1. How to get your
Weeding
off the Ground
Ann Lininger, Racine Public Library
Angela Milock, Wisconsin Library Services
Jane Richard, Wisconsin Library Services
2. You have permission!
Don’t let an emotional connection to
materials get in your way
Examine the lifetime cost/benefit of items
Get buy-in from staff, board and other
interested parties
Get inspired – check out resources like awful
library books (awfullibrarybooks.com)
3. Why weed?
Increased circ = increased funding
Better representation of items patrons want
and need
Ensure the accuracy and currency of
collection
Easier for patrons to find what they are
looking for
4. Pre-planning
Decide weeding criteria Exceptions not covered here
M.U.S.T.Y. Special collections
Misleading Examples:
Ugly Local history
Superseded Genealogy
Trivial Award winners
Your library does not need it Academic collections
Circulation stats Different criteria: curriculum,
faculty favorites, etc.
Lifetime circs
Recent circs
Age of material
5. Pre-planning
Who and what else is affected?
System and other libraries
o Number of copies in your system
o System collection policies
Central versus local processing
o Updating the catalog holdings
Friends’ book sale: warn them that there will be a
big shipment coming
6. Pre-planning
Pull reports from ILS
Circ reports over time to compare post-weeding
Shelf list of what to pull takes the guesswork out
o Your criteria would determine this
Example:
1. Books published on or before 1994
2. 0, 1, or 2 total checkouts
3. Last checkout before 1/1/08
7. Pre-planning
Scheduling
Continual weeding=The CREW way
One time event
Worker availability
Calendar of events
o Re-model or other change to the building
8. Pre-planning
How to process
Items
o Discard stamp
o Storage
Catalog record
o Adhere to system standards
– Depending on your system, records would be either deleted
or suppressed
o Keep up with holdings work
9. Jump right in!
Start with one manageable section, one
classification number or even just one shelf
Enlist the help of staff at every level
Example: Circ staff empowered to divert books in
bad condition, instead of re-shelving
Get into the Zen of de-selection
11. In the stacks
Clipboards Discard stamp
Markers Gloves
Sticky notes Allergy medicine
Flags Warm bodies
Small book truck(s) Weeding criteria
Boxes Procedures manual
Computer work stations Highlighters
Pencils Phone
12. Post-weeding
Friends group for book sale
Crafternoons!
Storage
(Shhhh…dumpster)
Donate
Jail library groups
Goodwill
Isaac Salazar creation
Better World Books: