Wonderful World of Weeding

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Wonderful World of Weeding

• Emily Owen Joan Pellikka

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Overview

• Why weed?
• Criteria for weeding
• Process for weeding
• Issues to consider
• Disposing weeded materials

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Why weed?

• Space makes room for newer materials
• Keeps collection meaningful
• Maintain attractive collection
• Makes collection easier to use
• Eliminate outdated information
• General collection assessment

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Criteria for weeding

• CREW Method from Texas State Library
• Continuous Review, Evaluation and Weeding
• MUSTIE
• MMisleading
• UUgly
• SSuperseded
• TTrivial
• IIrrelevant
• EElsewhere

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Age Usage

• Two factors contributing to a MUSTIE evaluation
  are age of the material and usage statistics
• 5/3/MUSTIE
• Modify requirements to meet the needs of your
  library

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Criteria for Keeping Materials

• Special collections
• Strong local interest
• Outstanding value

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CREW Guidelines

• 004 Computers
• 3/X/MUSTIE
• 133 Paranormal
• 15/3/MUSTIE
• May need frequent replacement
• 150, 160, 170 Psychology, Logic, Ethics
• 10/3/MUSTIE
• 200 Religion
• Aim for balanced coverage

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CREW 300s

• 310 Statistics (Almanacs)
• 2/X/MUSTIE
• Can make current year in-library use only
• 320, 330 Political Science, Economics
• 5/3/MUSTIE
• Watch for changes
• 340 Law
• Never keep outdated editions

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300s continued

• 350 Public administration
• 10/X/MUSTIE
• Keep up-to-date with current administrations
• Keep civil service test books current
• Online alternatives
• 370 Education
• Can check with teachers for relevant titles
• 390 Etiquette
• 5/3/MUSTIE
• Need to be current, comprehensive

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CREW 400s

• 400 Language
• 10/3/MUSTIE
• Check with teachers for textbooks
• Dictionaries
• 5/3/MUSTIE
• Language changes should be current

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CREW 500s

• 500 Natural Science
• 5/3/MUSTIE
• Watch out for misleading information
• Keep an eye on trends
• 510 Math
• 10/3/MUSTIE
• Consider replacing with revised editions
• Consult local schools/colleges

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CREW 600s

• 610 Medicine
• 5/3/MUSTIE
• Use 2/X/MUSTIE for fast-changing fields
• Keep only latest edition of drug guides or
  supplement with alternatives
• 630 Agriculture
• Stay current with latest developments
• Look out for outdated methods

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600s

• 635 Gardening
• Styles, methods change
• 640 Home Economics
• 10/3/MUSTIE
• Replace worn classic cookbooks
• Be aware of changing styles
• 649 Child Rearing
• 5/3/MUSTIE
• Replace worn classics
• New titles and covers may have more appeal

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600s cont.

• 670 Manufacturing
• Some books may be useful for collectors
• Other 600s (Business)
• Keep very current, especially with
  technology-based information

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700s

• 745 Decorative Arts
• Watch for dated photos and techniques
• 770 Photography
• Is it digital?

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900s

• 910 Travel
• 5/3/MUSTIE
• Can aim for no more than 2 years old
• Local interests
• Other 900s
• Biographies

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Fiction

• Replace worn classics
• Is it available elsewhere?
• Discard popular titles without staying power
• Consider book leasing programs

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Process for Weeding

• Gather necessary equipment
• Read the shelves
• Look at the section as a whole and then item by
  item
• Check for availability of item elsewhere
• Check pulled books against standard indexes
• Dispose of items
• Remove item from catalog
• Perform follow-up

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Related Weeding Activities

• Inventorying
• Collection assessment

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Related Issues/Problems

• Library Board objects to weeding
• Staff objections
• Public concerns
• Rare books
• Finding the time to weed

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Public Relations

• Make sure that weeding is fully explained in your
  policy
• Understand and follow any laws about the disposal
  of public property
• Allow public the opportunity to acquire materials
  before discarding them
• Work with the media

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Disposing of Weeded Materials

• Materials to be repaired
• Materials to be rebound
• Sending materials to other libraries
• Book sales
• Dumpster
• Recycling

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Ranganathans Laws of Library Science

• Books are for use.
• Every reader his or her book.
• Every book its reader.
• Save the time of the user.
• The library is a growing organism.