Hawai’i Library Association Annual Conference
December 5, 2014
Kathleen Stacey
Edwin H. Mookini Library, Hilo, Hawai’i
JUSTIFY
Why we weed

One of our most important professional responsibilities.
“There’s a reason we use the term weeding…gardeners
do it to get rid of the weeds that hamper the growth of
healthy plants. Weeds take up a lot of valuable nutrients
that the other plants…could use to thrive. Weeding is
love!”
Collier, G. (2010). The reluctant weeder. Children & Libraries: The
Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, 8(2), 51-53.
JUSTIFY
Why we weed

It is the final step in the collection development process.
Just as important as the first step of acquiring.
“Keeping every mystery novel the library has purchased
– abdicating our role in shaping a collection – impedes
browsing.”
Living in the moment. (2013). Publishers Weekly, 260(38), 22-23.
JUSTIFY
Why we weed

We weed for safety – of our collections and of our
patrons.
“…it is better to have worthless books in the trash than
trash on your shelves.”
Allen, M. (2010). Weed 'em and reap: The art of weeding to avoid
criticism. Library Media Connection, 28(6), 32-33.
JUSTIFY
Why we weed

We weed to increase usage and access. You don’t
increase circulation by having more total books, you
increase it by having good, useful books.
“…remember, kids like new, shiny things. You're
competing with cell phones, iPods, tablets, and flux
capacitors here, people. You're not doing yourself any
favors by hanging on to books that look like they came
from a garage sale.”
McEwen, I. (2012). Separating the wheat from the chaff.
Teacher Librarian, 39(4), 33-34.
ADVOCATE
For weeding

What is the role of our libraries? Museums and
warehouses, or places of active learning and
enjoyment?
“…the warehouse is the ghost of libraries past. The
library of the future is the make-it-happen library, full
of co-working and invention, where we read digitally,
librarians teach kids how to use a soldering iron, and
the community comes together to learn from one
another.”
Living in the moment. (2013). Publishers Weekly, 260(38), 22-23
ADVOCATE
For weeding

What do we value more? Physical objects – books and
media – or our patrons?
“The argument has been made that libraries spend far
too much of their budgets and personnel energy on
using the library as a museum when the focus needs to
be on the library as a place of creative discovery and
service.”
Lehman, K. A. (2014). Collection development and management.
Library Resources & Technical Services, 58(3), 169-177.
ADVOCATE
For weeding

Follow the MUSTY guidelines:
M – Misleading. Biased, proven wrong.
U – Ugly. Damaged, broken, icky.
S – Superseded. Out-of-date, old editions.
T – Trivial. Not in scope or age range.
Y – Your collection doesn’t need it!
Let’s Get Real

Many arguments against weeding are not realistic.
Ranganathan says: “For every book, it’s reader.”
Can your staff find that reader?
“For every reader, his or her book”
Can your library realistically supply every book?
Let’s Get Real

“This old book shows the history of...” or “the way this
field developed.”
Are those historians your patrons? Do patrons
researching in-depth history come to your library (in the
middle of the Pacific!)?
Let’s Get Real

“As soon as we get rid of it, someone will need it!” In reality,
this almost never happens. It’s why we have ILL, too.
“As with spring cleaning, you may resolve to be ruthless but
find yourself hesitant and overly sentimental when it comes
to decision time. You know that once you get rid of
something, you will have the perfect occasion to use it,
whether to answer an unusual reference question or to
match those amazing shoes you found at 30 percent off.”
Lampasone, L. (2008). A time to weed. Library Journal, 133(8), 100-100
Let’s Get Real

“It’s a classic!” To everyone? Is it a classic your patrons want
and use? No one is thinking you’re a great library because
you have multiple copies of War and Peace, they think you’re
great if you have the books they want and need.
"When the library gets rid of those ragged, smudged,
damaged, and unattractive rebound books, circulation
increases every time.“
Mathews, B. (2010). Weeding grows the garden.
American Libraries, 41(5), 54-54.
Let’s Get Real

“We’re the library of last resort!” For some things, yes, but
for everything? The occasional hero moment helping one
patron with something obscure does not help the bulk of
your patrons, who need you to be a hero all the time!
“…under the misguided notion that once a book is acquired
it should stay at the library until the end of time.”
Collier, G. (2010). The reluctant weeder. Children & Libraries:
The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children,
8(2), 51-53.
Let’s Get Real

In reality, most libraries lack:
 Space
 Staff
 Time
 Money
“You are not alone. All over the country, books are stacked three
high on window sills, Fodor's Yugoslavia 1987 languishes on the
shelf, and HVAC systems send out BTUs to heat and cool the
broken spines of Harry Potter. This can change.”
Young, D. J. (2009). Get to effective weeding. Library Journal, 134(19), 36-36.
DEFEND Weeding

In reality, public uprisings are very rare.
“I’m not concerned about the few libraries that are
making dumb weeding decisions. It’s unfortunate for
their communities, but it is hardly an epidemic.”
Living in the moment. (2013). Publishers Weekly, 260(38), 22-23.
DEFEND Weeding

“Remember that you are not asking for forgiveness or
permission, but rather informing…of a routine
procedure that is part of developing and maintaining
an adequate collection.”
“Weeding is a continuous event, and a normal
professional responsibility…weeding is just what you
do.”
Dickinson, G. (2005). Crying over spilled milk.
Library Media Connection, 23(7), 24-26.
The Spoiled Milk Analogy

When milk in your fridge is outdated, curdled, and
lumpy, do you:
 Keep it because you don’t know when you’ll get to
the store?
 Give it to a neighbor who needs milk?
 Keep it so your fridge isn’t empty?
No.
The Spoiled Milk Analogy

When a book is outdated, damaged, or wrong, do you:
 Keep it because you don’t know when you’ll replace
it?
 Give it to a teacher for the classroom, or to “poor
people” who need books?
 Keep it so the shelves won’t be empty?
Also, No.
The Spoiled Milk Analogy

“Just as spoiled milk can no longer be considered milk,
spoiled information can no longer be counted as
books.”
Dickinson, G. (2005). Crying over spilled milk. Library
Media Connection, 23(7), 24-26.
DEFEND Weeding

Collection Development Policy is your best friend. If
you wouldn’t buy it today, don’t keep it on the shelf.
“…a strong aversion among librarians to weeding.
Possible reasons…include…fear of being considered a
censor, fear of criticism from the outside…”
King, N. (2012). Nice vs. necessary: Reference collections in ARL member
libraries. Reference Librarian, 53(2), 138-155.
DEFEND Weeding

Statistics and counts are also your best friend.
Circulation and use are what matters, not volume
counts.
“(Data is) a strong indication that the number of items
on the shelves is not, in itself, enough to constitute an
appealing and highly used collection.”
Jones, C. (2007). Maintaining a healthy library collection:
The need to weed. Aplis, 20(4), 170-172.
DEFEND Weeding

Patrons are our priority, not books. We don’t keep a
bad book because we feel sorry for the book, we toss a
bad book because we feel sorry for our (underserved)
patron.
“Be prepared to explain that there's a difference
between being in love with books and being in love
with content.”
Anderson, M. A. (2010). Weeding, from alphabet books to zip drives.
Multimedia & internet@schools, 17(3), 28-30
DEFEND Weeding

Bad books out = newer, better, more useful books in!
And weeding frees space that can be used for things
other than books – meeting space, collaborative space,
study space, play space…
“If shelves are empty, people notice the need for funds
to purchase more.”
Anderson, M. A. (2010). Weeding, from alphabet books to zip drives.
Multimedia & internet@schools, 17(3), 28-30
“Because I said so!”

Librarians have:
 Training
 Expertise
 Knowledge
 Experience
 Judgment
So our decisions to weed are reason enough!
Pre-Emptive Weeding

Turning away well-meant donations now can mean less weeding
later.
“The root problem is that the majority of people see most books as
permanently valuable, and for many that is true. Our personal
books don't circulate, so they don't wear out, and even when they
do, we hang on to them. Consider how many of us still find shelf
space at home for all of our beat-up and tattered college textbooks
that we rarely, if ever, consult in later life. In the eyes of much of
the population, every book must be maintained, no matter its
condition or content.”
Berry III, J. N. (2013). The weeding war. Library Journal, 138(18), 10-10.
Pre-Emptive Weeding

Collection Development Policy is again your best
friend. All items coming in the door must meet its
criteria.
“(Weeding) prompts us to think twice before making
purchases that potentially have limited customer
interest.”
Preschel Kalan, A. (2014). The practical librarian's GUIDE to collection
development. American Libraries, 45(5), 42-44.
Pre-Emptive Weeding

“Free” books are like “free” puppies – not free.
Donated books need processing, shelving, maintenance,
care, work. We can’t do this for items no one wants or
uses.
Pre-Emptive Weeding

Again, patrons are our priority, not books. It is the
library’s job to care for our patrons, not to rescue
unwanted books.
“The public may view weeding as a threat to their
access to information. In reality, a well-maintained,
well-pruned collection is far more useful than one filled
with out-of-date or unused materials.”
Lehman, K. A. (2014). Collection development and management.
Library Resources & Technical Services, 58(3), 169-177.
Pre-Emptive Weeding

“But it’s valuable!” Is it valuable to our patrons? That’s
the value, not the Amazon or EBay selling price.
“…there are still those who seek to place weeded books
anywhere but in the trash.”
Dickinson, G. (2005). Crying over spilled milk.
Library Media Connection, 23(7), 24-26.
How to Weed

 Continuously.
 In small doses.
 Using your guidelines and policies.
 Without fanfare.
 Openly, with lots of communication.
 With a disposal plan in place.
How to Weed

 Admit that you are emotionally attached to your collection.
 Recognize that space is finite and overabundance can be a
detractor.
 Seek the help of experts to overcome your reluctance to judge.
 Acknowledge to yourself and to your colleagues that you’ve made
selection mistakes.
 Find ways to ease the anxiety of decision-making.
 Take the drudgery out of weeding.
 Protect yourself from criticism through politics and PR.
 Channel your love of books into finding good homes for your
discards.
Young, D. J. (2009). Get to effective weeding. Library Journal, 134(19), 36-36
Let’s WEED!

“No regrets. I've always enjoyed weeding and have
never regretted a discarded book, filmstrip, VHS video,
3.5" floppy disk, interactive videodisc, or computer that
didn't work. What I have regretted is not weeding even
more.”
Anderson, M. A. (2010). Weeding, from alphabet books to zip drives.
Multimedia & internet@schools, 17(3), 28-30.