ELEM: HELP: When clerks don't weed per guidelines

[Susan Mackey <iluvlib@NS.NET>]

I entered this district last year.  When I looked around at the collections
in the twenty schools, it seemed to me that they were quite old.  I decided
to begin with the zero thru 500's and weed.  I also planned to purchase in
those areas so we could fill in after weeding.

I explained my rationale to everyone who would listen--the library clerks,
the deputy superintendent, the curriculum coordinators, the principals, the
teachers.  I felt that I had support for this decision, especially since it
looks like there will be money from now on to update our collections.

This year I have instructed the clerks to weed in the 600's thru the 900's
including reference.  They have specific guidelines, access to the Wilson's
Children's book, and my advice whenever they need it.  I was recently at
one of our sites for an author visit.  While the author presented, I looked
through the computer to determine the average age of the books in the zero
thru 500's to see if the weeding and updating had any effect.

To my surprise, the collection is still as old as it was last year--still
1979!!  I am assuming that the clerk did a very light weed.  I realize that
she has been there for 17 years and probably put every book on the shelf
when it was new, but how do I convince her that she is not helping the
collection to hold on to old non-fiction, especially in a time that we have
money to replace the old?

I saved the information about the collection age, but I haven't decided
what to do with it. I think I would like to arrange for a meeting with her,
the site principal, and me and explain why the old books (especially the
ones that are not circulating) must go.  Would you advise me to pursue that
route?  I told the processing clerk in my office that I would go over and
weed the collection myself the day after the site clerk retires, and she
laughed!  Is there a better strategy to use with these ladies who have been
in the district much longer than I.  (BTW, I am not young--just new to this
district.)

If you have hung in there this long, many thanks.  I realize how busy we
all are, but sometimes it is hard to see the forest for the trees, and your
perspective helps!

Susan Mackey
District Librarian, Rio Linda Union School District, Sacramento, CA
iluvlib@ns.net

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 To quit LM_NET (or set NOMAIL or DIGEST), Send an email message to
 listserv@listserv.syr.edu              In the message write EITHER
 1)  SIGNOFF LM_NET  2)  SET LM_NET NOMAIL  or 3)  SET LM_NET DIGEST
 For more help see LM_NET On The Web:  http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=