
I know there is a Discard Forum in this discussion group where we can post lists of discards and offer to share them. But I think we are seeing limited views and dwindling interest in participating.
At Reynolds we haven't done a major weeding project since before COVID, but we realize we need to resume the process. We would like to feel secure in our disposal processes.
Thoughts on options:
We can donate library materials within our own agency for agency purposes (i.e., not personal use.). Or we can donate to other state agencies, or to certain 501C charitable organizations.
--But mostly the material we discard is old enough that nobody wants them.
--Do we need to post discard lists on the forum just for the sake of documenting a lack of interest?
We can sell as surplus through the state surplus program.
--But we can't get our severely understaffed college asset manager to accept them for surplus, and don't have the expertise or perhaps the administrative rights to manage on our own. Likewise, we haven't been listing our discards as surplus with our asset manager. Selling and the documentation involved sounds like a nightmare.
-[-Is there some sort of document somewhere that delegates to state or VCCS higher education libraries the right to decide that discarding/recycling is the most appropriate option?
We do realize that we have to keep lists of withdrawals permanently as our records retention responsibility. That isn't the problem.
What we have been doing, mostly, is discarding books, boxed and labeled as trash, after withdrawing from Alma. I believe we also remove the page with the barcode, and of course stamp everything as discarded. But if we ought not, we need to know so we can do the right thing. If I'm interpreting the VCCS policy and APSPM Manual correctly, trash/recycling is an option but the least favored one.
I'm pretty sure there are a variety of practices among our libraries. Ideally, we should understand our responsibilities.
The most frequent answer is Better World Books, which has a limited scope of what they will accept, and which needs some administrative approval and a waiver from the state surplus system or something.
But here is the current VCCS policy, and I think it may need to be updated, because the Duplicate Exchange League and U.S. Book Exchange no longer appear to exist (per Google):
VCCS Policy 4.4:
4.4.1 Disposal of Surplus Library Books and Periodicals (SG and SB)
In the case of library books and periodicals that are surplus to the needs of an institution, since this type of item is quite difficult to sell or transfer through our normal surplus procedures, disposition should be made to the best interest of the Commonwealth in one of the following approved ways:
a. Exchange with other State-supported institutions;
b. Exchange with other non-supported State institutions;
Dispose of through the "Duplicate Exchange League;"
c. Dispose of through the "U.S. Book Exchange" in Washington, D.C.;
d. Sell locally intact or as wastepaper, depositing any monies to the State Treasurer, giving credit to the institution's surplus property code. This would require reporting dollar amount received and certificate of deposit number to the System Office Purchasing Division;
e. Donate, only after the above methods have been explored and with written authority from the System Office Purchasing Division, since the Code of Virginia requires donations to be reported by us to the Auditor of Public Accounts; or
f. Dispose of all other library items through the normal surplus property procedure as set forth in the Code of Virginia.
---
The Code of Virginia is fairly reticent on the matter. Chapter 12 of the DPS Agency Procurement and Surplus Property Manual (APSPM) (https://dgs.virginia.gov/procurement/pol...ew/policy/) does have some information.
I know there is a Discard Forum in this discussion group where we can post lists of discards and offer to share them. But I think we are seeing limited views and dwindling interest in participating.
At Reynolds we haven't done a major weeding project since before COVID, but we realize we need to resume the process. We would like to feel secure in our disposal processes.
Thoughts on options:
We can donate library materials within our own agency for agency purposes (i.e., not personal use.). Or we can donate to other state agencies, or to certain 501C charitable organizations.
--But mostly the material we discard is old enough that nobody wants them.
--Do we need to post discard lists on the forum just for the sake of documenting a lack of interest?
We can sell as surplus through the state surplus program.
--But we can't get our severely understaffed college asset manager to accept them for surplus, and don't have the expertise or perhaps the administrative rights to manage on our own. Likewise, we haven't been listing our discards as surplus with our asset manager. Selling and the documentation involved sounds like a nightmare.
-[-Is there some sort of document somewhere that delegates to state or VCCS higher education libraries the right to decide that discarding/recycling is the most appropriate option?
We do realize that we have to keep lists of withdrawals permanently as our records retention responsibility. That isn't the problem.
What we have been doing, mostly, is discarding books, boxed and labeled as trash, after withdrawing from Alma. I believe we also remove the page with the barcode, and of course stamp everything as discarded. But if we ought not, we need to know so we can do the right thing. If I'm interpreting the VCCS policy and APSPM Manual correctly, trash/recycling is an option but the least favored one.
I'm pretty sure there are a variety of practices among our libraries. Ideally, we should understand our responsibilities.
Lisa Bishop
Parham Campus Library
Reynolds Community College
lbishop@reynolds.edu
(804)523-5220
Parham Campus Library
Reynolds Community College
lbishop@reynolds.edu
(804)523-5220
