Weeding It does not matter how many books

Weeding "It does not matter how many books you may have, but whether they are good or not. " - Lucius Annaeus Seneca (3 B. C. -65 A. D. ), Epistolae Morale

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This section includes suggestions to help you ● ● ● Ensure students have access to current, accurate information, Maintain an appealing, relevant collection Make room for new materials Use weeding as a collection development and organization tool Overcome your concerns about weeding

What prevents you from weeding? ● Post your “confessions” in the shared class space (chat, shared slide deck, discussions, etc. )

An Overview: Watch this short (5 minute) video, “Weeding: Just the FAQs”to learn: ● What is weeding? ● Why is it important? ● How can it help meet the information needs of your students?

Now look back at the barriers to weeding. How can you overcome them? ● Do you have ingrained beliefs about the sanctity of books that makes weeding personally challenging? ● Are you concerned at public outcry if you “throw away” books? ● Does weeding take a back seat to other priorities? ● Do you lack the budget to replace weeded items? ● Do school district policies make effective weeding a challenge? ● Are you worried about making a mistake?

Weed books that are MUSTIE: M U S T I E Misleading (and/or factually inaccurate) Ugly (worn and beyond mending or rebinding) Superseded (by a truly new edition or by a much better book on the subject) Trivial (of no discernible literary or scientific merit; usually of ephemeral interest at some time in the past) Irrelevant to the needs and interests of your community The material or information may be obtained expeditiously Elsewhere through interlibrary loan, reciprocal borrowing, or in electronic format.

Reports: Reports can help you identify: ● Aged items ● Items that have not circulated in 3+ years ● Unnecessary duplicates Take a moment to investigate the reports available from your card catalog system. Which reports would help you with weeding?

Read and Reflect: Read Jennifer La. Garde’s blog post on weeding. She writes, “We are not archivists. We are educators. We are not curators of book museums. We are conduits of information. Our job is to connect our patrons (be they students or teachers or other members of our school community) with the BEST resources available. “ Reflect: How can weeding help you connect patrons with the best resources available?

In Good Condition? Before Weeding, try: ● Recataloging. Could you move the item to another area where it would get more attention (example: sports biographies from 921 to the 790 s? ) ● Book talking or featuring in a display. If you can’t “sell” a book after featuring it, then it’s time to weed. ● The “Last Chance” Book Cart. Give students a chance to “save” books otherwise destined for weeding.

Benefits of Weeding: According to the CREW method *, there are six benefits to weeding. 1. 2. 3. Save Space: weeding old materials makes space for new. Save Time: patrons and staff can find what they need more quickly. Increase Collection Appeal: shelves crowded with outdated, worn books are not inviting. 4. Enhance Library’s Reputation: shelves with well-curated, appealing, relevant materials attract readers. 5. Keep up with Collection Needs: weeding helps you identify books that need repair, replacing, or recataloging. 6. Constant Collection Feedback: weeding helps identify topics or areas that need to be considered for priority purchasing. *Downloading the CREW Method guide will give you a step-by-step method for weeding your library.

All Press is NOT Good Press: Read this article from American Libraries Magazine. How can you avoid bad press when weeding? ● ● ● Have (and follow) district policies for discarding books. Weed and discard continuously throughout the year--avoid the “full dumpster of books” scenario. Find opportunities for donation and upcycling as policy allows. Educate your community about the process of weeding. Use circulation statistics to support decisions. Keep a few examples of outdated, inaccurate, irrelevant titles to use when explaining weeding to non-Librarians.

No Time? ● Commit to 15 minutes a day. ● Be systematic: One section/shelf at a time. ● Start with “easy” weeds: Image: Luc Galoppin, Flickr ○ ○ ○ Books in disrepair Unnecessary duplicates Outdated books (use reports) Lack of circulation(reports) Books that are factually inaccurate or that perpetuate stereotypes ○ ○ Pull books from reports for Librarian review Lonely” book/”Last Chance” books ● Enlist student/volunteer help. ● This is not a “one time” event. Weeding is a continuous process.

No Budget? ● Keeping outdated/noncirculating books on shelves hurts your case. (Why do you need money? The shelves are full!) ● Maintaining a collection of relevant materials helps you advocate for student needs. ● Remember: the goal is not books on the shelves. The goal is books being used. Yes, and: I still need funds for books. ● Grants ● Parent/community partnerships ● The dreaded book fair ● “Birthday Book Club” ● See: other sections of the Collection Management presentation

And now it’s time to play: Keep or Weed! If you are in your library, identify 5 books on your shelves you believe you could weed. If you are not in your library. . . use your catalog/memory to find a book to “nominate” for weeding.

Make a Plan Consider making a S. M. A. R. T. goal about weeding. Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-Bound Examples: ● By November 1, I will identify items for weeding from the Everybody section using age/circulation reports and the MUSTIE criteria. ● Between November and February, I will spend at least 15 minutes each school day weeding books in the nonfiction section.

What to do with weeded materials: Follow your District’s guidelines (or create some). Upcycle/Maker Activities: ● 21 uses for old books ● 35 Awesome DIY Ideas and Tutorials to Reuse Old Books Information on organizations that might accept weeded books: ● https: //libguides. ala. org/book-donations#discards ● https: //wikis. ala. org/professionaltips/index. php? title=Collection_ Evaluation_--_and_De-Selection_(Weeding)#Discards

“Weeding is a professional responsibility. . . Abdicating this responsibility degrades the appearance of the collection and creates the opportunity to spread dangerous or misleading information. ” --Gail Dickinson in C “ rying over Spilled Milk ” For further reading: ● ● Weeding Library Collections: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for Library Collection Evaluation (ALA) Awful Library Books: Hoarding is not collection development. New York City School Library System Weeding Page Dewey Decibel Podcast Weeding Episode

Enjoy these earworms on your break. : ) Let Them Go (Frozen parody) Weed It (Book Cart Drill Team to Beat It parody)