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Tips and Tricks for Weeding

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Tips and Ticks for Weeding

Part of our assignment is to offer up tips and tricks for weeding. As has been previously mentioned in numerous times and ways, weeding is hard. It leaves a lot of us with an icky feeling. ‘Throwing away’ books feels counter-intuitive to both the nature of the profession and to book lovers. However, as we’ve learned, weeding helps collections grow, allows the usable materials to shine, and keeps the shelves looking neat and presentable. Here are some tips we have put together for weeding based on our journeys.


  • Have criteria for deselection; knowing what you’re looking for allows you to find the types of books that should go much quicker. Whether the criteria is age, condition, circulation statistics, or something else, having criteria laid out for what needs to go makes the process go smoother.
--- Crash Course for Collection Development, Disher

  • Schedule 15 minutes a day - every day - to work just on weeding.
  1.     Clearly define a single task to work on.
  2.     Turn off all distractions for 15 minutes.
  3.     Work without pause, without a break, and without excuse for 15 minutes straight.
  4.     At the end of 15 minutes, quit if you want, but you are likely to find you continue on.
--- Pollack Library

  • “Just get over it.”
--- Librarian M

  • Once selected, justify why a book should stay rather than why it should go.
--- Weeding with ADDIE
  • Know your community, see what they're reading, what they want.
--- Megan Donovan
  • Schedule big weeding sessions just before a Friends of the Library book sale. That way any items immediately have a place to go instead of cluttering up the space.
--- Librarian J

  • Utilize faculty, and staff. Someone may have expertise in an area you may not and be able to help with subjects that are hard whether because the subject is personal or something in which you have little understanding.
--- Combined from multiple sources: Librarians M&P, Letters to a Young Librarian

  • Children’s fiction should be assessed more frequently for damaged items.
--- Librarian J

  • Use C.R.E.W.
--- EVERYONE

  • Make sure your collection development policy is updated regarding weeding and that the board supports the process.
--- Weeding Field Notes & Pollack Library

  • "It does not matter how many books you may have, but whether they are good or not.”
--- Seneca, via Letters to a Young Librarian
  • Make a schedule, try to stick to it.
--- Megan Donovan

  • Try to form collection management committees across different services or with all level of employees (i.e. librarians and staff from the youth services area). Having open conversations and allowing for everyone’s opinions to be heard will facilitate an easier weeding process with less push back.
                                                                                                                      --- Librarian C
  • Don’t forget to reach out to the recycling center to see if you are able to transfer items there instead of the dumpster. 
                                                                                                      ---Idaho State Library
  • Always check to see if your consortium has adequate copies available for inter-library loan. 
                                                                                           --- Librarian C
  • Reach out to the local historical society with items that may no longer be appropriate for the library but may be of local or historical interest.
                                                                                            --- Librarian C
  •  Be flexible and don't be afraid to get rid of a book!
--- Megan Donovan
 
    May your collections grow and flourish like the loveliest of gardens! 













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