The Art of Weeding Collection Management

Janet Harris

Chant, I., (2015 June 23). The Art of Weeding Collection Management. Retrieved from http://ljlibraryjournal.com/2015/06managing-libraries/the-art-of-weeding-collectionmanagement/#_

The Art of Weeding Collection Management

This article renews the need for weeding. Librarians need to weed constantly to not only keep space for new titles but to monitor for mold, poor condition or lack of check outs. It takes constant watch over a collection to make it up to date with certain information such as medical or computer books. The information changes within them requiring them to be replaced frequently.
Dealing with discards can be difficult. Patrons may not understand why weeding is required and may be quite upset. However, items may be damaged such as with mold or flooding requiring a large number to be thrown away. If libraries can use locations which take used books in good condition or be able to up cycle them with programming this will keep a positive outlook toward weeding.
Weeding can be one of the best management systems to keep your collection fresh and relevant.