Weeding

• The systematic removal of materials in a library’s collection either by discarding or transferal to storage
  • storage items no longer circulate

Weeding policy

• Statement of purpose
  o for policy
• Criteria to be considered in weeding
  o no longer needed for library
• Methods to be used for disposing of weeded materials
  o is it appropriate for another library?

Reasons for weeding

• To save space
• To improve patron access
  o Patrons will see good/interesting materials
• To make room for new materials
• To improve library’s appearance
• To provide feedback on strengths/weaknesses of the collection

Subjective criteria for weeding

• Poor physical shape
  o Either rebind or throw
• Obsolete items
• Inappropriate items for a specific collection
• Duplicates

Objective weeding criteria

• Age of form
• Length of time on shelf between uses
• Number of uses within a specified timeframe

Factors discouraging weeding

• Sacredness of the collection
• If I weed, they will come syndrome
• Lack of time
• Political considerations
• Size and prestige of collection

Assigning criteria by classification number range

• By subject matter, determine oldest acceptable age of material
  o Computer books will go out of date quicker than literature
• May be combined with circulation figure

Weeding resources

• Calgary Board of Education. “Weeding the School Library Media Collection: A Systematic Approach to Strengthening the Library Media Collection.” School Library Media Quarterly 12 (Fall 1987): 419-424.
• Segal, Joseph P. Evaluating and weeding collections in small and medium-sized public libraries: the CREW method. Chicago: ALA, 1989.

CREW method

• Continuous
• Review
• Evaluation &
• Weeding method
  * Build weeding into yearly work calendar
  * Guidelines for weeding based on DDC
  * Uses age of publication, circulation data and MUSTIE

MUSTIE

• Misleading (and/or factually inaccurate)
• Ugly (worn beyond repair)
• Superseded (by new edition or better book)
• Trivial (of no literary or scientific merit)
• Irrelevant (to the interest needs of the community)
• Elsewhere (can obtain through document delivery)

From: Segal, Joseph P. Evaluating and weeding collections in small and medium-sized public libraries: the CREW method. Chicago: ALA, 1989.

Sample CREW formula

• 320 Political Science 5/3/MUSTIE
  o first number represents the age of the item
  o second number represents the number of years since the last circulation
• Items removed from shelves are double checked against a standard list, if on the list item will be kept

Sample from Calgary Board of Education

• 320 Political Science
  o information dates quickly. To be weeded after 10 years, if not replaced sooner

What not to weed

• The “classics”, award winners, items which appear on standard, current core bibliographies
• Items which may be out-of-print and which may still have some possible use
• Materials of local interest, local history
• Resources, in the absence of which may skew the balance in a subject area and may result in a biased representation

Methods of disposal

• Recycle
• Exchange
• Sell
  o proceeds can go towards purchasing new materials
• Destroy (sometimes in the dead of night!)

Some Internet sites

• Weed of the month http://web.archive.org/web/20100725212338/http://www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed/
• Weeding, One of the Duties & Responsibilities of the School… http://www.nps.k12.va.us/aaa/media/manual/weedingch20.pdf