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How to Weed Your Library Collection Without Losing Your Mind

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Title: How to Weed Your Library Collection Without Losing Your Mind


1
How to Weed Your Library Collection Without
LosingYour Mind
  • Denise Anton Wright
  • Director, New Glarus Public Library
  • Wisconsin Library Association
  • Friday, October 19, 2007

2
Why Am I Talking About This?
  • Ive been in LibraryLand for over 20 years
    public, academic special library settings
  • Have helped many libraries weed their collections
  • I understand the importance of weeding have
    seen the huge difference it makes in collections
  • But most importantly - - -

3
My Library is the Size of a Tuna Can
  • Built as part of a larger Village Hall in early
    1980s
  • 2,074 square ft.
  • Approx. 32,000 items crammed in
  • one in one out a necessity
  • Weeding essential for staff morale

4
Why We Should Weed
  • Patrons need current information
  • A weeded collection higher circulation
  • A weeded collection sends out positive PR to the
    entire community
  • Every library needs more space
  • Weeding allows you to know your collection better
    will help you identify gaps or holes in it
  • An essential aspect of collection development

5
Why We Dont Weed
  • Lack of support (Library Board, staff, etc.)
  • Patrons public dont understand weeding
  • Not enough time
  • No idea how to get started
  • No idea what to do with the weeded items
  • I might get rid of something valuable
  • Someone may want it / need it someday
  • But I think a really big reason is . . .

6
How We Think of Library Materials
7
How We SHOULD Think of Library Materials
8
Where Do We Go From Here?
  • Convince Administration staff - weeding is
    vital (save worst examples from your shelves
    share w/anyone who wonders why you need to weed)
  • Determine a call range (dont get too
    ambitious) that you want to weed start with
    non-fiction, its fairly straight forward
  • Devote just 15 to 30 minutes a day
  • A weeding cart works for some people

9
Your Online Catalog is Your Friend
  • It should allow you to find out circulation for
    that item how many circs, how long ago
  • You may have access to specialized weeding
    reports if so, request them!
  • A shared online catalog (South Central Library
    System uses LINKcat) allows you to see of
    libraries within your system with the item
    elsewhere of MUSTIE
  • CREW appendix useful decision-making forms

10
Weeding in Your Policy
  • Include weeding guidelines criteria in your
    librarys collection development policy
  • Simple is okay
  • Lots of great examples on the Internet
  • Tippicanoe County Public Library, Lafayette, IN
    (http//www.tcpl.lib.in.us/admin/collman.htm)
  • Beloit Public Library (http//als.lib.wi.us/BPL/d
    iscpol.htm)

11
Tippicanoe County Public Library
  • V. DISCARDING AND REPLACEMENT OF MATERIALS
  • A.In order to maintain a vital, current
    collection which meets the needs of our
    community, examination of materials is an ongoing
    process. An item is considered for discard when
    it is
  • Obsolete or outdated.
  • Worn beyond use.
  • Damaged.
  • No longer circulating and/or used for reference
    purposes.
  • One of many copies of a formerly popular title.
  • B. A work chosen for discard may be replaced with
    another copy of the same title or another work on
    the same subject.
  • C. Aides used in discardingBooks in Print,
    Public Library Catalog, Fiction Catalog,
    Children's Catalog, Junior and Senior High School
    Catalogs, Evaluating and Weeding Collections in
    Small and Medium-sized Public Libraries by Joseph
    P. Segal

12
Crew Manual http//www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/cr
ew/
CREW Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding
13
More CREW - MUSTIE
  • Misleading and/or Factually Inaccurate
  • Ugly or worn out beyond mending or rebinding
  • Superseded by a new edition or better source
  • Trivial
  • Irrelevant to the needs interests of your
    community
  • Elsewhere (the material may be easily borrowed)

14
SUNLINK Weed of the Month
  • http//www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed/ - Archive
  • Floridas K-12 Union Catalog school focus but
    still very inspirational for public libraries
  • Ran Monthly 1997 2005
  • Book published (Less is More A Practical Guide
    to Weeding School Libraries, ALA, 2006)
  • Breaks weeding effort down into do-able chunks

15
What You Dont Weed
  • Local history local authors
  • Works with local settings or local ties
  • Titles that are part of a special collection
    within your library
  • Classic titles award-winners (but make sure the
    edition on the shelf is attractive, otherwise
    replace it)

16
Tips - After Youve Weeded
  • You Have a Pile of Items That Youve Weeded, Now
    What?
  • Make it clear the item has been weeded from your
    collection
  • Withdrawn stamp or blacking out / removing
    property labels
  • Remove book pockets date due slips
  • Special attention to memorial items

17
How To Handle Memorial Items
  • Apply same criteria to memorial items as you
    would any other library item
  • Never, ever leave a memorial plate or wording in
    a book that you are discarding
  • If need be, contact family members or others
    associated with the original memorial donation
  • Transfer memorial to a new title you add on the
    same topic

18
What To Do With Weeded Items Sell Them
  • Friends book sale or ongoing one
  • Book Prospector (http//www.bookprospector.com)
  • Better World Books (http//www.betterworldbooks.co
    m)
  • For collectible titles AbeBooks
    (http//www.abebooks.com) to determine value
  • Ebay (http//hub.ebay.com) one option

19
What To Do With Weeded Items Donate Them
  • Local charitable organizations (however, always
    check with them before dropping off items)
  • Hospitals, jails, coffee houses, Amtrak station,
    etc.
  • Hands Across the Water east coast but mail OK
    (http//www.surplusbooksforcharity.org)
  • Got Books (http//www.gotbooks.com) - east coast
    but mail OK
  • Be aware of PR impact for example, Freecycle

20
What To Do With Weeded Items Get Creative!
  • This Into That Second Editions
    (http//www.thisintothat.com/secondeditions.html)
    dont know how practical, but super fun ideas for
    creating furniture out of books
  • Fun Forever Altered Book Art (http//www.funfore
    ver.net/archives/dont-try-this-at-home)

21
Now Get Weeding!
  • Keep telling yourself that library materials have
    an expiration date they spoil
  • Go slowly dont become overwhelmed
  • Celebrate your success go look at an area that
    youve weeded
  • Enjoy!

22
Useful Tips from the Audience at my Presentation
  • In addition to Administration staff, be sure to
    educate custodial staff about the need for
    weeding
  • Be sure to include what will happen to weeded
    items in your librarys collection development
    policy (see the policy of Beloit PL for an
    example)
  • Publisher site that uses a concept similar to
    SUNLINKs Weed of the Month http//www.raintree
    library.com/weed/index.asp
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