Librarians & teachers - should I do this?

[susiebw]

DD borrowed an original 1987 Wheres Waldo book from her school library.  It's in terrible condition.  The spine is held together with duct tape, the pages have been taped back in, but the tape is all failing and the book is just falling apart.  DH and I found a hardcover of this book on Amazon in "used - like new" condition last night, and we want to buy it and send it back to school with her to replace the library's terrible copy.  Is there any reason we shouldn't do this?

[charlatti]

Can you call and ask the librarian or teacher first? I would think it would be fine but would probably check to make sure it doesn’t cause red tape issues for the library.

[MrsAxilla]

Totally. Or just say your dog chewed it up and here’s a replacement. (For some reason the younger dog has a specific affinity for school library books ☹️ They’re always pleasantly surprised when I show up with a replacement or a check.)

[jenda33]

Definitely do it!

[stephm0188]

I cannot accept used books, so I would definitely ask first. I've had well meaning parents send in replacements they've purchased used on Amazon, and I have to send them back. Policy prohibits it, and if they had asked first I could have saved them from spending money on it.

[aurora]

Sept 29, 2018 20:58:43 GMT -5 stephm0188 said:

I cannot accept used books, so I would definitely ask first. I've had well meaning parents send in replacements they've purchased used on Amazon, and I have to send them back. Policy prohibits it, and if they had asked first I could have saved them from spending money on it.

This is an interesting policy since library books get used. I'm not trying to argue it, but can you explain the rationale for my curiosity?

[stephm0188]

Sept 30, 2018 9:02:04 GMT -5 aurora said:

Sept 29, 2018 20:58:43 GMT -5 stephm0188 said:

I cannot accept used books, so I would definitely ask first. I've had well meaning parents send in replacements they've purchased used on Amazon, and I have to send them back. Policy prohibits it, and if they had asked first I could have saved them from spending money on it.

This is an interesting policy since library books get used. I'm not trying to argue it, but can you explain the rationale for my curiosity?

This is just the reasoning for my district. 

The first is the condition of the book. I had a parent buy a replacement book on Amazon without asking (her son damaged our copy) and she had it sent directly to me. It was used and had markings from another library in it and smelled like mildew. She spent more on it than I would have charged for the original damage.  A middle school librarian received a box of donated books that had book lice in them. We can't control the condition if we're not making the selection.

The second reason is collection development. I have a few books (including Where's Waldo!) that are in rough condition and held together with a lot of tape. They're not my only copies. For some of my more popular books, I've already replaced them or plan to on my next order. I also have to watch the publication dates, especially for non-fiction. Used books may not be the most recent edition. 

Lastly, processing and cataloging can be time consuming. I have to fill out paperwork for tax purposes for anything gifted to us that will be part of the permanent library collection, then I have to sit down and process and catalog it. If *I'm* asking for new books to be donated to us, then I donate my time and process them at home.  A donated book from a parent that I didn't ask for could eat up an entire planning period for me by the time I fill out the paperwork and have it ready for the shelf. 

I do accept donations that I use for other purposes, but they won't go into our collection. I keep a bin of books for students to borrow if they've reached their limit and have forgotten their books, ect. They also go into our LFL. But if you're donating with the intention that it goes into the collection, it's best to ask.

[aurora]

Thanks, stephm0188! That makes a lot of sense.

[susiebw]

stephm0188, Thanks for the info! Our school's regular librarian is out on maternity leave for a couple more weeks, so I'll ask her about replacements when she gets back.

This is exactly the kind of situation I was thinking about and what led me to ask here before I just ordered and sent the book in.