The Philadelphia controller's office impounded a flatbed truck, destined for the recycling bin, carrying thousands of books discarded from branches of the city's Free Library October 20. In May 1997, following publicity that the library was trashing perfectly usable books, Director Elliot Shelkrot agreed to a policy of tossing only severely damaged books; weeded titles in usable condition would go to the Greater Philadelphia Book Bank for distribution to schools and literacy programs.
According to the October 22 Philadelphia Inquirer, the volumes on the truck had one thing in common: "Virtually every one inspected was in decent condition. No coffee stains, no torn pages, no broken spines." However, a crew of library staff members examined the books and found that "the best were only in fair condition," according to Susanne Seiter, the library's vice-president for communications and external affairs. The truck was unimpounded the following day, and all usable books were sent to the book bank.
Shelkrot told reporters the incident "is a major concern to me," and the library will redouble its efforts "to make sure the communication problem is solved."