weeding the school library collection
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Weeding the school library collection Page 1
Weeding The
School Library
Collection
A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries
By Taghreed Alhaddab
Weeding the school library collection Page 2
What is
Weeding?
A library—any library, whether public, academic, or even personal—
needs to undergo regular evaluation and maintenance of its contents if
the collection is to remain healthy and valuable.
Weeding is the
evaluation of the school
library's resources with
the intention of
removing dated,
damaged, and rarely
used books. Weeding
ensures that the school
library's collection are
useful, attractive, and
accessible to the library
patrons. Every library's
collection is limited by
the space available to
house it, and
collections should
change over time to
reflect changes in the
library's goals
Weeding the school library collection Page 3
Dated Content
Poor Apperance
Unused Materials
What to Weed?
There are several criteria that might be used. A method that
is often used, the CREW (Continuous Revision, Evaluation,
and Weeding) method, bases the decision on the currency of
the book, length of time since it was last checked out, and the
condition of the book. For example, the currency of a book in
the medical section is more critical than a book in the section
on identifying reptiles. Length of time since the last checkout
is a good predictor for whether or not the book will be
checked out again anytime soon.
Weeding the school library collection Page 4
very item in the library's
collection is evaluated for
retention, replacement or
withdrawal at least every three
years to determine its usefulness according to the
library's collection development policy. Three percent
or more of the collection is withdrawn each year*
* In Service to Iowa: Public Library Measures of Quality, 3rd edition.
E
How Much Weed?
It depends on the library,
its collection, and how
long it has been since the
collection was weeded.
Weeding the school library collection Page 5
A rule of thumb
held by many library
professionals
About 5% of the collection be weeded
every five years. This allows for
turnover of the collection every
twenty years
Several factors must be considered during the weeding process,
before weeding your library, please read Criteria for Weeding in
the next page.
Weeding the school library collection Page 6
To maintain a current, accurate and useful
collection.
To make the best use of space.
To improve the appearance, and the
appeal of the collection.
To check for materials that need repair or
replacement.
To get feedback on the collection's
strengths and weaknesses.
Why Weed?
Weeding the school library collection Page 7
Several factors must be considered during the weeding
process. These factors include:
• The library's selected service responses and resultant goals
• The needs and demands of the library's community of users
• The availability of more suitable material
• The ability of the budget to provide funds to purchase more satisfactory
items
• The relationship of a particular item to
others on that subject
• Cooperative agreements with other libraries
and the ability for patrons to use
other libraries in the area
• The degree to which the library serves as an archive or local history center
• The possible future usefulness of a particular item
• The availability of more current information on the Internet
• The ability of the library to borrow the item through interlibrary loan
Criteria for Weeding
Weeding the school library collection Page 8
Done for the course
EDST 6315 – Technical
Processes for School
Library Media Center
and Technology Center
Resources
Seton Hall University
Fall 2012
References
Arizona State Library. Weeding. Retrieved
December 11, 2012 from
http://www.azlibrary.gov/cdt/weeding.aspx
CREW. A weeding manual for modern libraries.
Retrieved December, 11, 2012 from
https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/sites/default/files/
public/tslac/ld/pubs/crew/crewmethod08.pdf
Images were taken from Google Image
For more information about Weeding by
subject, please visit:
http://www.slideshare.net/ACClibrary/weeding
-guidelines-by-subject-2863364#btnNext