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I wish to thank everyone who responded to my inquiry about final disposition of withdrawn library materials. A number of respondents wished for me to provide a summary of responses.



The majority of responses stated that materials are recycled. Here are further comments:


1. The following and the attachment is more specific to military libraries, but this  might be helpful to others - One way is to recycle the withdrawn items.  I found that it is only print that must be sent to DRMO (Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office).  Audiovisuals can just be shredded, destroyed and/or recycled.  To recycle worn and out dated books, I obtained a waiver. The attached example lists AF regulations, but it can be adapted to other federal organizations.



2.  Hardcovers go in cardboard recycling and softcovers with the colored paper recycling.  For spiral bound plastic or metal spirals, those have to be removed before recycling or they are put in the regular trash.



3. Smaller libraries or organizations might have an interest in your content but don't have the budget to get specialized titles.  Possibly a community college or a suburban public library that's not part of a county system might be interested.



4. Some libraries offer items back to their users. Some before offering to other Federal Libraries, some after. According to departmental regulations/instructions/practices, some may offer them to other "public" institutions that may benefit from them, such as schools or public reading rooms. If items are such that redistribution might lead to misinformation, for example if forms are involved, or medical, legal, or technical information that has been superseded by more accurate or more current information, they may be directly recycled or destroyed.



5. Recycled, right into the recycle bin at the back end of the loading dock. We have someone in Logistics who wants to have lots of paperwork done to track everything sent out to libraries (I have no time or staffing for this) and try to sell what doesn't go out at the GSA auctions.  Totally a waste of time, as no one ever bought anything, and the one guy who did complained in person that he wanted his money back.



Thank you again for your input!



Have a wonderful Holiday!





Janette K. Hoisington, Librarian

U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

1750 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 910

Washington, DC  20006

202-261-7669

202-974-7659 (fax)

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