To John’s point: I’m the buyer for the “200s” in this library, so I have no problem adding Scientology material to the collection, along with JW, Mormon, Jewish, Episcopal, Islam, and anything else. However, I prefer to do my own selection of materials that are reviewed so I know what I’m getting ahead of time. We do have books on Scientology (http://contentcafe2.btol.com/ContentCafe/Jacket.aspx?UserID=NSL44939&Password=CC19416&Return=1&Type=L&Value=9780691146089 for instance) that fit the bill.

It’s not just religion; we also “throw away” (i.e. book sale) all vanity press material that is sent to us that has no local history value. This includes a really creepy book about teeth causing all the medical problems we suffer from, and some literally incoherent science-meets-paranoia items.

OK, anyway. Thanks again, Brian.

In my library, I think we have about four or five Scientology books, and those don’t circulate very well – so clearly, we do not have the demand to justify adding a bunch more, just because they were sent to us for free (this is “free as in kittens” free, as in you don’t need to pay for it upfront, but there are definitely costs involved in keeping and caring for it).

Public libraries actually get a lot of free material, much of which probably never makes it to the shelves. Just because something is free doesn’t mean it’s useful, or justifies the “free as in kittens” hidden costs. Well-meaning patrons donate us their twenty-year-old set of encyclopedias and don’t understand why we don’t want them; local writers donate books they’ve written themselves and had printed and photocopied at Staples and don’t understand why we wouldn’t prominently shelve right by the front door; someone will donate their late mother’s well-used (and multi-stained) collection of cookbooks… The list goes on, and it’s not to say these books aren’t worthless, but their place is not in a public library.

Every library will have a collection development policy, which explicitly spells out how they choose books for their collection. Ours is online. Each will be tailored to the needs of our individual communities – that’s because each library is there for, and answerable to, its community, not people who are looking for a place to distribute their material.

Also, in regards to the books getting quickly snapped up off a “free table” – I know many people come to our book sale looking for bargains, and take just about anything we put out for free, because they plan to resell it for a profit. A brand new set of these books probably looks like a gold mine for someone – in fact, there are a few sets on ebay right now.

I’ve encountered librarians who literally have thrown these books into the garbage, sets that have been paid for by Scientology parishioners. And these were libraries that didn’t even have any Scientology books at all. It comes across as bias and bigotry to me, like certain libraries that refuse to stock books about Islam or Buddhism or Hinduism.

That’s very sad. One comment here states that their library put a set of Scientology books out on a “free table” and they were gone fast. Obviously, there are many people interested in reading these books and it is shameful that there are librarians such as yourselves that want to prevent access to these books.

It is even more shameful considering that public libraries are *public*, i.e. taxpayer funded, and therefore should provide access to all manner of books, and should not be allowed to refuse to put books on their shelves just because one of their librarians has a bias against a particular group or religion.

I thought perhaps we were just getting these because we’re a religious institution and then I started to realize all libraries were getting them.

The latest set we received goes for $800 set on their site. For realsies?