[ISLMA-Share] Weeding in the Library questionnaire

Email list for the Illinois School Library Media Association islma at list.railslibraries.info
Mon Apr 9 08:23:39 CDT 2018


I do very much like Tim has described.  I make use of Titlewise, but I also
go through book by book (especially in fiction) to see when it was last
checked out.  If it hasn't circulated in six years, and I don't have a
compelling reason to keep it (i.e. classic or directly related to a
curriculum piece), I let it go.  If it is physically falling apart,
brittle, or potentially getting musty or moldy, it goes.

I, too, had to weed thousands of books when I began.  Part of weeding is
getting over the anxiety of discarding books that may have never been
circulated or are still physically in shape but are no longer appealing to
students.  It's called weeding for a reason.  It's just like weeding in
your garden.  You have to clear out the old, ugly, or uncirculated items in
order to make the new items visible and appealing.

To assuage their anxiety about removing the books, people also want to find
a new good home for their discarded books.  Sometimes this just isn't
possible.  You remove certain books from your shelves because the
information is no longer relevant.  Those books should be discarded, not
passed off to a teacher's or student's shelf.  I remember somebody saying
that books are like spoiled milk.  You wouldn't pass the spoiled milk onto
your neighbor's refrigerator.

Embrace weeding as vital to your collection.  It's not about how many books
you have for your students.  It's how vital, current, and appealing your
selection is that is most important.

On Mon, Apr 9, 2018 at 7:53 AM, Email list for the Illinois School Library
Media Association <islma at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:

> Here is my simplified system:
>
> I weed YEARLY by doing a collection analysis through Titlewave and then
> use the titles (based on age) as a "suggested" list to weed. I choose not
> to weed some of the books it suggests because I know that some are
> "popular" titles or are ones used by teachers for class projects. I
> sometimes try to get newer publication dates of older "popular" copyrighted
> books, so there are some newer copies. I also weed books that are in bad
> shape, but if they are popular, again I try to find newer copies.
>
> I did have to deep weed the year I started here because they did not weed
> much before I arrived. I weeded several thousand OLD books at that time.
> Nowadays, it is more a few hundred.
>
> *Mr. Tim Yoder*
>
> Librarian
> Harvard Junior High School
> 1301 North Garfield Street
> Harvard, IL 60033
> 815-943-6466 ext.2337
> Fax 815-943-8521
> Email: tyoder at cusd50.org
>
> Currently Reading:
> *Dissonance* by Erica O'Rourke
> *Listen, Slowly* by Thanhha Lai
> *Huntress* by Malinda Lo
>
> On Mon, Apr 9, 2018 at 7:42 AM, Email list for the Illinois School Library
> Media Association <islma at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:
>
>> Good morning,
>>
>> I am a second year librarian and would also like to know how you go about
>> weeding.
>>
>> I anyone would please share I would greatly appreciate it.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>>
>> Mrs. Sheila Segelken
>>
>> Director of Library and Media, Key Club Co-Sponsor
>>
>> Carbondale Community High School
>>
>> 1301 E. Walnut Street
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=1301+E.+Walnut+Street+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Carbondale,+IL+62901+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+618&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>
>> Carbondale, IL 62901
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=1301+E.+Walnut+Street+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Carbondale,+IL+62901+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+618&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>
>> 618
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=1301+E.+Walnut+Street+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Carbondale,+IL+62901+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+618&entry=gmail&source=g>-457-3371
>> Ext. 213
>>
>> Sheila.Segelken at cchs165.com
>> ------------------------------
>> *From:* islma-bounces at list.railslibraries.info <
>> islma-bounces at list.railslibraries.info> on behalf of Email list for the
>> Illinois School Library Media Association <islma at list.railslibraries.info
>> >
>> *Sent:* Sunday, April 8, 2018 9:59:35 PM
>> *To:* islma at list.railslibraries.info
>> *Subject:* [ISLMA-Share] Weeding in the Library questionnaire
>>
>> Hello all,
>>
>> I am working on an LIS class assignment about the weeding practices at
>> different libraries. If you have time (should take about 10 minutes) and
>> would like to share your thoughts and experiences on weeding, I would
>> greatly appreciate if you would fill out the attached Google form. Thank
>> you so much for your help!
>>
>> Michelle Novick
>> Teacher-Librarian
>> Murphy School
>>>>  Weeding in the Library
>> <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YB3g4mhzrq05ttxoT0kXi7qUK5ApvTnZpEa9o8GQNnU/edit?usp=drive_web>
>>>>
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>
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-- 
Jeanne Brucher
Teacher-Librarian
jbrucher at geneseoschools.org
Geneseo Middle School (309) 945-0524
Geneseo High School (309) 945-0316
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