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Weeding

What is weeding or deselection?

Weeding/deselection is the process of removing items from your library. Deselection is simply the formal name for weeding. The description may sound simple, but weeding isn't easy.

So why weed?

  • Out of date information isn't useful (and can sometimes be downright harmful) to your customers
  • Makes the collection more attractive by freeing up space and making the books look neater
  • Paves the way for newer books on a particular topic
  • It's healthy

How do I weed?

Unfortunately there are no step by step instructions for weeding, but here are some guidelines:

  • Is the information out of date or inaccurate? 20 year old medical or science books aren't useful. And although those two sections are the most obvious for this type of thing, remember the other sections as well. History may seem like a subject where its okay to have really old books, but interpretations have changed.
  • What's the condition of the book? If it's in bad shape, weed it. Books that are torn, smell, or have suspicious stains on them are not any more attractive to your customers than they are to you.
  • How many copies of the book do you have? Is it a bestseller from 5-10 years ago that no one is reading anymore? You probably don't need multiple copies.
  • When was it last checked out? If the book hasn't been checked out in the last 5-10 years, it's probably a good candidate for weeding.
  • Is it a classic or does it have regional ties? Generally you should keep classics, even if they haven't been checked out. If possible you might want to try and replace it with a later edition that might be more attractive to customers. Books with regional ties usually should be kept as well.
  • Recognize that weeding is difficult. It isn't a cut and dried process. As you practice it, you will improve.

The Texas State Library put together a manual about CREW. This manual gives a lot of good advice on how to weed. CREW stands for Continuous Review Evaluation and Weeding. In other words, you make reviewing a part of your routine. CREW walks you through weeding and attempts to address a lot of the concerns about weeding. CREW uses the acronym MUSTIE to remind us of what we should weed. Here's what the acronym stands for:

(M)isleading and/or factually inaccurate
(U)gly (beyond repair)
(S)uperseded by a new edition or a better source
(T)rivial (has no value to the library or community)
(I)rrelevant to the needs and interests of your community
(E)lsewhere (you can easily borrow this item from another place)

What do I do with things I've weeded?

Mark it. Be sure you have somehow stamped the item or marked it as discarded. This will hopefully help in keeping the item from coming back to the library's collection.

Donate it. If the item has some value, give it to a local organization or another library. They may find a use for it. Don't give them items that are in bad condition or inaccurate.

Sell it. The Friends of the Library can take on this role or you can sell the items directly to the customers.

Discard it. You can recycle books or you can throw them away. Reserve this option for those books that are completely unsalvagable. For many people the idea of throwing away books is unacceptable, so try other options first.

Reasons why we hesitate to weed

The Texas State Library in their CREW manual talks about many different reasons for not weeding. Here are several along with arguments for why you should still weed.

  • "It takes too much time."
    Incorporating weeding into your job actually saves you time. Shelving is easier, because the shelves are not overcrowded. Finding items is easier for you and your customers, since you don't have to wade through a lot of stuff to find what you need.
  • "I can't bear to throw away books."
    Remember throwing away books is a last option. You can recycle the books throughout the community.
  • "I'm worried about people becoming upset over my weeding"
    Develop a good policy and be prepared to talk about why the library must weed. Get support from your board.
  • "If I weed it, someone will need it tomorrow."
    This rarely happens. If someone does want something you've weeded, you can probably find something else in your collection or you can request the item from another library.
  • "If I weed, I won't have enough books."
    Go for quality, not quantity. A library should provide accurate, useful information, as well as recreational reading for its community. You are not a warehouse or museum for old books.
  • "I'm afraid I'll throw away something of value."
    Because of library markings and use, most old library books are not valuable. And in many cases, those seemingly valuable collections are not worth much, because they were bound in cheap materials that don't last.
  • "Weeding means admitting mistakes."
    We're human; we all make mistakes. And look at this in a more positive light, if a book is in bad condition that means it was well-loved. If it's dated, it's a testimony to the passage of time. If it hasn't been used, then times, your audience, or interests might have changed.

Homework

In the section that you assessed, weed. Choose two or three shelves from the medical/sciences section. Send me a list of the books you weeded along with one or two sentences as to why you chose to weed that particular book. You can be brief in your explanations. The purpose of this homework is to give you a chance to weed (and if you need to, get help from someone else). Feel free to include books that you think you should weed, but aren't certain about. We can discuss why you may or may not want to weed that item. My contact info is Maggie Meredith.