College, CommunityMedia CenterPublic LibrarySpecial Library (Health, Art Museum, Business, Other)University

Survey Results

20-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61+0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

5047

18

2

117responses

Age

Yes No

26%74%

Do you feel print books are sacred?

How many times a year do you participate in deselection?

Never/ Not enough time Once a year Quarterly Monthly Bi-weekly Weekly/Daily0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Have you purchased or acquired library discards for your office or

personal book collection?

More than 5 titles1-4 titlesNo / Never

45%

56%

Space: Print Collections

80%-100%50%-79%20%-49%0%-19%

80-100%

50-79%

20-49%

Not at allMildModerateConsiderableExtreme

Start a new deselection project Remove items from library not-used Urge to save Discard donations & gifts Urge to acquire free things Avoid discarding – too overwhelming

38%

39%18%

How stressful do you feel at the thought of your library budget shifting the majorities of money

to eBooks as opposed to print books?

Not at all

Mild

Moderate

Considerable

Extreme

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

28%

25%7%

How stressful would it be for you if 30%-40% of print books were to be deselected from your

library’s collection?

Not at all

Mild

Moderate

Considerable

Extreme

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

19%

13% 33%

Florida Community Colleges

“...monograph collections… were significantly out of date with the majority of library books having been published before the 1970’s”

(Perrault et al, 2002, p. 241)

Florida Community Colleges

“..1990’s..the percentage age of older materials to newer materials had increased and that outdated materials were prevalent in all major subject divisions, including science and technology”

(Perrault et al, 2002, p. 241)

Non-Traditional User“With students strapped for time already; our resources must be especially efficient, convenient, available during a wide variety of times, and also available remotely”(Poole, 2009, p. 194)

“Reading a book, however, requires concentration, endurance, the ability to disconnect from other connections. You have to be there rather than not there. Hyperwired young people may be making it to age 17 without acquiring that ability, let alone losing it.” (Romano, 2010, para. 19)

“….the focus is no longer in creating a comprehensive print collection but supplementing it with a vast and comprehensive collection of electronic information sources, resources, and links”

(Fernandes, 2008, p. 206)

…[Steven J. Bell, Temple University] urged librarians to think past

libraries traditional roles of gateway, archive, and buyer of scholarly material.

…

“We could really carve out a much more significant role as instructional partners” (Howard, 2008, para. 10)

“Ranganathan deplored that many librarians seemed to be more concerned with preservation than with use, thus perpetuating the image of the librarian as a custodian rather than as some skilled in the exploitation of bibliographic resources” (Lancaster, 1988, para. 1)

Meaning of Books

“The non-library world interprets weeding destroying of valuable materials, the treasured vessels and conveyers of our culture and society.” (Intner, 2006)

“Libraries were invented so that individuals wouldn’t have to own everything they might sometime want to read. Our trust in libraries makes it possible for us to throw things away.”

Nicholson BakerWriter / Advocate for library preservation

Attachment “Even though we can’t hold on

to anything, clinging remains one of our strongest habits. Useless though it may be, we devote much of our energy to grasping at that which is elusive and impermanent.”

Pema Chodron

Michael SawyerDirector of Calcasieu Parish Public Library

Louisiana

“Many librarians have an emotional attachment to their collections. They think of books as a literal part of the library, as part of their family.”

Browsing

“When items on the first shelf or two they examine aren’t what they want and aren’t very attractive looking, browsers get the vague feeling that the rest of the stock, which, on the surface, looks the same as what they’ve just seen, isn’t going to be any better.” (Intner, 2006, p. 16)

Academic / Browsing

Clutter Personality Types

• Easily distracted• Procrastinator• Sentimental Clutterer• Bargain shoppers• Perfectionists

Geralin ThomasProfessional Organizer

Cary, North Carolina

Decision-making

“To weed is to make multiple decisions simultaneously, decisions based on both objective and subjective criteria”(Handy, 1994, para. 5)

“People with compulsive hoarding often feel afraid to throw things away, worry excessively, and repeatedly check to make sure they’re not throwing away anything important.”(Tolin, Frost & Steketee, 2007, p. 20)

Cost Concerns• Will not throw out an item until we

have spent the value• Shelving• Savings in – staff time– Material use– future acquisition decisions

Stakeholders

“The benefit of involving the faculty seems to be more to prevent negative feelings rather than to improve the weeding process.” x

(Slote, 1997, p. 10)

Tarpon Springs Campus

St. Petersburg College

2009-10Lower Division:

5,070not including upper

division

Case Study 2008-11

Library Staff• 2 paraprofessionals• 2 librarians (liaison areas)• 3 student assistants• 1 OPS –staff member 20-32 hrs.

Mission / Vision• Support Curriculum• Leisure Collection• Easy to Find• Space for study/ leisure/

technology• Prepare for inventory

Undecorating – Tracy Elliott

• Remove faded posters, paintings, plants, etc.

• Remove yellowed plastic covers from books

• Reduce trash can amount• Damaged, stained, faded furniture, study

carrels• Old technology VCRs, computers,

typewriter… • Paper/pathfinders• Signs• Supplies to other departments/campus

libraries

Weeding Procedure• Librarians remove and discard

items– Do not revisit cart – no reviewer

• Cart given to paraprofessional to remove from OPAC and OCLC holdings

• OPS/student assistants mark through items - SURPLUS

• Box for book sale or check better world books or free cart for students

1. undecorate

Small goal

Deselect items- multiple

rounds

Remove bib files

Mark surplus

Book Sale, Better World Books, free cart, faculty

Initial DeselectionJust Weed before involving faculty or other

stakeholder• Repeat copies – if not used• Damaged material• Older reference copy in circ. Collection• Medical/Law/Technology 5 years• Duplication in electronic format- some

removal• Too many in one subject – gift for other

campus library

Multiple Rounds- Small Goals

• Check areas multiple times throughout a period of time

• First time: everything older than 1990 and does not have historical value

• Second: remove a section not being used

• Etc.

ShelvingRedefine Shelving Meaning: Not only

storage• Lay books to view item on shelf• Remove items from top and bottom

shelf• Display books face out• Let there be light• Security• Be open to remove

shelving

Reference Collection

“For most reference collections, more is not necessarily better”

(Matthews & Tychson, 1981)

Reference Collection

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600

2000-20091990-19991980-19891970-1979before 1970no year

Total 1,466

Total 3,291

No purchasing - replacing

Reference CollectionA-B

Reference Collection

Reference Collection

10 units

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000

2000-2009

1990-1999

1980-1989

1970-1979

before 1970

no year

total 20,475

total 25,627

total 30,229

General Collection

no yearbefore 19701970-19791980-19891990-19992000-2009

Age of Collection 2005

26%

Total 25627

25%

no yearbefore 19701970-19791980-19891990-19992000-2009

Age of Collection 2008

36%

Total 30,229

23%

no yearbefore 19701970-19791980-19891990-19992000-2009

23%

Age of Collection 2011

61%

Total 20475

Circulation 2008-11

January February March April May June July August September October November December0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

2011201020092008

Positives

• Easy to find for staff and students• Inventory – barcode in book (majority)• Give books to other campus libraries• Find books from other campus libraries or colleges misshelved•Moderate circulation rise• Acquisitions- future ordering projects• Study Space - transform layout

Book Sale 2009

• Better World Books• “Do not make your weeded books a

problem for someone else by just passing the buck.”

• Free book cart(Allen, 2010, p. 33)

Policies and Procedures• More information- direction–Weeding procedures (guide for staff)– Donation/gift policy– acquisition

Policies and Procedures

“A good collection development policy should be clear, concise, and easily followed since many staff members have collection development responsibilities and everyone should work toward mutual goals when making decisions”(Poole, 2009, p. 199)

Library Entrance

“(Deselection) is a process of catharsis that frees you to focus on the future”(Handy, 1994, para. 25)