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In an effort to improve its high school media center, Winona Area Public Schools has purged the collection, discarding nearly 8,000 books it hopes to replace in order to bring the collection more in step with state standards. The district plans a more than five-fold increase to its materials budget and has looked to parents and other volunteers to donate additional funds through a book “adoption” program.
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District media staff hope a more up-to-date collection, in combination with a newly remodeled high school media center — part of a $2.1 million summer project to move administrative offices into the school — will make reading more appealing to students.
Many of the old and tattered books — stacked in dozens of boxes filling room 139 at the Lincoln administration building — will be sent to African schools for a program called Books for Africa. Others will be sold, recycled or donated, but will not be thrown away, said Sue Roehrich, curriculum director.
A March report deemed the district’s collection outdated, poor in quality, inadequate and not meeting curricular and recreational needs. According to the report, WAPS media staff conducted collection assessments in 2001 and 2006.
In each school, at least 90 percent of the collection was outdated. The average copyright date for a book in the high school library was 1971. Elementary and middle school collections were slightly less dated, with average publication dates of 1982 and 1985.
The problem isn’t unique to Winona. According to the 2003 state School Library Media Program Census, the average copyright date of books in most Minnesota schools is 1985. The state recommends copyright dates no older than 10 years.
Mary Alice Anderson, district media specialist, said the high school collection needs a “total overhaul.” This spring, volunteers pulled about half of the collection — about 7,875 books — that was deemed either outdated or just crumbling with age.
“That was our first screening tool — open them up — can I breathe? No? Toss it,” said volunteer Leanne Becker.
Browsing the high school library shelves this spring, you might have found “The Abortion Controversy” by Betty Sarvis and Hyman Rodman, which brags it is “revised to survey the implications of the Supreme Court ruling of Jan. 1973.”
A student searching for a book on black history would have discovered Russell Adams’ 1969 book “Great Negroes: Past and Present.” A book on U.S. presidents stops at Richard Nixon — in his first term. A keyword search for “nuclear” revealed a plethora of titles on the Cold War, as well as some 1980s tomes on new developments in atomic physics.
Winona’s high school collection also lacks magazines and includes only one newspaper subscription.
Beginning July 5, about a third to a half of the collection will be ordered, Roehrich said. The rest will be ordered in the fall with more input on what to get, she said.
To help fund the replacement, the district is increasing its books budget.
Between 1973 and 2001, the district spent about $17,500 a year on its district-wide collection — including books as well as videos, cassettes and other music. Since 2001, yearly spending has fluctuated between $17,000 and $27,000. Per-pupil spending last year was just $6.55 a year, compared to the state average $7.92, according to the report. That’s equivalent to about one-third the average price of a book.
Anderson said that in recent years, because of increasing technology needs, little of that money was spent on books.
The district plans to spend about $125,000 on the collection next year, according to budget reports.
To help with funding, the district created the “Adopt a Book Program,” which sought $3,800 in community donations to buy new books.
Roehrich said the community has been a great help.
“We appreciate the support of the public,” she said.
City Editor Chris Hubbuch contributed to this report. Britt Johnsen can be reached at bjohnsen@winonadailynews.com or (507) 453-3519.
