Merit badge books

[christineka]

Someone is selling a bunch of merit badge books and I want to know if it's a good deal. Do you normally have to purchase the merit badge book for each badge? Or can they be lent out and borrowed around the troop? Is there a list somewhere, stating the year of the last update to the merit badge? (I don't want to purchase out of date books.)

[qwazse]

I'll leave the actual date-checking to the collectors among us. I usually just look at the requirements listed in the book, and if they are a lot different than the ones online I suggest the boy get a newer one. Troops should keep a library of used pamphlets to help boys save costs. One boy should be a troop librarian, and be responsible for making sure used books are collected (say after camp, or once a few boys are awarded MBs), and make sure really outdated editions are not in the library. Our library, by the way, is a couple of durable plastic file boxes (you know the oversize tool box type) which we can transport easily.

[5yearscouter]

You can buy at the scout shop the Boy Scouts Requirements book which changes every year to show what the current requirements are for the ranks and merit badges. they print a new one every single year. this is a good thing to have on hand, or at least check at scouting.org for the current requirements for merit badges. merit badge.org will have pretty close/accurate lists of requirements but they sometimes miss something since they aren't an official BSA website. Boy's life also has some resources for merit badges.

If you buy merit badge books and they are a bit old, that's not a huge deal, as the actual pages of content within the merit badge books is only redone maybe every 10 years. so old books will usually cover about the same things as the newer books. just follow the most recent requirements and use the mb books as resources.

 

If it's a good price for a lot of books that you might use, and they aren't too old (like look for 2000's not 1990's publication dates perhaps) then go for it after checking that your troop doesn't have a bunch of books you can borrow at zero cost.

 

[Eagle69]

If you go here and click on a Merit Badge you will see the date of the last Requirements Revision and Pamphlet update.

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Merit_Badges

[jpstodwftexas]

As A Merit Badge Conselor do I require the Scouts to buy the Newest Merit Badge Book.... NO.. I Buy the Newest.

I will give the Scout or Scouts the Newest Requirements when They see Me.

and I will give them a Worksheet Outline of the Work expected and List of the Goals

 

Are troops required to keep all the Books ..again No..Imagine the Cost of buying New Books for 100+ Merit Badges.