Curating, not weeding

Libraries are often constricted by physical space, meaning they simply cannot add books without getting rid of books. Especially today, as more space is needed for other uses such as study space, casual reading areas, and activity rooms. How can librarians meet the needs of the collection and the needs of the users at the same time?

Weeding projects are usually intensive projects that are not to be lightly undertaken. It involves experience, time, and qualitative/quantitative reasoning that libraries may not have. Furthermore, faculty or patrons may feel like certain titles belong in the library and should not be discarded. Librarians need to be able to effectively communicate plans and roll out lists of potential discards for the active community. Collection management plans can help focus the direction of a collection as well as communicate to stakeholders of the library. However the librarian feels about this problem, there are several different methods to curate and not simply weed.

Held, T. (2018). Curating, not weeding. Technical Services Quarterly, 35(2), 133-143. Doi:10.1080/07317131.2018.1422882