Mention collection development
and most librarians think of the selection of new materials for the
library. Weeding - removing library materials from your
collection - is
an often forgotten, yet integral part of collection development. In
this course you will
first discover why that is true, and then learn the techniques of
weeding, develop policies and avoid common pitfalls.
The information is relevant to all types of
libraries and addresses the weeding of all types of library materials,
including adult and children's collections, as well as print and
non-print materials.
Learning Objectives
State the reasons for weeding the library collection.
Identify print and online resources to aid in planning an
effective weeding program.
Adapt published weeding guidelines to develop criteria for
weeding their collection.
Develop a weeding plan for the library which includes a
schedule, criteria for specific subject areas and material types, and
procedures.
Explain positive solutions to avoid common pitfalls and
problems with weeding such as "unweedable" gifts, "sacred" memorial
donations, the "recommended collection size" trap, fear of admitting a
selection error, and others.
Incorporate weeding in the library's collection management
policy.
Identify tools associated with automated library catalogs
that can assist in weeding such as inventory reports, collection age
reports, and others.