Final destination of Library Collections: an environmental issue

Abstract

The management of collections in university libraries is a challenge, especially their final destination, creating an alert about responsibility with the environmental issue. Technological advances and the emergence of e-books and online collections make libraries adapt to modernity. Discarding and thinning are steps responsible for updating the collection, removing material from the shelves to make way for new documents, making room for the new. To carry out the removal of these materials from the collection, methodologies and means that do not impact the environment with the final destination of the removed material must be identified, acquired, distributed and used. The objective of this research is to show how libraries proceed with the process of discarding and thinning their collections and how these are destined, taking into account environmental issues. In the methodological procedure, a bibliographical study was carried out, searching for articles in Portuguese and English that addressed the theme. The literature with this theme is restricted, not having a large number of materials for consultation. Most of the works found show that there is no universal methodology for the process of discarding, thinning and disposing of books that will no longer be part of the collection. Even more restricted are the researches that bring solutions for the reuse or recycling of material removed from the collection. It was possible to conclude that the theme is little explored and should be more researched, since technology will increasingly impact books and collections that make up libraries, increasing the withdrawal of materials and being necessary to know what to do with them the discarded material.