Justifying and Advocating For Weeding Your Collection

Hawai’i Library Association Annual ConferenceDecember 5, 2014Kathleen Stacey

Edwin H. Mookini Library, Hilo, Hawai’i

One of our most important professional responsibilities.

“There’s a reason we use the term weeding…gardeners do it to get rid of the weeds that hamper the growth of healthy plants. Weeds take up a lot of valuable nutrients that the other plants…could use to thrive. Weeding is love!”

Collier, G. (2010). The reluctant weeder. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, 8(2), 51-

53.

JUSTIFY Why we weed

It is the final step in the collection development process. Just as important as the first step of acquiring.

“Keeping every mystery novel the library has purchased – abdicating our role in shaping a collection – impedes browsing.”

Living in the moment. (2013). Publishers Weekly, 260(38), 22-23.

JUSTIFY Why we weed

We weed for safety – of our collections and of our patrons.

“…it is better to have worthless books in the trash than trash on your shelves.”

Allen, M. (2010). Weed 'em and reap: The art of weeding to avoid criticism. Library Media Connection, 28(6), 32-33.

JUSTIFYWhy we weed

We weed to increase usage and access. You don’t increase circulation by having more total books, you increase it by having good, useful books.

“…remember, kids like new, shiny things. You're competing with cell phones, iPods, tablets, and flux capacitors here, people. You're not doing yourself any favors by hanging on to books that look like they came from a garage sale.”

McEwen, I. (2012). Separating the wheat from the chaff. Teacher Librarian, 39(4), 33-34.

JUSTIFYWhy we weed

What is the role of our libraries? Museums and warehouses, or places of active learning and enjoyment?“…the warehouse is the ghost of libraries past. The library of the future is the make-it-happen library, full of co-working and invention, where we read digitally, librarians teach kids how to use a soldering iron, and the community comes together to learn from one another.”Living in the moment. (2013). Publishers Weekly, 260(38), 22-23

ADVOCATEFor weeding

What do we value more? Physical objects – books and media – or our patrons?

“The argument has been made that libraries spend far too much of their budgets and personnel energy on using the library as a museum when the focus needs to be on the library as a place of creative discovery and service.”

Lehman, K. A. (2014). Collection development and management. Library Resources & Technical Services, 58(3), 169-177.

ADVOCATEFor weeding

Follow the MUSTY guidelines:

M – Misleading. Biased, proven wrong.U – Ugly. Damaged, broken, icky.S – Superseded. Out-of-date, old editions.T – Trivial. Not in scope or age range.Y – Your collection doesn’t need it!

ADVOCATEFor weeding

Many arguments against weeding are not realistic.

Ranganathan says: “For every book, it’s reader.”

Can your staff find that reader?

“For every reader, his or her book”

Can your library realistically supply every book?

Let’s Get Real

“This old book shows the history of...” or “the way this field developed.”

Are those historians your patrons? Do patrons researching in-depth history come to your library (in the middle of the Pacific!)?

Let’s Get Real

“As soon as we get rid of it, someone will need it!” In reality, this almost never happens. It’s why we have ILL, too.

“As with spring cleaning, you may resolve to be ruthless but find yourself hesitant and overly sentimental when it comes to decision time. You know that once you get rid of something, you will have the perfect occasion to use it, whether to answer an unusual reference question or to match those amazing shoes you found at 30 percent off.”

Lampasone, L. (2008). A time to weed. Library Journal, 133(8), 100-100

Let’s Get Real

“It’s a classic!” To everyone? Is it a classic your patrons want and use? No one is thinking you’re a great library because you have multiple copies of War and Peace, they think you’re great if you have the books they want and need.

"When the library gets rid of those ragged, smudged, damaged, and unattractive rebound books, circulation increases every time.“

Mathews, B. (2010). Weeding grows the garden. American Libraries, 41(5), 54-54.

Let’s Get Real

“We’re the library of last resort!” For some things, yes, but for everything? The occasional hero moment helping one patron with something obscure does not help the bulk of your patrons, who need you to be a hero all the time!

“…under the misguided notion that once a book is acquired it should stay at the library until the end of time.”

Collier, G. (2010). The reluctant weeder. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library

Service to Children, 8(2), 51-53.

Let’s Get Real

In reality, most libraries lack: Space Staff Time Money

“You are not alone. All over the country, books are stacked three high on window sills, Fodor's Yugoslavia 1987 languishes on the shelf, and HVAC systems send out BTUs to heat and cool the broken spines of Harry Potter. This can change.”

Young, D. J. (2009). Get to effective weeding. Library Journal, 134(19), 36-36.

Let’s Get Real

In reality, public uprisings are very rare.

“I’m not concerned about the few libraries that are making dumb weeding decisions. It’s unfortunate for their communities, but it is hardly an epidemic.”

Living in the moment. (2013). Publishers Weekly, 260(38), 22-23.

DEFEND Weeding

“Remember that you are not asking for forgiveness or permission, but rather informing…of a routine procedure that is part of developing and maintaining an adequate collection.”

“Weeding is a continuous event, and a normal professional responsibility…weeding is just what you do.”

Dickinson, G. (2005). Crying over spilled milk. Library Media Connection, 23(7), 24-26.

DEFEND Weeding

When milk in your fridge is outdated, curdled, and lumpy, do you: Keep it because you don’t know when you’ll

get to the store? Give it to a neighbor who needs milk? Keep it so your fridge isn’t empty?

No.

The Spoiled Milk Analogy

When a book is outdated, damaged, or wrong, do you: Keep it because you don’t know when you’ll

replace it? Give it to a teacher for the classroom, or to

“poor people” who need books? Keep it so the shelves won’t be empty?

Also, No.

The Spoiled Milk Analogy

“Just as spoiled milk can no longer be considered milk, spoiled information can no longer be counted as books.”

Dickinson, G. (2005). Crying over spilled milk. Library Media Connection, 23(7), 24-26.

The Spoiled Milk Analogy

Collection Development Policy is your best friend. If you wouldn’t buy it today, don’t keep it on the shelf.

“…a strong aversion among librarians to weeding. Possible reasons…include…fear of being considered a censor, fear of criticism from the outside…”

King, N. (2012). Nice vs. necessary: Reference collections in ARL member libraries. Reference Librarian, 53(2), 138-155.

DEFEND Weeding

Statistics and counts are also your best friend. Circulation and use are what matters, not volume counts.

“(Data is) a strong indication that the number of items on the shelves is not, in itself, enough to constitute an appealing and highly used collection.”

Jones, C. (2007). Maintaining a healthy library collection: The need to weed. Aplis, 20(4), 170-172.

DEFEND Weeding

Patrons are our priority, not books. We don’t keep a bad book because we feel sorry for the book, we toss a bad book because we feel sorry for our (underserved) patron.

“Be prepared to explain that there's a difference between being in love with books and being in love with content.”

Anderson, M. A. (2010). Weeding, from alphabet books to zip drives. Multimedia & internet@schools, 17(3), 28-30

DEFEND Weeding

Bad books out = newer, better, more useful books in! And weeding frees space that can be used for things other than books – meeting space, collaborative space, study space, play space…

“If shelves are empty, people notice the need for funds to purchase more.”

Anderson, M. A. (2010). Weeding, from alphabet books to zip drives. Multimedia & internet@schools, 17(3), 28-30

DEFEND Weeding

Librarians have: Training Expertise Knowledge Experience Judgment

So our decisions to weed are reason enough!

“Because I said so!”

Turning away well-meant donations now can mean less weeding later.

“The root problem is that the majority of people see most books as permanently valuable, and for many that is true. Our personal books don't circulate, so they don't wear out, and even when they do, we hang on to them. Consider how many of us still find shelf space at home for all of our beat-up and tattered college textbooks that we rarely, if ever, consult in later life. In the eyes of much of the population, every book must be maintained, no matter its condition or content.”

Berry III, J. N. (2013). The weeding war. Library Journal, 138(18), 10-10.

Pre-Emptive Weeding

Collection Development Policy is again your best friend. All items coming in the door must meet its criteria.

“(Weeding) prompts us to think twice before making purchases that potentially have limited customer interest.”

Preschel Kalan, A. (2014). The practical librarian's GUIDE to collection development. American Libraries, 45(5), 42-44.

Pre-Emptive Weeding

“Free” books are like “free” puppies – not free.

Donated books need processing, shelving, maintenance, care, work. We can’t do this for items no one wants or uses.

Pre-Emptive Weeding

Again, patrons are our priority, not books. It is the library’s job to care for our patrons, not to rescue unwanted books.

“The public may view weeding as a threat to their access to information. In reality, a well-maintained, well-pruned collection is far more useful than one filled with out-of-date or unused materials.”

Lehman, K. A. (2014). Collection development and management. Library Resources & Technical Services, 58(3), 169-177.

Pre-Emptive Weeding

“But it’s valuable!” Is it valuable to our patrons? That’s the value, not the Amazon or EBay selling price.

“…there are still those who seek to place weeded books anywhere but in the trash.”

Dickinson, G. (2005). Crying over spilled milk. Library Media Connection, 23(7), 24-26.

Pre-Emptive Weeding

Continuously. In small doses. Using your guidelines and policies. Without fanfare. Openly, with lots of communication. With a disposal plan in place.

How to Weed

Admit that you are emotionally attached to your collection. Recognize that space is finite and overabundance can be a

detractor. Seek the help of experts to overcome your reluctance to judge. Acknowledge to yourself and to your colleagues that you’ve made

selection mistakes. Find ways to ease the anxiety of decision-making. Take the drudgery out of weeding. Protect yourself from criticism through politics and PR. Channel your love of books into finding good homes for your

discards.

Young, D. J. (2009). Get to effective weeding. Library Journal, 134(19), 36-36

How to Weed

“No regrets. I've always enjoyed weeding and have never regretted a discarded book, filmstrip, VHS video, 3.5" floppy disk, interactive videodisc, or computer that didn't work. What I have regretted is not weeding even more.”

Anderson, M. A. (2010). Weeding, from alphabet books to zip drives. Multimedia & internet@schools, 17(3), 28-30.

Let’s WEED!