Kate
Lasky
INFO266 Spring 2019
Vnuk, R. (2016, May). Weeding without worry: transparency and
communication help ease weeding woes. American Libraries, 47(5),
50+. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A452496301/GPS?u=s9186272&sid=GPS&xid=2feffce8
In
“Weeding without worry,” author Rebecca Vnuk reviews opportunities to improve
communications and support transparent practices in the deselection of library
material as a regular and proper process for all librarians.
Weeding
is often negatively represented in the news. Damaging stories are most commonly
generated by an employee or community member who is uninformed about the
process of weeding and its necessity as part of collection development. Author
Rebecca Vnuk advocates that librarians prepare public communications in advance
of large weeding projects and promote transparency.
The
article outlines several ways librarians can frame communications by focusing
on making room for new materials, updating the offerings, opportunities for
inter-library loan, and patron requests for purchase. The article offers a few
examples of weeding “horror stories.”
Finally,
the author advises librarians to find ways to reuse and recycle weeded material
to help patrons understand the books will be used in the future.
The
article, though brief, is a helpful reminder that effective communications
requires thoughtful preparation in advance. Creating a list of frequently asked
questions and answers and posting them on the library website can help
employees, patrons, and board members better understand the finer points of
deselection of materials.
Kate, I am so glad you posted this article. We are heavily weeding at a few sites in my district and it is always a good reminder to follow some of these PR steps.
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