Throw It Thursday: No One Likes a Bully

 Ashley Borman, Technical Services Librarian at the Clintonville (WI) Public Library is back with her monthly column and has some great advice on making sure your collections are updated.

Hey, everyone. Sorry for my delayed post. My system recently transferred to a new ILS system, and you know how that goes. I spent a lot of time last week trying to figure out how to do my job in the new ILS and working on issues that arose from the migration. I completely spaced about it being the third Thursday. So, here it is, a week late, but still in time for the start of the new school year. 

 

With every year that passes, it seems like bullying becomes a larger problem than we realize. While schools have anti-bullying policies, they do not really prevent bullying from happening, or even correct the behavior. Adults need to talk to kids more to find out what they think and why they think that way to identify the deeper-rooted causes of what makes a child a bully.  By addressing issues that make a child bully other kids, we can hope to improve their life and the lives of those around them.  

Libraries house numerous books about bullying, from picture books for kids to adult books on how to address their kids about being bullied or bullying others. While many of these books contain good information, they also need to be monitored for accuracy and weeded when they are outdated. Older books on bullying will not address newer topics (Hello, what child had a cell phone and constant access to the internet in the 90s?). With the ever-changing technology and social apps kids use, it is difficult for parents and adults to keep up with what the kids are using (Facebook is out, Snapchat and Instagram are still in? and what in the world is TikTok?).  

  

       These titles on bulling and fighting were recent discards from our non-fiction collection. They are both  

       outdated (and the photos, especially for the book on the right are way outdated-no kid is going to  

       voluntarily pick up that book). 

 

As librarians, it is our job to provide our communities with up-to-date materials that include current trends and issues. Books on bullying are no different than any other non-fiction subjects. Topics change, new information evolves, photos get outdated. There are a variety of reasons to go through and check these titles. All I can say is, if it’s over 5 years old, check the contents for timeliness and if the images are outdated, throw-it out and find some new updated titles! 

Until next time. Happy weeding!