Disposal of Media Materials

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Disposal of Library Media Materials & Equipment

From time to time, books and other library media materials or equipment may become too damaged, worn, or dated to be of value to students and teachers. Library media specialists should make sure that these items are disposed of in a way that is properly documented and is fiscally and environmentally responsible.  The following general instructions apply to most library media items, but library media specialists should also adhere to any specific requirements associated with the item's funding source and any other applicable policies set forth by the school board, the CCSD Financial Services division, or the local school administration.

Preparing Items for Discard

Books, AV Materials, and other items that were cataloged in Destiny should be prepared for discard as follows:

Delete the items from Destiny. (Be sure to check the "Track as weeded" option).

Remove any barcode labels and other labels that identify your school name or the district. Also, black out any stamps or other markings that identify your school name or the district.  Be sure to check the inside covers, title page, and other standard marking locations.

Using a permanent marker, write the word "DISCARD" in several prominent places on the item.

If you plan to replace the item, be sure to put a reminder note in your purchase consideration file.

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Tracking Disposal of Federally-Funded Materials

Before discarding a book or other item, determine if it was purchased with federal funds.  (Check the inside cover and title page for a Title program stamp.)  If the item was purchased with federal funds and is less than five years old, create a record of its disposal as follows:

5. On the title page*, write "Discarded" and the current month and year (i.e., "Discarded 9/2009").

6. On the title page, write a brief reason for disposal (i.e., "Damaged" or "Outdated").

7. If they are not already listed on the title page, write your school name and the federal Title program under which the item was purchased (i.e., Title I, Title II, Title IV).

8. Tear out the title page and place it in a folder labeled "Federal Disposals [year]," where [year] is the current school year (i.e., "Federal Disposals 2009-2010"). Keep this folder in your files for at least five years.

9. Proceed with the discard process outlined below.

*For AV materials and items without a title page, simply make a photocopy of the cover or print the copy information page from Destiny.  On this photocopied/printed page, write in the discard date and reason, along with any of the other items that aren't already listed there (title, author, school name, and funding source).

Disposal of Library Books

The county currently uses a third party company to dispose/recycle discarded library books.  Once the books have been prepared for discard, they can simply be put the the large "Gaylord" boxes along with discarded textbooks.  The gaylord boxes are usually provided during the spring of the year, please schedule your disposal/weeding for this time of year.  If you are not sure where the book disposal box is located, ask your school's textbook administrator.  If you have questions about the disposal process or if you have a large weeding project and need an additional "Gaylord" box, contact Kevin Long, Textbook Coordinator (kevin.long@cobbk12.org).

If appropriate, discarded items may be given to teachers for classroom use or reused in materials production in the library media center before they are sent to the warehouse. (For example, the images from a book with a broken binding and missing pages could be cut out and used in student collages.) However, discarded items may not be sold and may not be distributed to individuals or agencies outside the school. Once a discarded item is no longer being used in this fashion, the remnants should be sent to the warehouse for disposal.

Disposal of AV Materials and Other Non-Print Materials

Once they have been deleted from Destiny and prepared for discard, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, and the like can be recycled in the CCSD Single Stream Recycling program.

Disposal of Magazines, Newspapers, and other Non-Book Print Materials

Once they are no longer current or relevant, copies of print periodicals and other ephemeral print materials need not be stored in the library media center. They can be given to students or teachers, they can be placed in the "Gaylord" boxes with textbooks, or they can be recycled in the CCSD Single Stream Recycling program.  Software manuals, equipment manuals, and other such printed matter can also be recycled in this program.

Surplus/Disposal of Furniture, AV Equipment, and Technology Items

Library Media Furniture and Equipment that is damaged or outdated should be surplused according the current procedures established by the CCSD Warehouse and the Property Control Department.  (Note that the manuals for these items may be recycled along with other print materials, as instructed above.) 

See the following for instructions on requesting pickup of surplus furniture and equipment:

Cobb County Property Control User's Guide/Manual CCSD Warehouse eqTransfer

Library media specialists should maintain records of all library media center furniture and equipment that is surplused or discarded for a minimum of five years after it is discarded.