Popularity comes, popularity goes. As librarians we’re always balancing between what will circulate like crazy and what we need to have in the collection. And we’re not the Library of Congress – we can’t (and shouldn’t) keep everything.

An endangered series is one that appears to be waning in terms of popularity. But popularity isn’t everything. Should it stay, or should it go? Or think of it this way – if you were starting a library today, would this series make the cut? Let’s discuss.

The Hardy Boys (original series) by Franklin W. Dixon

The Case for Keeping:

Don’t scoff – I’m willing to bet there are more libraries than you think with this original series on the shelves. The Hardy Boys are an American classic, playing a huge role in the reading lives of countless kids.

The Case for Not:

They’re older than father time, with covers that are laughably dated. They can be a hard sell.

Refresh?

Over the years, the Hardy Boys may have more incarnations than any other series. Aladdin (Simon & Schuster) has two variations…

Hardy Boys Adventures is a modern take on the mystery series.

The Hardy Boys: Secret Files bring the boys to younger readers.

Papercutz has a batch of graphic novels with brand new stories.

My Verdict:

We kept hanging on due to the fact that students were checking them out during a genre study on mysteries. But at the end of last year, we weeded the series to make room for newer titles.

What say you?