we are what we own: deselection strategies for our profession's viability
TRANSCRIPT
College, CommunityMedia CenterPublic LibrarySpecial Library (Health, Art Museum, Business, Other)University
Survey Results
20-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61+0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
5047
18
2
117responses
Age
Yes No
26%74%
Do you feel print books are sacred?
How many times a year do you participate in deselection?
Never/ Not enough time Once a year Quarterly Monthly Bi-weekly Weekly/Daily0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Have you purchased or acquired library discards for your office or
personal book collection?
More than 5 titles1-4 titlesNo / Never
45%
56%
Space: Print Collections
80%-100%50%-79%20%-49%0%-19%
80-100%
50-79%
20-49%
Not at allMildModerateConsiderableExtreme
Start a new deselection project Remove items from library not-used Urge to save Discard donations & gifts Urge to acquire free things Avoid discarding – too overwhelming
38%
39%18%
How stressful do you feel at the thought of your library budget shifting the majorities of money
to eBooks as opposed to print books?
Not at all
Mild
Moderate
Considerable
Extreme
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
28%
25%7%
How stressful would it be for you if 30%-40% of print books were to be deselected from your
library’s collection?
Not at all
Mild
Moderate
Considerable
Extreme
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
19%
13% 33%
Florida Community Colleges
“...monograph collections… were significantly out of date with the majority of library books having been published before the 1970’s”
(Perrault et al, 2002, p. 241)
Florida Community Colleges
“..1990’s..the percentage age of older materials to newer materials had increased and that outdated materials were prevalent in all major subject divisions, including science and technology”
(Perrault et al, 2002, p. 241)
Non-Traditional User“With students strapped for time already; our resources must be especially efficient, convenient, available during a wide variety of times, and also available remotely”(Poole, 2009, p. 194)
“Reading a book, however, requires concentration, endurance, the ability to disconnect from other connections. You have to be there rather than not there. Hyperwired young people may be making it to age 17 without acquiring that ability, let alone losing it.” (Romano, 2010, para. 19)
“….the focus is no longer in creating a comprehensive print collection but supplementing it with a vast and comprehensive collection of electronic information sources, resources, and links”
(Fernandes, 2008, p. 206)
…[Steven J. Bell, Temple University] urged librarians to think past
libraries traditional roles of gateway, archive, and buyer of scholarly material.
…
“We could really carve out a much more significant role as instructional partners” (Howard, 2008, para. 10)
“Ranganathan deplored that many librarians seemed to be more concerned with preservation than with use, thus perpetuating the image of the librarian as a custodian rather than as some skilled in the exploitation of bibliographic resources” (Lancaster, 1988, para. 1)
Meaning of Books
“The non-library world interprets weeding destroying of valuable materials, the treasured vessels and conveyers of our culture and society.” (Intner, 2006)
“Libraries were invented so that individuals wouldn’t have to own everything they might sometime want to read. Our trust in libraries makes it possible for us to throw things away.”
Nicholson BakerWriter / Advocate for library preservation
Attachment “Even though we can’t hold on
to anything, clinging remains one of our strongest habits. Useless though it may be, we devote much of our energy to grasping at that which is elusive and impermanent.”
Pema Chodron
Michael SawyerDirector of Calcasieu Parish Public Library
Louisiana
“Many librarians have an emotional attachment to their collections. They think of books as a literal part of the library, as part of their family.”
Browsing
“When items on the first shelf or two they examine aren’t what they want and aren’t very attractive looking, browsers get the vague feeling that the rest of the stock, which, on the surface, looks the same as what they’ve just seen, isn’t going to be any better.” (Intner, 2006, p. 16)
Academic / Browsing
Clutter Personality Types
• Easily distracted• Procrastinator• Sentimental Clutterer• Bargain shoppers• Perfectionists
Geralin ThomasProfessional Organizer
Cary, North Carolina
Decision-making
“To weed is to make multiple decisions simultaneously, decisions based on both objective and subjective criteria”(Handy, 1994, para. 5)
“People with compulsive hoarding often feel afraid to throw things away, worry excessively, and repeatedly check to make sure they’re not throwing away anything important.”(Tolin, Frost & Steketee, 2007, p. 20)
Cost Concerns• Will not throw out an item until we
have spent the value• Shelving• Savings in – staff time– Material use– future acquisition decisions
Stakeholders
“The benefit of involving the faculty seems to be more to prevent negative feelings rather than to improve the weeding process.” x
(Slote, 1997, p. 10)
Tarpon Springs Campus
St. Petersburg College
2009-10Lower Division:
5,070not including upper
division
Case Study 2008-11
Library Staff• 2 paraprofessionals• 2 librarians (liaison areas)• 3 student assistants• 1 OPS –staff member 20-32 hrs.
Mission / Vision• Support Curriculum• Leisure Collection• Easy to Find• Space for study/ leisure/
technology• Prepare for inventory
Undecorating – Tracy Elliott
• Remove faded posters, paintings, plants, etc.
• Remove yellowed plastic covers from books
• Reduce trash can amount• Damaged, stained, faded furniture, study
carrels• Old technology VCRs, computers,
typewriter… • Paper/pathfinders• Signs• Supplies to other departments/campus
libraries
Weeding Procedure• Librarians remove and discard
items– Do not revisit cart – no reviewer
• Cart given to paraprofessional to remove from OPAC and OCLC holdings
• OPS/student assistants mark through items - SURPLUS
• Box for book sale or check better world books or free cart for students
1. undecorate
Small goal
Deselect items- multiple
rounds
Remove bib files
Mark surplus
Book Sale, Better World Books, free cart, faculty
Initial DeselectionJust Weed before involving faculty or other
stakeholder• Repeat copies – if not used• Damaged material• Older reference copy in circ. Collection• Medical/Law/Technology 5 years• Duplication in electronic format- some
removal• Too many in one subject – gift for other
campus library
Multiple Rounds- Small Goals
• Check areas multiple times throughout a period of time
• First time: everything older than 1990 and does not have historical value
• Second: remove a section not being used
• Etc.
ShelvingRedefine Shelving Meaning: Not only
storage• Lay books to view item on shelf• Remove items from top and bottom
shelf• Display books face out• Let there be light• Security• Be open to remove
shelving
Reference Collection
“For most reference collections, more is not necessarily better”
(Matthews & Tychson, 1981)
Reference Collection
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
2000-20091990-19991980-19891970-1979before 1970no year
Total 1,466
Total 3,291
No purchasing - replacing
Reference CollectionA-B
Reference Collection
Reference Collection
10 units
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000
2000-2009
1990-1999
1980-1989
1970-1979
before 1970
no year
total 20,475
total 25,627
total 30,229
General Collection
no yearbefore 19701970-19791980-19891990-19992000-2009
Age of Collection 2005
26%
Total 25627
25%
no yearbefore 19701970-19791980-19891990-19992000-2009
Age of Collection 2008
36%
Total 30,229
23%
no yearbefore 19701970-19791980-19891990-19992000-2009
23%
Age of Collection 2011
61%
Total 20475
Circulation 2008-11
January February March April May June July August September October November December0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2,000
2011201020092008
Positives
• Easy to find for staff and students• Inventory – barcode in book (majority)• Give books to other campus libraries• Find books from other campus libraries or colleges misshelved•Moderate circulation rise• Acquisitions- future ordering projects• Study Space - transform layout
Book Sale 2009
• Better World Books• “Do not make your weeded books a
problem for someone else by just passing the buck.”
• Free book cart(Allen, 2010, p. 33)
Policies and Procedures• More information- direction–Weeding procedures (guide for staff)– Donation/gift policy– acquisition
Policies and Procedures
“A good collection development policy should be clear, concise, and easily followed since many staff members have collection development responsibilities and everyone should work toward mutual goals when making decisions”(Poole, 2009, p. 199)
Library Entrance
“(Deselection) is a process of catharsis that frees you to focus on the future”(Handy, 1994, para. 25)