Weeding process - Unshelved Answers

Weeding process

2009-11-18T19:26:59Z

Hi!

I'm new on the forum and a fairly new librarian. The school library that I'm in charge of has never been weeded, and so that daunting task is on my shoulders now!

I've looked at many different policies and advice regarding weeding; but my main problem is with non-fiction books. I don't know everything about every subject, and I'm not sure how I can make the decision of "the information in this book is too old" or "the information is still good".

I'm the only staff in the LMC; I've asked teachers to help me (art teachers with art books, etc...) but I don't want to do this all the time.

Experienced librarians, HELP!

Thank you :)

Answer by Matt for Weeding process

2009-11-18T19:32:08Z

The first step is exactly what you did. Ask for help from people who know. Some sections are weedable even if you do not know them. For example I just agreed to weed the library in my synagogue and so obvious titles to go were The New Antisemitism which was published in 1971 (that is now the old or at very best medium Anti-Semitism) and books dealing with the current plight of Jews in the Soviet Union (we are looking for books on the Russian Jewish experience as a whole now). Use a little common sense and you can figure them out. There are going to be books that are to "professional" for you to know the answer but you will be surprised how many books make it easy. And also don't forget to check circ records (a book that has not been checked out for 40 years becomes a good candidate for weeding) and general appearance to.

The rule of weeding that I follow is no information is better then misinformation.

Hope that helps.

Answer by Jeff for Weeding process

2009-11-18T19:52:47Z

The two sources I mostly have used are:

Collection Development Training from the Arizona Libraries, Archives, and Public Records http://www.lib.az.us/cdt/

and the Crew method from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/crew/

For my guidance you can also look at Awful Library Books: Awful Library Books http://awfullibrarybooks.wordpress.com/

Those are good starting points to get a feel of what you should weed and why.

Answer by level250geek for Weeding process

2009-11-18T21:16:34Z

Also, as you're weeding, keep in mind books that are circulating well but have outdated information in them; you'll want to order updates on those and weed what you currently have when the new editions come in.

Most of all though, don't be afraid to weed. If it needs to go, it needs to go. Some librarians like to hang on to as many books as they can, but then that's just more clutter to sift through. Sure, there may be that one patron who needs that book on Ukrainian aquatic basket weaving, but the likelihood of that patron coming in your library: next to none.

Answer by Mary Z for Weeding process

2009-11-19T00:56:33Z

Last year I was new in my libraries, and, like you, my libraries had not been weeded for decades. I found it was helpful to utilize some online collection development services (several book companies will now analyze your collection online). I used Follett's Titlewave for analysis. This software offered guidelines for age sensitivity and provided lists of aged titles. It also showed estimates of about how many books each Dewey category should contain for the size of my libraries.

Of course this didn't give me all the answers, but it did give me a list to start from.

Answer by Belladonna for Weeding process

2009-11-19T06:00:03Z

What we called the "Dusty Books List" (List of items which have not circulated in the last year) can really help you pick off the low hanging fruit -- things that it's clear either don't belong in your collection, or need a heck of a lot more promotion! Your LMS should be able to collate and print off a list -- arranged by shelf order (classification for NF & alphabetical for fiction).

Pulling the books for evaluation is a great task to give to student library assistants. Divide up the list & get them to search out the remote areas of the library. Then you can review their catch.

You'll also find (or more accurately, not find) a lot of missing titles during this process. Consider these (cautiously) for repurchase -- stolen items are often popular ones.

As you go through, start putting together some 'weeding rules' for each section, based on your own experience. e.g. Computer section, weed anything older than 5 years; Biology, pull anything older than 7 years & review with Biology teacher.

Answer by Helgagrace for Weeding process

2009-11-19T18:57:13Z

The entries are a bit dated, but Sunlink's Weed of the Month can still provide some guidelines for weeding specific sections:

http://www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed/default.aspx

Answer by Elsa for Weeding process

2009-11-19T20:22:37Z

Thank you for all the good advice!

I have already run an analysis on Titlewave, and I also have copied all the archives of the "Weed of the Month" for reference when I tackle each section.

I've realized that I should focus on the Fiction section first; it's easier and it will give me some experience and some confidence before tackling the Non Fiction section.

The other problem I have encountered is that I am the first librarian in a good 4-5 years to actually care about the collection AND the students' reading habit. So when I looked at the circulation, almost 45% of the fiction books SHOULD be weeded (solely based on circulation numbers). Well I can't do that so I'm taking it slow (weeding books with 0 circ) and I will continue with all my efforts to encourage students to read more. Circulation has already been WAY up this year - I have to hope it will continue :)

THANK YOU for your answers! And I'm still interested in more advice :)

Answer by Wendy O'Connor for Weeding process

2009-11-19T21:57:16Z

Sunlink now has weeding infor for 2009 http://www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed/ByDate.aspx

Also try the book Less is More: A Practical Guide to Weeding School Library Collections written by two librarians from Sunlink

Answer by JT for Weeding process

2009-11-20T04:16:25Z

I'm now at my second school library, both of which have very outdated collections (as in average age of more than 20 years). At my first school I was the only staff member, and I found that the most efficient way for me to weed was to put aside any obvious "tossers" as I found them (or students brought them to me), then do a more detailed weeding as I did inventory. (If you're at a school that inventories the entire collection each year, you might want to draw yourself up a 10 year plan as to which sections you will concentrate on weeding and rebuilding each year). That at least allowed me to only have to read up on and think about a couple of areas at a time (perhaps you might find it easiest to start in an area that reflects your undergrad degree).

Also: Thank you to Wendy for the notice about the update to Sunlink!

Answer by Nancy for Weeding process

2009-11-20T04:23:37Z

One of the hardest things I've found about weeding is knowing that funding to replace out of date books tends to be minimal at best.

Because of that, I generally do a light weeding rotation that takes a year or two to complete to get through the entire library--it's naturally taking less and less time to go through as more books are pulled--and choose one or two sections a year to do a heavy weed on. This section is then replaced as much as possible with that year's funding.

Books you will probably need to get rid of: All your computer books, old almanacs and other references, dinosaur books that mention brontosaurs, books about extinct animals that weren't extinct when the books were written, most of your health section, most of your music section, books on space exploration that don't mention the shuttle or the space station, and a positively terrifying amount of your 900's. Any biographies of deceased people that meet the "I've (the librarian) never heard of them" criterion are fair game.

Above all, don't be afraid to be ruthless: your library, if it is like mine was, could probably lose at least a third or more of its books and be all the better for it.

Oh, and one hint: when weeding the 800s and the reference section, I recommend wearing a dust mask. (One could plant potatoes on some of those reference books.)

Answer by Michael for Weeding process

2009-11-20T05:27:12Z

I think there should be a three-part process:

Look at the publisher. Is it a reliable publisher? A university or one of the reliable publishers like Penguin, Viking, Random House, etc.? If not, maybe it's not worth your time.
Look at the author--who is he and how did he become an expert on the topic he's writing about? Are his credentials or real-world experience credible?
Look at reviews--how have other people responded to the book and what background info have reviewers dug up about the book? Do their responses and the book's context make it seem more or less reliable?

Answer by David for Weeding process

2009-11-20T15:07:11Z

Here is a non-librarian comment (fiction and non-fiction): I belong to the King County library system and am often frustrated that books from previous eras are no longer available. Yes, that biology book from the 50s or 80s is obsolete for today. Yes, Helen MacInnes has been dead for a long while. Yes, there is no more Soviet Union. However, weeding out such books takes away the ability to read about what perceptions society had at that time. Of course, I am a fan of historical context, and I know that most students don't know enough to realize when a book's information is old (unless it pertains to computer and phone systems). With the ubiquitousness of cell phones, it is fascinating to me to read a suspense novel from the late 50s and to realize that at that time, one may have had to drive for miles to get to a town large enough to have a public phone (what the heck is is a public phone, may ask today's child), and how much differently the story would have gone had the bad guys been able to have real-time information on how their plans had gone wrong. It has also fascinated me over time to have look at an encyclopedia from 1913 and an economic geography text book from the 50s and to see how much room they have for some topics that modern such books wouldn't have because there was so much other information that needed to be included.

Answer by Julie for Weeding process

2009-11-20T16:45:00Z

To the above, I would caution... while outdated books (such as the encyclopedia from 1913) can be fascinating, they do not belong on the shelves of a school library. In a public library, they may find a place in a special collection or archive. For the most part, though, I think those books need to be saved for academic libraries, used book stores, and digital collections.

Answer by Robert S for Weeding process

2009-11-20T17:51:32Z

Definitely you can save interesting old things but not keep them in the regular collection. I've got a great science book from 1960 that has a marvelous chapter on the possiblities surrounding video taping shows off of television. Did you know that there might even be stores someday where you can rent your favorite shows or movies??

You don't necessarily need to be an expert to weed non fiction. Look at content, try to find a specific fact or term you would expect to be in the book or not to be there if it were current. For example, I just chucked an education dictionary from 1959 - refers to "mogoloid children." Format is also important. Is it something that a current student would want to look at? Is it used frequently in your curriculum? I have several older case law books that I've kept because they cite earlier court decisions that aren't necessarily discussed in current books in much detail.

A good title to get for school library weeding is Less Is More: A practical guide to weeding school library collections (Baumback and Miller, ALA 2006). I've found it gives a good overview of what to keep and chuck in most sections.

I've weeded a goodly number of books in the last several years, same reason as you. My school library dates to 1882, and I have books from nearly that long ago! Oldest one was a copy of Shakespeare's Henry VI, printed 1884, entered into the collection January of 1902.

www.nahslibrary.org

Answer by Beautiful Book Lady for Weeding process

2009-11-20T18:21:10Z

Weeding non-fiction for accuracy and political correctness is always a safe and practical choice despite funding issues. When you can prove that you need current items, you have a clear and winning arguement for why you need funding to maintain a relevent collection My favoriate items to weeded in non-fiction to prove this point so far are:

Answer by Barbara Fiehn for Weeding process

2009-11-20T19:18:32Z

Keep a few of the worst offenders to pull out when an administrator or teacher or parent questions your weeding. They do tend to back off when you show them the office education book that shows only typewriters or the space book that is still talking about 1980's technology. The worst comment I ever got was from a curriculum coordinator "but good teachers will correct the out of date information."

Answer by Eric for Weeding process

2009-11-20T21:43:56Z

You folks are way too scientific with all the checking catalogs and collection development sources. If you do all that you won’t have time to pull many books from the shelf. Use your professional judgment. Look at the physical condition of the book, check the publication date and publisher, flip through the pages, and look at the table of contents. Assume you will make some mistakes and don't worry about it.

Take out anything you think should go. Keep them on a separate section of shelves (in the back room, if you have one) and arrange them roughly by the subjects taught at your school (math, American history, etc.). Three or four times a year tell your faculty that you have pulled 75 books from the collection and ask them to review before you discard. Few of them will and then when they complain that their favorite item is gone, you can remind them that they had a chance to look at what was going. If any faculty comes to look, this is a great time to ask for suggestions for better titles to add (as you have funds).

As for replacements, purchase paperbacks that will be used over hardbacks that sit on the shelf. Also, I spend several thousand dollars a year buying "used" books from Powells.com (notice if they say “student owned”). The books I get from them are in about the same condition as they would be after one use in my library and they are a lot cheaper than new.

Answer by Cris T Kunze for Weeding process

2009-11-20T22:57:51Z

Weeding Non fiction... I am doing just that in the children's section of my library. 1)I have asked the powers-that-be to run a list of all non-fiction books from 1999 and earlier that have not gone out this year. 2) condiion of book: old, tattered, torn, shabby, worn & tired looking. 3) Accuracy of information. the computer, medicine, technology, "new" devlopments and inventions always need updating.. Basically, anything from the previous century that needs updating or getting a current copy of for library use.

Answer by SaraM for Weeding process

2009-11-27T18:35:00Z

I attended a conference with a session on weeding presented by Pamela K. Kramer, and was provided with a rather extensive weeding matrix. I'll provide for you some of the more useful (hopefully) information that was included in the handout, as well as a few interspersed suggestions of my own from my experience. One thing we discuss at my (public) library a lot is that a well-weeded collection will allow the quality and popular materials to be more easily found and will increase their circulation. Good luck!

000 Generalities

Encyclopedias - about 20% changes each year. Keep 5 years or until a new edition is available/ordered.

100 Philosophy

Consider applicability to curriculum; keep/replace curiosities and wonders based on circulation. Keep no longer than 10 years.

200 Religions

Should have basic information on many sects. Weed items which are clearly propaganda.

300 Social Sciences

Almanacs and yearbooks - replace annually; keep no more than 5 years
Politics and Economics - look for old addresses and contact information; keep no longer than 10 years
Commerce and Career - does the career still exist?; are computers part of the career and represented?; are men and women both represented?; are the pictures outdated?; keep no more than 10 years
Sociology, communities, classes, races - look at nomeclature, diversity of lifestyles, and issues; keep no more than 10 years
Customs and Costume - look for diversity of cultures; are new holidays and/or costumes represented?; keep as long as permitted by material condition
Etiquette/Manners - mention of emailing or texting?; look for kid friendly versions; are customs or practices outdated?; weed older editions
Folklore - keep standard works as long as permitted by material condition

400 Language

Check for change of language/vocabulary in dictionaries; are computers, DVDs, CDs, blogs, etc mentioned?; keep no longer than 10 years

500 Pure Science

50% of info changes every 5 years
look for unsafe, out-of-date, or unallowed science fair project suggestions or materials
Math and computers - keep computer books current, but math books age slowly; keep logic and math books no more than 10 years
Astronomy - stargazing does not change but planets and solar system change rapidly (goodbye, Pluto!); weed after 3 years
Physics - try to get help from someone more knowledgable in this subject area
Weather and Climate - books should discuss use of computers in weather prediction; hole in the ozone; global warming; carbon footprint; recycling; keep no more than 5 years
Chemistry - make sure Periodic Table is up to date
Geology - field guides date slowly; weed if term "continental drift" is used instead of "plate tectonics" or if the earth is not 4.6 billion years old
Dinosaurs - "mentions feathered, warm blooded, meteor extinction"; are discoveries after 1980 mentioned?; look at illustrations for variety; no more "brontosaurus" - should be apatosaurus
Zoology - should list 5 kingdoms and endangered species; weed anything prior to 1986
Microbiology - should contain information on newest findings on viruses and bacteria that live in extreme conditions; keep no more than 5 years

600 Applied Science

Medicine - AMA recommends keeping no more than 3 years; discussion of diets, nutrition, calorie count; look at pharmaceutical and illegal drug books; most are too old at 5 years; check professional organization (Amer. Heart Assoc., etc) for recommendations
Agriculture - look at use of pesticides and illustrations of farm equipment
Technology - use of computers, TV, radio, iPods, cell phones, digital cameras, etc.
Vehicles - some may have historical value; will kids recognize makes and models?
Manufacturing - "are guys stoking furnaces?"; use of computers and robotics; discussion of local and global trade
Electronic Communication - discussion of computers and their many uses; cell phones, MP3 players, etc.
Space Exploration - do materials cover Mars and Venus exploration and ISS?; keep no more than 3-5 years
Cookbooks - are microwaves mentioned?; are food handling and safety instructions mentioned?; are dietary concerns addressed?

700 The Arts

Photography - look for newer techniques, digital cameras, computers; keep no more than 5 years
Sports and Games - get rid of out of date biographies; look at age and changes in rule books, coaching, equipment; replace as interests of the kids change
Music - get rid of out of date biographies of pop figures; songbooks/musical scores are difficult to replace
Art - basic histories do not date; look at illustrations; weed black and white illustrations in favor of color reproductions
Architecture - keep local architecture books and those needed to support curriculum
Sculpture/Painting/Drawing - look at techniques; keep if well illustrated
Decorative Arts - price guides and interior decoration change quickly

800 Literature

Anthologies/Criticisms - are authors in the curriculum?; keep based on need and use
Plays/Movies - weed if popularity has waned; is it used for curriculum?; keep works by local authors

900 History

General and Old World - look for accuracy of facts and dated viewpoints (a la white man's burden); look at photos/illustrations for bias; is it a primary source?; check names of countries in country books; look for euro (the money); look at Berlin Wall, Soviet Union/USSR, Middle East, and Africa; what is the latest date covered in the book?
Travel Guides - prices and modes of transportation change
US History - look for accuracy of facts and dated viewpoints (a la colored, Negro, etc); look at photos/illustrations for bias; who is the last President listed?; be careful of generalities; keep no more than 5-10 years
State Seals/Flags - color illustrations?
Geography - watch for country name changes; look at how local customs are portrayed
Atlases - keep one or two for historical purposes; keep no more than 3-5 years
Biographies - keep if subject is of permanent interest; consider link to curriculum and demographic of users; update famous people with more current materials about them

Fiction, Picture Books, and Story Collections

Old fashioned, dated titles or illustrations or stereotyping must go; replace classics and heavily used titles if still used; check historical fiction for bias and accuracy; use circulation statistics and be ruthless!; market those worth keeping.

Answer by SDL for Weeding process

2009-12-07T22:13:54Z

I would hold off on weeding sections where experience is useful--picture books, folk tales, fiction, and poetry are all sections where it's hard to know what is a gem and what is a dud, or what is written by a local author that you might want to hold onto much longer than usual.

But other sections are easy and should be tackled quickly--astronomy, country books, etc. Anything where incorrect information is going to lead a child astray no matter how much good information is in there with it.

Weeding a really old collection is incredibly satisfying. I got to weed my sons' school library back in the late nineties where they had a book talking about how we might someday land on the moon, and another on Vietnam that predated the Vietnam War. Getting rid of stuff like that is really, really fun.

Answer by Georgeanne for Weeding process

2010-02-17T20:16:20Z

This has been a very interesting discussion. I have been discarding books for eons and it really doesn't get easier especially since I have been in my library so long that I have almost purchased everything left.

I always find the non-fiction the easiest as there is a prescribed formula for most of it...I have trouble going through the Poetry collections and of course the fiction and picture book is always hard.

Do I get rid of John Bellairs because no one seems to be reading him this year? What about Steven Kellogg or Marcia Brown. These are all good writers and it becomes more important for us to share these titles with children so they don't get lost in the shuffle of new things.

There are so many older titles that are great but they don't get read. So many titles and not enough time to read all of them. I have been very vicious over the last ten years.

What do you do with all of these discarded titles? I hate to throw books away. I have sent them to Thailand and Africa. I have given them to hospitals and Nursing homes. I put them out for students and staff. I have posted them on freecycle. I have given them to friends to sell at their tag sales and I have coved them and used them at the beginning of a new section as shelf signs AND still I have boxes....to get rid of. I even saw some furniture built with old books, glued together.

So what to do with those left over titles????? Not sure if this is a new question or a continuation of the weeding one.. Help!!!!!