COLLECTION MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES FOR BRANCH COLLECTIONS
SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY
INTRODUCTION
Branch libraries provide Basic Level collections for their communities. Branch managers are
expected to implement a weeding plan for their location that follows the Collection Review
Calendar. This plan should encompass all ages, languages and formats and be consistent with
the Library’s Collection Development Plan and maintenance goals. Your collection should reflect
the Library’s mission as well as your community’s needs and interests. As in all collection
development activities, the individual librarian’s professional judgment and knowledge of the
community’s needs are vital elements in the weeding decision process.
Branch staff should be familiar with the following procedures when working with their
collections:
Collection Maintenance Guidelines
Supporting Documents:
1. Collection Review Calendar
2. Adult Collection Maintenance
Guidelines
3. Teen Collection Maintenance
Guidelines
4. Children’s Collection Maintenance
Guidelines
5. Floating Collection Maintenance
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CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern
Libraries
San Francisco Public Library Collection
Development Plan
Collection HQ User Guide
Community Redistribution - Circulation
Manual Directions
Guidelines (not ready yet)
6. Last Copy Procedures
7. Removing or Repairing Damaged
Materials
8. Preservation Decision Tree
9. Redistribution or Recycling Guidelines
10. Procedures for The Community
Redistribution Program
Branch Public Services Staff and Collections and Technical Services Staff are partners in
providing the best system-wide collection for San Francisco Public Library users. We want to
ensure that the public has a dynamic, fresh, and interesting collection. As we add new materials
we must remove damaged, dated, or underused items. Ongoing weeding is a vital part of the
collection maintenance of a branch library. As a rule of thumb, 5% of your collection needs to
be weeded annually in order to accommodate new materials (CREW, p. 17).
Weeding plans may vary based on the branch’s size, the community it serves, its existing special
collections, and the collection development plan. For example, a large branch might keep
Updated February 2014
COLLECTION MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES FOR BRANCH COLLECTIONS
SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY
multiple copies of an item, or several books on a specific topic, while a small branch, with
limited space, would only keep one copy of the item or one or two books on a topic.
Some questions to keep in mind as you work in the collection:
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Is the item in good condition?
Is the item timely, current and relevant to our users?
Is the subject/author/title of interest to our patrons?
Has there been recent demand in this location? Is there demand system-wide?
Are there ample copies available in other branches or are there e-books to meet system
demand?
Is the item ephemeral/novelty/flash in the pan or is it essential and perennially popular?
We have created a schedule of tasks and reports as best practices that branch staff should
follow in order to maintain a vital collection. Branch managers should involve all staff and work
as a team to ensure a fresh collection. Each branch is expected to weed not only their locally
held collections, but also any items from floating collections that are currently housed in their
branch.
The Collection Review Calendar allows less popular items in good shape a chance to be
requested by other branches before withdrawal. It also provides structure for assessing the
currency of collections. Collection Development Office staff are available to come to your
branch and weed or to assist with statistics or give advice.
Daily Tasks
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Continuously merchandise with recent/attractive titles
Refresh new book/display areas, face-outs, keep displays filled, etc.
Keep shelves in good order with adequate room (about 2/3 full is recommended)
Damaged materials should never be reshelved or used to fill holds; all staff in all
classifications should be familiar with our Removing or Repairing Damaged Materials
Guidelines
Monthly Tasks
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Run CollectionHQ scheduled weeding reports (Dead, Grubby and Collection Check)
when prompted by monthly e-mail
o Items on the reports are not an automatic weed. Grubby items should be
reviewed for condition. Dead items can be displayed to encourage use.
Shop using the CollectionHQ Refresh Module in monthly scheduled Dewey areas.
Transfer requested books on monthly CollectionHQ transfer lists.
COLLECTION MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES FOR BRANCH COLLECTIONS
SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY
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Run or request monthly Millennium reports: Lost and Paid, High Demand Holds, or
Missing Items. CDO will produce “pull lists” for materials that should no longer be held
at the branches (see Collection Review Calendar for dates).