What do you do with out-of-date cert books? 1

[SteveTheGeek]

Having three generations of old CCNA exam books lying around (and the odd CCNP book, along with a few M$ and other vendor books here and there) that are for exams that are no longer available to take, I was wondering what to do with them. I've seen used bookstores with laughably out-of-date cert books (paying money for Win2000 books in 2012? Seriously?) but I can't bring myself to donate them knowing that their usefulness is pretty marginal. I've already got a couple in use making my monitors stand taller. They're processed enough to make me avoid going all Fahrenheit-451 on them or using them in my fireplace for fuel and probably giving myself cancer. They're books, so it gives me the heebie-jeebies to just throw them in the trash. I haven't found anyplace willing to take them for paper recyclying. But the floor that they're holding down isn't going anywhere soon, and it's time to do SOMETHING with them.

What do you do with them?

CompTIA: A+ (WfW 3.11), Network+
Microsoft: MCSE+I (NT4)
Novell: CNE (4.11, 5.0)
Citrix: CCA (Metaframe 1.0)
Cisco: CCNA (current)
Working on MS 70-642 then CCNP...

 

[ponoodle]

Target practice.

 

[unclerico]

^ yep

 

[SteveTheGeek]

That's a great idea, thanks. Any particular caliber you prefer?

CompTIA: A+ (WfW 3.11), Network+
Microsoft: MCSE+I (NT4)
Novell: CNE (4.11, 5.0)
Citrix: CCA (Metaframe 1.0)
Cisco: CCNA-Security (current)

 

[ponoodle]

Not really, I just use what I got. A 38, or my compound bow.

 

[itsp1965]

I have a slew of out of date cert books as well and occasionally will pick one up from a used book sale ($0.50-$1 max) because somehow there is always that useful gem of information that can be found that can no longer be found in newer books.

As an example I have a book on DOS batch files, which can be still used within a Windows 2008 environment. When I don't have time to construct something equivalent using PowerShell or VBScript, a simple DOS batch file comes in handy.

I am not saying that everything is useful but you'd be surprised how many legacy environments still exist out there and to be able to refer to older guides has helped.