This week’s installment of Ask Mr./Ms. Kane County Person comes from alert reader Lyle Rolfe, who other alert readers will recognize as an alert reader who asked an earlier question of Ask Mr./Mrs. Kane County Person, the Kane County Connects Q&A column that blatantly rips off the Ask Mr. Language Person format created by Pulitzer-Prize-winning former columnist the late Dave Barry and was nominated itself in 2014 for the prestigious Most Likely to Formulate a Run-On Sentence Award.

Lyle asks this question, which, as I’m re-reading it, is actually more of a suggestion:

Good Morning (Mr./Ms. Kane County Person),

I am hoping that when someone has a book drive that they sort the books to be sure that ones in good shape will be taken to libraries or other places where good books can be recycled for reuse rather than be recycled like old newspapers etc.

Libraries all have their used book areas which also raise a few dollars for the libraries. I have even bought used books at libraries.

If not taken there, maybe the owners of used book stores could be asked to go through the books and take the ones they think still have some life and would be purchased.

Thanks,
Lyle

Our guest respondent this week is Kane County Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Jarland, who responds thusly:

Hi, Lyle (and Mr./Ms. Kane County Person FYI),

Thank you for your conscientiousness!

The county works with a company called Pacesetter Books, that works closely with libraries throughout Kane County. At our events, they scan books and keep for re-use (about 10-15 percent) those books that have value, and the rest (85-90 percent) are recycled because they are too old or torn or worn.

Also recycled are old encyclopedias, which have little or no value for many people in these days of endless information on the Internet. Those books that are set aside for recycling are sent to RockTenn for pulping and to be made into recycled paper products.

So, There You Have It

Some books are re-used, and some are recycled.

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