W eed I t! For an Attractive and Useful Collection: Prepared by - - PDF document

W eed I t! For an Attractive and Useful Collection:

Prepared by Karen Klopfer, formerly WMRLS Regional Librarian, Berkshire Subregion

Contents:

W hy Do W e W eed? W hat H appened in San Francisco? H ow Do W e Get the Staff and Public on Our side? Are Some M aterials Sacred? W hat Do W e Do W ith W eeded M aterials? H ow To Convince Staff and the Public That W eeding I s Necessary

Why Do We Weed?

It is a disservice to patrons to keep books that contain inaccurate or dated

• information. Weeding is a basic part of the collection development process.

With rapidly changing information, it is especially to keep the collection current and reliable; getting rid of the old is just as important as acquiring the new. 1. No library is large enough to keep everything . Most libraries face space restraints and can't keep everything, so its important to keep the best things in the library. 2. It makes it easier for people to find what they want. In 1901, Charles Cutter from the Forbes Library in Northampton, said in a Library Journal article, “… an unused book is not even good. The library should be a practical thing to be used, not an ideal to be admired.” People don't have the time or patience to look for books on shelves crammed with outdated shabby books. The

• verflowing shelves, carts filled with books, and desks piled high with mending

simply give an overall impression of chaos. 3. The way library materials look is important. Most busy library users want attractive, clean books that are in good condition. They don't want to handle or to give their children books that look grubby and unappealing. 4. It makes good economic sense. You want to get the most for your money, so it is important to display and circulate only those items that people really want to read and view. As we can observe from most modern bookstores, a small but higher quality collection makes sense. Even for libraries that have very limited budgets, it doesn't work to have the library filled with unusable books---having a lot of books that people don't want isn't the answer to the demand for more

• books. This scenario also makes it difficult to present the case for an increase

in funding when there are shelves full of old, worn books, and multiple copies 5. Weed It! For an Attractive and Useful Collection 1 of 6 http://www.wmrls.org/services/colldev/weed_it.html 9/20/2010 11:06 PM

• f things that aren't circulating. Remember, every item costs its library time

and space. Unweeded collections often contain unacceptable stereotypes. Sexist and racist materials are frequently found in collections that haven't been weeded. For instance, The First Book of Elections containing repeated references to “the best man in office” or “may the best man win” sends the very pervasive message that women don't belong in public office. 6. Return to top of page

What Happened in San Francisco?

When the S.F.P.L moved into its new building, the administrators planned to dispose

• f cards from their catalog and auction off the cabinets. At this point, author

Nicholson Baker intervened to preserve the card catalog. His action triggered an amazing series of events which ultimately resulted in the resignation of City Librarian Kenneth Dowlin. In the course of the controversy several issues emerged: Space allowances for technology gave critics ammunition for their charge that the book collection had to be compromised to make way for computers. There were a series of articles that leveled charges that the old library actually had more storage space for books than the new building. Internal procedures for storing and shelving books were criticized as being damaging to the books. Baker's description of the way books enter the sorting room (New Yorker, October 14, 1996): “”… a motorized conveyor belt pulls the books down a chute one at a time; when they jam, they get hurt. It's as if you sent your clothes down to the luggage handlers in the airport without putting them in a suitcase. Hundreds of books have been torn and broken this way. “ He describes the sorting room and shelves this way: “But because the plan depended on the creation of a new, lower paid class of employee called a “shelver,” which the union has opposed (and because there is no money at the moment anyway) books can take more than a month to get back where they belong… ..Hard-pressed book handlers until recently took the books that poured off the conveyer belt and flung them, as if they were dealing cards, into one of several huge mounds on the floor”. The biggest part of the controversy however had to do with weeding. Baker charged that over 200,000 books were hastily weeded. He charged that many were old, hard to find, out of print, and valuable. He describes the weeding process in several colorful ways: A staff member describing the discard room and weeding room said ”The

• ngoing crime was just so apparent by then. The blood was seeping

under the door” Thousands of books which had never been entered into the computer were classified as “Not on File” and stored in a separate room ; at one point librarians were asked to decided if the NOF's should be kept or

• deselected. The storage room came to be known as the Deselection

Chamber. Return to top of page

How Do We Get the Staff and Public on Our Side?

Sit down with staff and perhaps trustees to explain the process. The most important part of the weeding process may be the advance planning you do. Most people are initially drawn to work in or be involved in libraries because they love books . They are bound to have some emotional and intellectual blocks about throwing books away, and it is sometimes very difficult for people to understand why an item should be discarded. Examples of materials that 1. Weed It! For an Attractive and Useful Collection 2 of 6 http://www.wmrls.org/services/colldev/weed_it.html 9/20/2010 11:06 PM

need to be weeded are very helpful. SAVE EXAMPLES OF THE MOST BLATANT EXAMPLES OF MATERIALS THAT SHOULD NOT BE IN THE COLLECTION. Set some local criteria. In cases where there is reluctance on the part of some staff to weed, try to arrive at some kind of consensus about criteria for weeding (e.g.. If a book is part of a series and some of the series has circulated recently but Volume 1 hasn't circulated in over 5 years you may decide to keep the whole series intact. Remember, its best to be very specific. In some cases its best to compromise and weed less, than to have a situation that makes it impossible to weed at all. Avoid the “guerrilla librarianship” syndrome! In San Francisco, a number of library employees resisted the new policies and began to undermine the process. “When asked to sort books in their departments into those that had circulated within the past two years and those that had not, they did not

• sort. When asked to weed, they have not weeded. A branch librarian

wrote me that she sometimes goes around with a due-date stamp, furtively stamping into currency books that she feels are imperiled. Employees have saved thousands of books on the sly, quietly transferring them from one department to another, and hiding them in their lockers. They reintroduce these books when the danger has passed.” (New Yorker, October 14, 1996) 2. Be sure everyone involved in the weeding process knows the library's mission. In San Francisco, in the sixties, Library Director William Holman began an ambitious program of book-buying with the intention of turning the library into a high-level research library. Subsequent city librarians built on Holman's collection until Dowlin arrived with an alternate vision. “First and foremost, S.F.P.L., is a public library, not a research facility.” He went on to describe a new collection development philosophy, that of “levelled access”. “Levelled access, involves offering to the public, in Dowlin's words ` a large, generally accessible collection that is designed essentially to be current material, if you will, mass selections, current material relevant to San Francisco needs'.” 3. In this case, Dowlin had changed the library's mission and either the staff didn't understand the change or they didn't approve of the change. If you are weeding with a group of people---volunteers, staff, or trustees---it pays to take the time to show them the library's mission statement and collection development policy in order to educate them about the process and to reassure them that the process is important. It is important to have a vision of what your library should be, but any vision that is not sufficiently shared can result in disaster. 4. Respect the books in the collection, and recognize that a staff person may have strong feelings about an older item. It may make more sense to give in and keep an old item in the collection than to jeopardize the whole weeding

• process. It may be possible to say to a staff member that you understand their

fondness for an item, and will agree to keep it as part of the collection if that staff person can agree to give occasional recommendations about the book to patrons who might enjoy it. 5. Become knowledgeable about what might be valuable in the collection. Use tools such as the Children's Catalog , the CREW manual and the Public Library Catalog to help you weed when you feel you need expert help.. This will help you recognize older titles that might still be considered to be good, standard titles. Remember though, even if it is considered to be a good book, if it hasn't gone out in your library it may still be considered for weeding (but perhaps a good item for a book sale

• r a gift to another library).

Educate yourselves about what items might be valuable. In most cases, library books have a decreased value because of property stamps, pockets, and other ownership marks. In cases where you are not sure about an item's value, put it aside, and do some research: 6. Weed It! For an Attractive and Useful Collection 3 of 6 http://www.wmrls.org/services/colldev/weed_it.html 9/20/2010 11:06 PM

Sometimes a book dealer will tell you honestly about value. If you want to do some background reading there are several books available through ILL about antiquarian books. Internet sites might also give you information about what is being

• collected. For example: BookFinder.com

Be prepared for the worst case scenario, where there is a public out-cry. Remember, a situation like the one in the San Francisco Public Library almost never happens, but it never hurts to take some precautions: Set aside some good examples of materials that have been weeded. Have some kind of back-up written materials on file: a collection development policy, your weeding guidelines (CREW) , a journal article about the need to weed, etc. If you anticipate some public reaction, prepare some written statements in advance. Practice answering some difficult questions . DON'T BE CAUGHT OFF GUARD . If you get a call from a reporter you can always tell them you'll call back. Take some time to compose a statement , call for back-up (WMRLS or MBLC), and always stress the positive aspect of weeding. 7. Use common sense in weeding and try to avoid a situation where you have to weed hundreds of items. It is much better to make weeding an ongoing process than to make it a massive project that is done once in 20 years. Weed obvious items as you handle them. If you are shelving a book and notice that the next book on the same subject is badly out-of-date, weed the item immediately. If you check in a book that is in poor condition, immediately check to see if it should be repaired, replaced with a new copy, or replaced with another newer book on the subject. Don't reshelf the book that is falling apart. Put yourself on a weeding schedule. Set annual weeding goals for yourself of perhaps a section or two a year; do a little at a time over the year to keep from being overwhelmed. Don't accept a gift you wouldn't buy. As items are removed from the shelves make sure to remove catalog cards of database information. It is maddening to patrons to find something they want in the catalog and then hear “Oh, we weeded that six months ago but haven't gotten around to fixing the catalog!” 8. Return to top of page

Are Some Materials Sacred?

Local history. These materials are often unique and shouldn't be casually

• discarded. However, if the library can't provide adequate security and

temperature control you should consider giving them away to a library or archive where they can be taken care of properly. If not, then measures should be taken to provide the correct conditions. Materials written by local authors. Special consideration should be given to these books, especially in a small community. These items are often a source of pride and should be given some latitude when librarians are weeding. Regional Settings. Books that are set in your area may be of special interest to library users. These are the types of books that are often used for school assignments, and may be very useful for library displays. For example, Edith Wharton's book Summer may not have a high circulation, but its setting in a Berkshire town might justify keeping it in a Berkshire library. Special Collections. If there are special collections that your library has collected over the years, these should be given some leniency when Weed It! For an Attractive and Useful Collection 4 of 6 http://www.wmrls.org/services/colldev/weed_it.html 9/20/2010 11:06 PM

weeding is done. For example, in Russell they collect books about the paper industry because of the local paper mills. These books might not have a high circulation, but might be used frequently in the library for reference and school assignments. Beautifully illustrated or “special” books. Many patrons enjoy looking at

• lder books with beautiful illustrations. One subject area that may have

this kind of book is the natural history collection, and older books may contain things that make your collection special. (Note: it is NOT recommended that you keep an older title in one of these areas if you don't have anything up-to-date; a quaint & charmingly illustrated book containing watercolor prints of birds is not a good substitute for a good, modern field guide with color photographs. ) Many libraries feel that a classic title shouldn't have the same circulation criteria applied to it that a you would apply to a new title. Even small libraries that primarily try to meet their patron's need for recreational reading will want some of the classics of literature and scholarship. Certainly we wouldn't expect the complete works of Shakespeare to go

• ut at the same rate as the new Jackie Collins. However, even the classics
• f literature must sometimes be replaced with new, attractive editions. If

the older books are in good condition---not spotted, with faded pages & small print, and unreadable titles on the spine label---there may be some justification to be less severe with them. Return to top of page

What Do We Do With Weeded Materials? DON'T :

make your weeded books a problem for someone else. If books are in good condition and relatively new it is ok to give them to other libraries

• r to the local hospital. This might be the case of duplicate copies.

However, if books are outdated or in very bad condition, it is not a good idea to pass them on and make them a problem for someone else. It's also not a good idea to donate most library books to a local nursing home unless they are large print. Be sensitive to the needs

• f nursing home residents when it comes to donations.

pile them up in the library entryway and create both an eyesore and a safety hazard. Its ok to have a neat display of give-aways or sale items, but avoid the trap creating an initial impression of disarray. keep hundreds of weeded books in the attic or library basement just in case someone objects! This just creates clutter and a fire hazard. It's okay to store books for a short time, but long-time storage just creates a nuisance. bring hundreds of weeded items to the local landfill all at once unless you want the whole town discussing the weeding project on Saturday

• morning. One of the reasons the S.F.P.L got so much criticism was that

they weeded on a massive scale. Library Administrator Will Manley said, in a Booklist article, “weeding is politically Incorrect. Citizens go nuts when they find out that libraries discard thousands of books each year. Anybody who has ever directed a public library has at some time been faced with the unpleasant task of responding to a city councilman who asks, ` How can you possibly ask for an increase in your book budget when you are throwing away perfectly good books?' for that reason, the best time to have your janitor tote books down to the dump is in the middle of the night”.

DO:

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investigate the possibility of recycling books. Look for companies that will take away large quantities of discarded materials. make weeding an ongoing process instead of a massive job you will have if you never weed. Will Manley (Booklist, Apr 16, 1997): “Next to emptying the outdoor bookdrop on cold and snowy days, weeding is the most undesirable job in the library. It is also one of the most important. Collections that go unweeded tend to be cluttered, unattractive, and unreliable informational sources. Each new book that you order today as you work your way through Booklist should be allowed to breathe and not be choked and strangled by the old, tattered, and outdated books surrounding it on the shelf.” Return to top of page

How To Convince Staff and the Public That Weeding Is Necessary

Explain what weeding is all about Demonstrate standard library guides such as The CREW Method Save examples of older, weeded materials to show why items should be discarded Agree on weeding criteria Avoid the “guerrilla librarianship” syndrome If you are going to use local criteria, get it in writing Be as specific as possible If you encounter strong opposition, compromise may be in order Have an open and honest discussion, and get those opposing the process to be specific Review the library's mission Look at the Collection Development Policy Reread the library's Mission Statement Recognize the strong feelings people may have about books Become knowledgeable about books and use appropriate weeding tools Learn to recognize valuable books Make good use of standard library tools like the Public Library Catalog Be prepared to answer criticism about weeding Use displays of weeded materials have policies & back-up materials on file Practice answering difficult questions Stress the positive aspects of weeding Make weeding an ongoing task Weed obvious items as you handle them Don't reshelf an item that is falling apart Put yourself on a weeding schedule Don't accept a gift you wouldn't buy Remove items from the catalog as soon as the item is weeded Return to top of page

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