Presentation by Kristy Gates at the Librarian's Luncheon by the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library on August 8, 2014.

1. Weeding your Collection
Kristy Gates
Craighead County Jonesboro Public
Library

2. Why we weed
• “A good library collection is like a good haircut.
It’s not what you cut—it’s what you leave.”
• Anne Felix, Grand Prairie (Texas)Public Library
System

3. Why we weed
• The school library supports a curriculum and materials
must reflect this fact.
• Your collection should be age and developmentally
appropriate.
• It should support the learning goals of your school.

4. The benefits of weeding
• You save space
• You save time
• You will keep your library current and exciting
• You will have a greater knowledge of your library’s
collection

5. Shelves examples
CRAMPED
Nice and Neat

6. Getting Started
• Review your Collection Development Policy
• Consider your school district’s policies and
standards
• Check for curriculum updates
• What are your goals for the collection?

7. Getting started
• Take a close a look at your library’s collection.
Consider cluttered areas, books shelved too
high or low, or items that look ragged and
shabby
• Gather statistics

8. Our adventures in weeding

9. Crew Method of weeding
• M-misleading :Look for “dated” popular fiction, obsolete
information, books containing racial, cultural stereotypes
• U-ugly :Books that are worn-out frayed, dirty and are
unable to mend
• S-superseded: Look for duplicates, almanacs, yearbooks,
encyclopedias superseded by newer editions
• T-trivial: Look for poor writing, inaccurate information,
inappropriate interest or reading level for your students
• Y-your collection has no use for book
• https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ld/pubs/crew/index.html

10. Crew Method of Weeding
• Easy Readers/Picture books-Weed any book that has
not circulated in the past two years. Picture books
are so heavily used that every title should go out at
least once in a two-year period.
• Juvenile Fiction-Copyright is less important than use,
but consider weeding anything that hasn’t circulated
in the past two years.
• YA Fiction-Keep this section very current. Any item
that has not circulated within two years should be
considered.

11. Non Fiction/Copyright Considerations
• 000’s-2-10 years
• 100’s-10 years
• 200’s-5-10 years
• 300’s-5-10 years
• 400’s-10 years
• 500’s-5-10years
• 600’s 5-10 years
• 700’s-5-15years
• 800’s- flexible
• 900’s-15 years
• Biographies-flexible
• Enclyopedias-5-7 years
• Periodicals-5 years
• Almanacs/Yearbooks- 3
years in reference, 3
additional years in
circulation
• Fiction-10 years
• Reference- requires
constant evaluation

12. Keepers
• Classics
• Award Winners
• Local History
• Annuals/School Publications
• Biographical sources

13. Quick tips for weeding
• Everyone has at least 15 minutes at some
point during the week to weed
• Take a section at a time, pull books that at first
glance look like they might need to be
weeded.
• Look at each book and apply the selection and
weeding principles to each title.

14. What to do with your weeds
• Book Sales
• Donate to other groups (Nursing Homes, FOL
Book Store)
• Distribution or selling through various
organizations
http://www.betterworldbooks.com/
• Recycling centers/Disposal
• Switch with others
• http://bookmooch.com/
http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php

15. Get Creative
• Be an artist! Scrapbooks, decoupage,
furniture, etc.
http://tinyurl.com/ppd6q65 http://tinyurl.com/nkbbvph

16. More Creative ideas
• http://www.care2.com/greenliving/20-ways-to-reuse-old-books.html
• http://savedbylovecreations.com/2012/04/50-things-to-make-from-old-
books.html
• http://www.funforever.net/archives/dont-try-this-at-home/
• http://www.ninakatchadourian.com/languagetranslation/sortedbooks.ph
p

17. Looking for a way to boost circulation?
• A great way to get books to circulate at your
library is to put them on display

18. Book Displays

19. Book Displays Suggestions
• Student’s Picks
• People you should meet
• Good books you may have missed
• Last Chance Reads

20. Questions?
• What are some problems you encounter with
weeding?
• What are your weaknesses when it comes to
weeding? What do you have hard time letting
go of?
• Any helpful suggestions for first time
weeders?

21. Concluding thoughts
• “Weeding, when viewed as a normal part of a school
library’s routine does not involve hot summer days or
brown paper bags surreptitiously stored in the trunk of
the school librarian’s car.”
• http://awfullibrarybooks.net/

22. My Info
• Kristy Gates
• Information Services
• kgates@libraryinjonesboro.org
• http://www.libraryinjonesboro.org/what-
read-next
• http://ccjplbookchats.tumblr.com/