Board declines to adopt resolution to discard library books after members raise questions about process and specific titles

The Cornwall Central School District Board of Education considered a resolution to declare certain library books obsolete at its June 16 meeting but did not adopt the measure.

Board members questioned the criteria librarians used to identify items for removal, noting that some titles on the list were only a decade or less old and included books that several members said should not be treated as "obsolete." "A book like 'The Hate U Give' is not 10 years old — a book like that should not be done in a resolution declaring it," one board member said during debate.

District staff described the existing process: building librarians annually inventory collections and identify damaged or infrequently checked-out materials and titles that are out of date or no longer drawing student interest. "Any books that are damaged, that need to be cycled out are 1 piece that would be removed," a staff member said. Librarians also consider usage data and replace popular older copies with newer editions when appropriate.

Opponents of the resolution asked for clearer safeguards and more board oversight, arguing that a blanket resolution to dispose of a set of titles could remove books that are pedagogically important. A board member noted an example of a 1958 printing of a 1927 text whose author later disavowed sections; the member said the district still had the volume and questioned how it was included alongside much newer titles.

Outcome: The resolution as presented was not carried. Board members asked for additional direction on whether the board wants a different process, such as a policy change that would require board-level review of items recommended for disposal or alternative housing for contested titles within district facilities.