What Should Science Reference Librarians Do with Books Classified as Science That Aren't Science: Revisiting the Well-Known Worlds in Collision by Immanuel Velikovsky as a Case Study

Abstract

Students browsing the science sections in their library may naturally assume that all of the books are scientifically valid and accurate. Science collections may also contain books that may not now be accurate, either because they are out-of-date or never belonged there. While out-of-date knowledge can sometimes be beneficial, invalid books can only mislead. The well-known book Worlds in Collision by Immanuel Velikovsky is a case study on how librarians can handle such books. For these books, an explanatory note can be placed on the book's online catalog entry or even in the book. The book can also be weeded from the collection or reclassified. Each one of these putative treatments has potential advantages and disadvantages.

Keywords:

• science books
• science classification
• science literature