Making room while staying in your place...

This week I've had to redirect some of my actions and progress for my internship project. Due to the overwhelming success of the ALISS Book Drive, TH now has more books than it can successfully manage or house. Also, many of the fiction titles are suited for nothing more than entertainment, and there are even some that do not offer very positive or uplifting messages. The latter issue may indicate that the content of said titles are inconsistent with the mission, goals, and objectives of Theodora House and/or Volunteers of America, Indiana.

This revelation has presented me with a few other concerns that need to be addressed in the midst of the library development. First, when I began this project I didn't anticipate having to turn away or "deselect" materials acquired through donations. Second, since this was not an expectation, I did not have a strategy prepared that would dictate what would happen to these donations. And thirdly, I had to wrap my mind around the fact that even the books that were considered suitable for the library collection would all be competing for the already limited shelf space for them to reside. I began writing a collection development plan based on the mission and resources of TH, and though I had written one for class before, the weight of it all became very real this week.

Then, on top of all these challenges, my inner librarian urges me to keep one very important concept in mind while making these changes and adjustments: Intellectual Freedom. Aside from the space issue, it is difficult for me to exclude a book from the collection simply because someone within the organization might find the content/context inappropriate. However, in the same mind, I cannot disregard the vision that is endorsed by this organization in my efforts to serve it.

Sadly, I had to send a very large number of fiction titles to book heaven this week. The majority of them were discarded due to deterioration, age, or abuse. But many were thrown out too because if what they signified...is that right? Have I committed a cardinal librarian sin?