Collection Development Manual
VII. WEEDING
As time passes, scholarship evolves, data ages, and programs change. To continue to fulfill the library's role as the provider of reliable information, the library's collection must be continuously "weeded" of outdated, duplicated, or deteriorated materials which can no longer satisfy the information needs of its clientele. This ongoing process is a joint effort of the Collection Development and Collection Management Librarians working with interested faculty members.
Weeding is an essential element of library service which achieves a number of goals:
- Outdated, unused and no longer reliable materials are removed from the collection.
- Space for new acquisitions is increased.
- Finding and shelving materials is much easier for clientele and staff.
- Deteriorated materials can be repaired, replaced or discarded.
- The collection's reputation for reliability and currency is enhanced.
The decision to dispose of certain items takes into account such factors as past circulation, date of publication, nature of the material, and the judgment of interested faculty members as to the continued usefulness of the material to their subject areas. Weeded items are usually offered to other libraries.
Most weeding decisions involve books. Periodicals and electronic resources may be weeded when:
- The library has only fragments of a title which do not justify the cost of filling out the run with an alternative format.
- A title has not been currently subscribed to for more than ten years and its value is unapparent.
- A title has not been currently subscribed to for at least five years and the related programs have been discontinued.
- A title has been replaced by electronic access (or a different form of electronic access) and its retention is no longer necessary or advisable.
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Revised 7/17/2003 mg