Weeding can often be taken for granted, part of operations
but can often happen as usual business. This article takes a second look at how
libraries make decisions about books that removed and at times discarded from
collections. In some circumstances, public showed resistance to the idea of
books being thrown away. Throwing away books has been offensive to people
generations, and can at times imply different intentions. Some believe to weed
books is a waste of tax payer money, others think that books should be treated
with special care, and should never be thrown out. In order for circulations to
run smoothly, as all librarians know, it’s necessary to weed. Author Ian Chant
writes, “When a lot of titles need to be weeded at once, communication is key.
Being transparent about the decisions being made and the thought process behind
them—and getting ahead of the story—can help prevent a library’s otherwise
supportive public from becoming upset when a number of books need to go (Chant,
2015). In addition to transparency, new approaches on how to weed are reviewed.
For damaged books, Chant finds groups who have turned the damaged material into
craft projects. Other libraries set up a system with online booksellers who
will buy the weeded titles in bulk and sell them for commission. A recommendation
in the article is to try to weed on a daily or weekly basis, and that it’s best
to avoid weeding once a year. It’s interesting to consider the meaning of
weeding for the public, and to make sure librarians look into different options
for the books that have been pulled.
Reference:
The Art of Weeding | Collection Management
Ian Chant on June 23,
2015
No comments:
Post a Comment