Weeding Made Easy

Laudato, Maricar

Kalan, A. P. (2014). The practical librarian's guide to collection development: Weeding and acquisition made easier. American Libraries Magazine.

Summary

Abby Kalan offers tips on both the weeding and acquisition process. She jumps right into her weeding process because it provides her insights on what not to purchase when it comes to the acquisition process. Quick weeding tips include getting rid of subject areas that change rapidly such as guidebooks, books with shifting political, scientific, or technological content, and books that are now politically incorrect. As for easy acquisitions, getting books that are always in high demand from patrons, such as bestsellers are no-brainers. When it comes to ordering non-fiction, it’s best to order materials that have been published within the past 1-2 years.

Evaluation

 

I thought that Kalan’s article provided an excellent introductory overview if you’re new to the weeding process. I wish she had written this article when we started extensive weeding back in 2011. But I’m glad that I have access to the article now. Even though I’m already doing what she outlines what you should keep in mind while weeding, it’s nice to see it written down somewhere. I plan on adapting her article and adding it to our section on weeding in our collection development policy.