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September 20, 2017 by Karen Jensen, MLS

#BacklistYA – What are the books you just hate weeding?

September 20, 2017 by Karen Jensen, MLS   2 comments

tltbutton7

Earlier this week I wrote a post specifically about NEWER YA titles that dealt with sexual violence and rape culture. If I was writing a comprehensive list, I would undoubtedly include the title Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. This got me thinking about those older backlist titles – classics if you will – that we cherish and hold dear. So I asked on Twitter: What #BacklistYA titles do you think a YA Librarian should never get rid of and why? Here’s some of the replies I got:


  1. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    Name a #backlistYA title that you think libraries SHOULD NEVER weed ever & tell us why #Teens #YALit #Libraries Please RT

    Mon, Sep 18 2017 21:57:10

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  2. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/lindalouj/status/909904647221137408 …

    Mon, Sep 18 2017 22:33:44

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  3. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/alyssa_susanna/status/909900095092555776 …

    Mon, Sep 18 2017 22:33:58

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  4. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/vfizzle/status/909909686090125312 …

    Mon, Sep 18 2017 22:50:52

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  5. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/laurenkarcz/status/909910577228771328 …

    Mon, Sep 18 2017 22:51:02

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  6. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/bethreads/status/909934157157081090 …

    Tue, Sep 19 2017 01:41:15

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  7. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/librarianlove/status/909935558440488960 …

    Tue, Sep 19 2017 01:41:28

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  8. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/odddelights/status/909936064814444544 …

    Tue, Sep 19 2017 01:41:41

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  9. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/ritamom2boys/status/909953671441547265 …

    Tue, Sep 19 2017 01:42:00

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  10. bookslover

    Natalie ????@bookslover
    #backlistYA Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen. It's a wonderful book about a girl coming into her own.

    Tue, Sep 19 2017 01:49:40

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  11. bookslover

    Natalie ????@bookslover
    #backlistYA Sunrise Over Fallujah by WDM. Shows war isn't what it's cracked up to be.

    Tue, Sep 19 2017 01:50:15

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  12. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/pvlibrary/status/909975021375893504 …

    Tue, Sep 19 2017 03:04:03

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  13. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/booksrule54/status/910114520944795648 …

    Tue, Sep 19 2017 12:17:52

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  14. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/justbiblio/status/910122253131464704 …

    Tue, Sep 19 2017 12:46:21

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  15. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/lieberian/status/910125083817062400 …

    Tue, Sep 19 2017 12:59:18

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  16. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistYA  https://twitter.com/writer_carrie/status/910127718213222400 …

    Tue, Sep 19 2017 13:06:34

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  17. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    #backlistya  https://twitter.com/rm22reading/status/910513843088052224 …

    Wed, Sep 20 2017 15:05:59

    ReplyRetweetFavorite

 

Of course the truth is, if a book doesn’t circulate it doesn’t circulate. You have to earn shelf space. I myself recently lamented that my teens no longer seemed to be reading Judy Blume. I’m not yet ready to weed them, but we’ve all had to weed something we loved. What have you had to weed that just broke your heart? Tell us in the comments.

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About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

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Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    September 22, 2017 at 9:48 am

    Weeding a book because it “just doesn’t circulate” is a poor reason to weed. Its best reader may be a small minority population whom you may not have many representatives of at your school or community, but who will be extra grateful when they find the book. Weeding on the basis of n0-popularity and no-circulation has a disproportionate impact on underserved and underrepresented populations.

  2. Judy says

    September 22, 2017 at 11:49 am

    Would it be possible for you to report the responses as a list? I am interested but do not wish to spend my time clicking to uncover this information.

    To think today’s young reader is no longer attracted to books by Judy Blume saddens me greatly. Our world is moving along and changing so rapidly. What to weed and when to do it is an important topic. Thank goodness we now have a way to preserve digitally.

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