Weeding:

Why is it so difficult and what can we do about it?

Books are for use.Every reader his book.Every book its reader.Save the time of the reader.A library is a growing organism.

Ranganathan’s 5 Laws

1. Increase library appeal 2. Save patrons’ and staffs’ time

4. Encourage browsing 5. Eliminate items no longer of interest to patrons 6. Save space

7. Increase use of other materials 8. Reduce duplicate copies 9. Eliminate items no longer fitting library’s mission10. Save time inventorying

3. Protect readers from inaccurate information

10 Reasons to Weed

What are the reasons that weeding doesn’t get done?

“There’s no such thing as a bad book.

1.

(The wrong) something is not better than nothing.

"Librarians have a responsibility for discarding unsound books of yesteryear. In the eyes of the public, the fact that they are on the shelves confers upon them an endorsement.“

--Clarke, G. E. "Propaganda." Library World, 42:62-63, October 1939

“Someone might need them”

2.

80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle)

20% of your books are responsible for 80% of your circulation

When Loriene Roy weeded 10% of three Illinois public libraries in 1985, only one percent of the weeded books were requested over the following eight months.

- Source: “Weeding without tears” by Loriene Roy, Collection Management Vol. 12, #1 and 2, 1990, pp. 83-93, p. 91.

-Source: Weeding Library Collections, by Stanley J. Slote, 1989, p. 64.

The best predictor of future circulation?

Past circulation

“We haven’t gotten all the good out of it yet.”

3.

“It’s not worn out.”

OR

Collection Development

Select

Process and Catalog Circulate

Weed and discard

Cycle

Display:

“Good Books You Might Have Missed”

Photo: Newton Free Library. Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/newtonfreelibrary/4727837472/

start with 12 books--not too many

“It might be valuable”4.

http://www.abebooks.com/books/RareBooks/

“What will people say?”

5.

Like most kinds of equipment, most books eventually lose their effectiveness

Let’s Call a Spade a Trowel

• Deselection• Uncluttering• Beautifying• Making room for new materials• Collection Development• Reverse Selection

The library looks fine/ there’s plenty of room

6.

Ask someone who is not familiar with your library, or Take pictures

Shelves just inside the door circulate 24% more books than shelves 15 feet inside the door.

(98) (74) Shaw, 1938

Books Circulated from One Section of Shelves

18

29

18

28

16

13

5

Top

Bottom

Row 2

Row 3

Row 4

Row 5

Row 6

Source: “The Influence of sloping shelves on book circulation” by Ralph R. Shaw, The Library Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 4, October 1938, pp. 480-490.

In 1973, when Stanley Slote weeded 20% of fiction, six months later circulation increased 106.2%, 20 months later the increase was 121.2%.

- Source: Weeding Library Collections by Stanley J. Slote, 1989, p. 65.

• Weed as you go—when an item is in hand• Set small daily or weekly goals• Have a contest• Form a support group – “Reluctant

Weeders”• Have your weeding kit ready to go

Tips

“I don’t know where to start.”

7.

CREW

C.R.E.W.(Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding)

CREW Summary Chart

What to Weedor

Using CREW

Copyright DateIs it more than X year(s) ago?

Maximum permissible time without use

Musty

Ugly

Superseded

Trivial

Irrelevant to your collection

Elsewhere (I.L.L.)

CREW Criteria

Misleading refers to information that is factually inaccurate due to newdiscoveries, revisions in thought, or new information that is now accepted by professionals in the field covered by the subject. Even in fields like physics,that were once thought to be pretty settled, changes occur that radically impact the accuracy and validity of information.

Ugly, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder but the physical condition of the collection says a lot about the value we place on our collection. The ugly factor includes most of the elements related to the physical condition of the item—wear, damage, stains, tears, dirt—that make it less attractive to a librarypatron. If you don’t want to touch the item without wearing gloves, neither will the patron. Be very cautious in repairing or rebinding items that are ugly. While a new Mylar jacket or a bit of cleaning may spruce up an item, usually it is not worth spending more than a few minutes repairing an item. Taping a small tear is worth the effort but if there will be more tape than binding after the repair is completed, discard the item. Books that smell are ugly.

Superseded items are those that sit on the shelf right next to newer editions or newer titles that update information. Libraries don’t need to keep more than one or two previous editions of almanacs, trivia books (Guinness Book of World Records), cookbooks, and other titles that are frequently updated. Be sure to watch for books that are still circulating but include outdated pictures, products, and ingredients. The recipes in the 1975 edition of The Joy of Cooking may still be accurate but the photographs and brand names of ingredients have certainly been replaced many times over in later editions.

Triviality implies that the material included in the item was popular for a brief period of time but interest has largely waned. Books are published, often seemingly overnight, when there is a new fad, or when a new celebrity hits the scene. Biographies of pop culture performers, games and consumer products, television shows, diets, and fiction series come and go very quickly. The interest may last a few years but usually fades fast. Even if a fad returns, as happened after two decades with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the lapse between periods of intense popularity means that the books from the original fad are outdated. Trivial books can also be published immediately following a major event, such as the death of Princess Diana. For topics that have lasting interest, better written books come out a year or so later and the ‘instant’ books that may trivialize the subject can be discarded.

Irrelevant means that the interests and needs of your community may have changed over time. Perhaps an issue, such as xeriscaping, mass transportation, or solar power, was very popular for a period of time but demand in your community has waned. Frequently, we purchase multiple copies of a book or a wide variety of books on a topic to meet intense local interest, only to have that interest dissipate after a few years. CREW doesn’t recommend that you eliminate all items on any topic from a collection; if a particular topic is no longer as relevant to the community as it was at another time, the collection may have too many items just sitting on the shelf. Even though the last use time period may not have passed, these irrelevant items are prime candidates for weeding.

Elsewhere reminds us that no library is an island! We are not alone out there in the vast information wilderness. It can be difficult to let go of items that are still in good condition even though the information covered is trivial or irrelevant. Many librarians hesitate to discard an item because ‘someone might need it someday.’ True, many of us have had the experience of discarding an item only to have someone request it the next month. However, you can feel more secure about discarding an item if the information contained within is available elsewhere. Interlibrary loan is ubiquitous. With the exception of local history and regional documents, almost everything is available someplace else. GALILEO has reliable information on many topics.

Worn Out

Out of Date

Rarely Used

Supplied Elsewhere

Trivial or Faddish

CREW Criteria

Steps to Weeding1. Gather usage statistics2. Maintain a weeding kit3. Study the area you will be weeding4. Weed5. Double check in indexes & bibliographies 6. Dispose of weeded materials—discard,

recycle, sell, donate7. Order replacements or put on a wish list to

reorder when funds are available8. Merchandise low circulating, high-quality

items

Think boutique (high-quality, current selection)

Be aware of ephemeral interests Board books should be replaced more

often since they get the most abuse Replace worn copies of perennial faves

(multiples)

Advice for Specific Sections: Picture Books

Advice for Specific Sections: YA Fiction

Be ruthless in this section Currency is key Paperbacks >5 years, remove if not circulating well

Advice for Specific Sections: C&YA Non-Fiction

Anything is not better than nothing Be aware of online resources Better to lack books that have bad information Use CREW Guidelines by Dewey Class as in

adult sections

Advice for Specific Sections:

Reference Older editions may be weeded when superseded Materials should be periodically evaluated, (not as

often as circulating collection and not as continuous)

Different replacement schedules (new editions may not be as frequent)

Keep websites and databases in mind Consider integrating reference materials into the

circulating collection, especially if usage is poor

KeepersVolumes of sets and series with special

merit

Older reference works augmented by (not superseded by) later editionsi.e. Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations

Local history

Works by local authors

Classics DebateIt’s our duty as librarians to expose people to “great” literature.

Unless a movie comes out based on a classic, are people still reading them?

ReadRead

Keys to Weeding Success

Make weeding part of policy

Build weeding into the regular work schedule

Inventory as you weed

Follow up on questions/problems

Consider the collection as a whole