We don't talk about it much, but part of maintaining a healthy library collection is weeding out materials that don't meet the needs of our patrons. Since the policy here at the Congregational Library for the first century or so was to accept whatever was offered or bequeathed to us, we've ended up with some quirky items over the years. Ministers' personal collections contain not only the books they used in their pastoral work, but also materials about their hobbies and outside interests.
We have also accumulated a number of items by or about local people that have historical importance, but don't necessarily fit in our collection. One such item we came across recently was a booklet of poetry called The Song of the Library Staff written by Sam Walter Foss, an early 20th-century librarian from just across the river in Somerville. It's a lovely little collection celebrating -- and poking a bit of fun at -- the helpful employees of a public library. There are illustrations by Merle Johnson accompanying each verse. (Luckily for me, it was published in 1906, long before modern computers, let alone the role of the library webmaster.)
While this pamphlet might amuse us personally, it doesn't really belong in our collection alongside church records, Bible commentaries, sermons, pastoral theology books, religious history references, American history texts, and genealogical resources. Anyone interested in reading it can do so easily. It has been republished several times, is owned by over 150 libraries across the country, and is available to view online through the Internet Archive. These sorts of things and more are taken into account when we're deciding whether each item is in keeping with our mission and obligations to you.
And fear not. Anything interesting or useful that we remove from our collections isn't just thrown away. We make every effort to ensure that they go to other places where they will be appreciated and used.
--Robin
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