Knox Co. public library system caught throwing books in trash

Knox Co. public library system caught throwing books in trash

February 21, 2006

By GENE PATTERSON
6 News Anchor/Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- A woman approached 6 News recently, claiming she found undamaged Knox County public library books being thrown in the trash. Her claim sparked an investigation.

The woman, whose identity 6 News is concealing at her request, says she's found many trash bags of books at branch libraries across the county. Those are books county residents paid for.

"I found children's books. I found books on CD. I found textbooks that had never been used and I found magazines that they'd thrown away in trash cans," she says.

When the library discards a book, the staff stamps withdrawn on it. But several of the books found in one trash bag are in good condition.

The woman claims library books were being tossed away every week at branch libraries. If the library didn't want them, the books could be going to schools, day cares or senior citizen homes.

"Not all of them are usable but the majority of books I found have some use left in them. I was surprised that our tax dollars are being thrown into the garbage can, which is eventually going to end up in a landfill," the woman says.

So just how valuable are the books? Is there still use in them, as the woman believes?

6 News took the books to the experts at McKay's Used Books. The store buys and sells used books for a living. "Yeah, we'd probably take this...50 and 75 cents on it," says assistant manager Tre Berney.

He also says McKay's won't buy discarded library books. But if he could, he pointed to several in the stack 6 News brought that would make it onto the shelves.

One in the stack is a text book on endangered species. "Nice, if this wasn't a library book, I'd take this off of you right now," Berney says. "It'd go in biology. We'd probably take this and sell it for $10 or $12."

In all, Berney figured about half the books 6 News showed him still had plenty of use in them and wondered why anyone would throw them away. "That's heartbreaking. We don't want that."

Click here for part two of this report: library director responds to concerns