Hi! Our church library is moving in the next month or so to a larger space in our church. As I was preparing to pack things up, I discovered 2 large boxes full of videocassettes from the Home Mission Board/NAMB, "Missions USA," special seasonal emphases, etc., all from the 1990's, maybe a few early 2000s. My question is, in general, are these materials (also pre-2000 missions magazines) just too dated to keep? I seem to recall hearing that any missions materials older than 10 years should be thrown out. Opinions? Thanks.
You need to be a member of Church Librarians Network to add comments!
Replies
We also had a large collection of these mission VHS tapes. We removed them all from the collection. They were no longer being checked out due to age and format. We do, however, still have a significant VHS tape collection. I have been surprised at how many people still have VCR's and check these out (primarily movies). We even have some VCR's on hand that we check out to people if they really want to see a particular title and no longer have a VCR. We also supply the cords for easy hook up and the remotes that go with them. We are slowly weeding the VHS tapes and trying to replace the titles with DVD's but in the meantime we are still getting some circulation.
I agree with Bev. I tossed all of the VHS tapes we had in the library. Now, if the missions are of historical significance to the Congregation, however, maybe have them transferred to DVD or electronic media?
Seeing there are no more VCR's machines to show the tapes, that alone is reason to recycle them. In our area we have a countywide recycling day in Spring (usually at the county trash pick up area). Or find a prison or the sort to donate the tapes to, if pertinent. In a nutshell, I would not keep them nor the magazines. Go on-line to look for options. Nice that your church recognizes the need for a quality and larger library within your church.