3. Deselection:
To Weed or Not to Weed?
• Library collections must reflect changes in the
community, sciences, the world and in the
library/school/divisional goals
• Essential and difficult part of collection
development
• Periodic or continual evaluation of resources
• Creates space for new resources
• Ensures that
resources are
useful and accessible
4. Obstacles to Weeding
• Procrastination
• Reluctance to admit selection mistakes
• Staff/parental resistance
• Time consuming
• Fear
(http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/consulting/cemanager/crew.ppt)
5. Who’s Who in Weeding
Teacher-librarian
Consultant/ Library Tech/
Coordinator Teachers Aide
Administrator
6. Why Weed?
• Sexist, racist, outdated and inaccurate materials
• More appealing collection
• Patron accessibility
• More reliable information
• Save space
• Enhance library reputation
• Check for needed repairs
• Identify strengths & weaknesses
• Present a better case for a budget increase
(http://www.iema-ia.org/IEMA209.html) (http://www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/weed.html
7. When to Weed
According to Information Power
• Ongoing process
• Not recommended for brand new TLs
• Part of the inventory process
• Implemented as part of a three-year cycle
8. What to Weed: Subjective Weeding
Criteria:
• Poor physical condition
• Poor format
• Poor content
• Inappropriate for
collection
9. What to Weed: Objective Weeding
Criteria:
• Age of the item
• Circulation history
of the item
• Accuracy of information
• Duplicates
10. MUSTY
Acronym for guidance in weeding books: MUSTY
M -misleading (factually inaccurate)
U -ugly (beyond repair)
S -superseded (newer edition or better title)
T -trivial (no merit)
Y -your collection has no use
for it (irrelevant)
11. Weeding Websites
Helpful websites in determining what to weed:
• The CREW Guidelines for Weeding Your
Collection
• PTSD Cycle of Service
12. What Not to Weed
• Local history / authors
• Unusual illustrations/well known
artists
• Special merit/award books
• Annuals/yearbooks
• Items that may circulate under
different classification
• Reference materials not
outdated by other materials
• Out of print but still useful
13. De-processing
Add to the Collection Remove from the Collection
Take the book from the box Take book from shelf
Record its arrival in the school Remove from catalogue
Stamp with a school /library Mark across barcode/remove
stamp book pocket
Place barcodes and/or book Stamp “discard” over school
pockets stamp mark
Add information to catalogue Record its removal from the
collection
Shelve Place in a box for disposal
15. These are a Few of
My Favourite Weeds…
• Journalism for Today – 1972
• Alcoholism: A Manual for Students and Practitioners
- Williams, Lincoln 1956
• You and Your Camera - Hawken, William R. 1973
• Words of Science, and the History Behind Them -
Asimov, Isaac, 1959
• Storms - Lehr, Paul E. 1966
• Vanishing Peoples of the Earth. 1968
• Italy, the Land and Its People - Leech, Michael. 1974
Hinweis der Redaktion
1. Weeding (also known as deselection) is an essential, though difficult, element of collection developmentEvery library’s print collection is limited by the space available to house it, and collections should change over time to reflect changes in the community, sciences, and world and in the library’s goalsWeeding is a periodic or continual evaluation of resources intended to remove items that are no longer useful from the collection
time should be spent learning the school’s curriculum so that useful books are not discarded – seek help from teachers, consultant
Subjective weeding- the librarian knows what is in the collection, the needs of the patrons (curriculum and interests), and the uses of the materials
Objective Weeding - the librarian follows specific guidelines for weeding.
Continuous Review, Evaluation and Weeding
Be discrete!Typically, when materials are weeded to maintain a healthy library collection, the materials are not usually worth keeping anywhere in the school. Most weeded materials should be destroyed. Sometimes they are recycled or sold. In any of these instances, you should act discreetly. Your weeding may be perceived as wasteful by the public so be prepared to defend your decisions.Avoid problems by Sending information home first
