We are in the middle of the annual inventory process in our library. Every spring we go, book by book, through the entire collection of approximately 30,000 volumes. We use handheld scanners, then upload the barcode information into the library database. As we count the books and make sure the shelves are in order, we also "weed" the collection, removing items that are worn, outdated or rarely circulate. After these books are discarded, we offer them to classroom teachers for their use. All remaining books are then picked up by a volunteer working with low income students in the city of Richmond. This enables these boys and girls to choose books for themselves. This year we will discard about 450 books to prepare for the new titles that will begin arriving in the Fall.
