Collection Management for Libraries

A major factor of weeding a collection is what to do with books after they are removed from circulation. This website is dedicated to keeping books out of landfills. To do this they reuse, resell, or recycle books. Libraries can discard books through this company and they will find a place for the books. Collection bins can be placed near a library to routinely dropped off books for collection or can be collected at no cost to the library. This is a great resource for libraries to use to help manage discarded material. The website is easy to use and has information about their program and company readily available. Books can also be purchased directly from the website, if you are looking to buy books. The “How This Works” page has a great infographic describing the process that the company uses to reuse, resell or recycle to keep books out of landfills and help the environment. Overall this is a good website to pass along discarded material. https://www.discoverbooks.com

The Central Washington University deselection page provides a clearly identified strategy for deselecting books in the collection. The beginning section is called Collection Life Cycle here they list what happens to books from being chosen for the library, placed in the collection, and finally deselection or weeding of a title. This information is helpful to demonstrate that all books will go through this process eventually even if they are reshelved in the end. The process that is described, although for an academic library, works for any library. The concise language and numbered points make this page a good go to site for reference. There is a ten-point General Deselection Criteria section followed by a six-point Deselection Guidelines. These sixteen points are clearly defined for what and how items are deselected. Among the topics covered in the General Deselection Criteria section are relevance, usage, value, condition among others. Number eight deals with lost and paid ...

This website is by the State Library of Iowa and gives a short explanation of collection management, and why it is important to both libraries and library patrons. It outlines the conditions that a book should be weeded, such as age, condition, or how long it has been since the book has been checked out. It also outlines the CREW method of weeding, giving an outside link to a more in-depth explanation of the CREW method. The last part of the page focuses on the disposal method that the State Library of Iowa uses, this part is written with slightly more jargon that the first part of the page, though is still fairly readable to an average person. It notes places where the library is or is not allowed to donate their books, for example, the library cannot donate public library books to private organizations even if they are non-profits, and that all discarded books must be sold even if "for a nominal fee". This is an interesting resource and would be more helpful for libr...

This website is specifically geared to school libraries, with a few different tabs about the weeding process, with basic explanations of what weeding is, and why it needs to be done. The "What is Weeding" section gives a short explanation of what weeding is, along with two documents full explaining the process along with a short video about weeding. I found this helpful as it allows a few different resources to make sure it is fully explained. The "why" section is a bit shorter, offering just a few bullet points on why weeding is important.  Along with this the "Who" and "When" sections are also short, with a few bullet points explaining the bare bones of these areas of weeding. The "How" section is very detailed, with several links going off with further detail about different aspects of weeding. There is a handy flowchart explaining how one would go about weeding, and two different collection policies to show how other libraries d...

This website is done by the American Libraries Magazine and talks on the importance of weeding for libraries. It starts by speaking on different "weeding horror stories" of patrons seeing library staff throwing books into a dumpster and being outraged, or rare books being thrown out accidentally. Instances like this can give weeding a bad name, and make it harder for both library staff to weed, and patrons to accept the weeding of materials. The website goes on to explain how to avoid these pitfalls, such as making sure to communicate clearly with library patrons about weeding, and exactly what it is, and why it is needed in libraries, and how it helps the library continue to run well and continue serving the community well. One example they give is from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, where they have a page on their website dedicated to weeding, explaining why it is needed, and encouraging patrons to email or speak to a library staff member in person if they have co...

Pollack Library Pollack Library is part of California State University, Fullerton. This site is different from the others in that it is an internal guide for the processes for librarians working at this facility but can offer a helpful look into a real-world process for any librarian looking for more information or inspiration for their own weeding projects. Pollack uses GreenGlass and Excel to facilitate their collection management techniques. GreenGlass is a web application from Sustainable Collection Services to help libraries with analytics that will affect weeding decisions. The Pollack Training is laid out into a 3-part workflow. The first step works to familiarize librarians with GreenGlass, queries, and possible scenarios. In an excellent move, the site uses brief video tutorials that run users through the information they need with visuals that help describe the work. Step 2 explains how to add information to Excel along with some tips on functi...

Idaho Libraries The Idaho Libraries site offers similar information as the Arizona State Library site, but specifically notes that it is directed for librarians that do not have formal training. It’s a good concept and important to remember that not everyone comes into library work with the same background, education, or skill set. It’s also helpful as it’s set up as an online course with “exams” one has to pass to move forward, but sections can be accessed individually from the home page with no problem. IL begins with an overview about why weeding is important and why it is controversial: it makes it easier to use, helps staff know the collection better, gets rid of outdated and damaged material, and find strengths and weaknesses in the collection. Next is criteria with a reference to the CREW method and MUSTIE criteria. Step three is the actual process for weeding. Readers are encouraged to follow a plan, are given an example of a disposal slip, and encou...

Arizona State Library The Arizona State Library is a no-frill, but thorough site that breaks weeding down to clear and manageable parts by walking the reader through the necessary steps of a useful weeding project. The site begins with an overview of the importance and necessity of weeding in plain language while offering links to resources that will offer a more in-depth conversation. ASL then delves into helping librarians plan a practical approach using the CREW method; or Continuous Review, Evaluation and Weeding. One of the best parts of this site is the explanations given to reason why this information is used or presented as helpful. They explain that the CREW method is based on the research of Stanley Slote and details how it has helped other libraries improve their collection. By understanding how and why this method is helpful, librarians will be better able to relate it to their own collections. Next, the site offers up a plan to “get down to business”.  ...

Field Notes North Dakota State Library's Library Development Team has several posts dedicated to weeding. Many of the posts are wonderful ideas for what to do with the items weeded from the library shelves. The ND State Library team uses the C.R.E.W. method outlined by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, which advocates for weeding continuously throughout the year. As a result, the suggestions feature decorations for the whole year! Imagine taking tattered, old, outdated, unloved books and turning them into something new(ish), useful and loved! (Bibbidi-boppity-boo!) I’m genuinely excited to try some of the Winter themed crafts. I’ve been tasked with leading an adult holiday craft program. Book wreaths will be the main attraction, but Field Notes has some other decorative upcycling ideas I want to incorporate as well! The most recent post was updated in January 2018 and reaffirms not only the reasons for weeding, but gives advice for how to avoid avoiding weed...

Letters to a Young Librarian - Weeding ​ Letters to a Young Librarian is a blog run by New York Librarian Jessica Olin. Currently she is the director of library services at an unnamed community college in Western New York. The blog is meant to act as a practical ‘What They Didn’t Teach you in Library School’ repository. It hopes to meld the theoretical learning of Library School with the day-to-day workings of being a professional librarian. (Who doesn’t love the sound of that?) Ms. Olin discusses weeding in a collection of four posts, the most recent being in 2014. Her view of weeding is much like other libraries and librarians we’ve experienced on this journey. She details her methods for weeding and reminds us that mileage will vary; what works for her may not work for others. Some of the weeding techniques are the usual ones such as age, circulation status, and the ‘employee smell test,’ that ephemeral combination of physical attributes that might render a book unworthy o...

Awful Library Books The first thing that catches my attention when I navigate to Awful Library Books is the wonderfully out of date and kitschy covers. (Fran gets me ) It’s 246 pages (as of October 5th) of proof of why libraries need to weed. Many of the items are outside submissions and the whole project is curated by Michigan public librarians Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner. This site is… so much fun. Again, people from all over the country submit images of their books in need of deselection. Some of the titles, such as a copy of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl will require repurchase at the discretion of the branch, and others, such as Easy DOS It! , a book about the no longer relevant DOS computer system, or a tacky as all get out Burt Reynolds book (likely not how he wants to be remembered, RIP), (This?) (Or THIS?) are best never to be seen again. Awful Library Books pokes fun at the idea that libraries are outdated by displaying the items that we get rid of...