HIT: Weeding Replies as of 12-18-01

[RAJ <robert@GCRONLINE.COM>]

Here is a compilation of replies to my request on weeding as of 12-18-01. My
original request was to obtain weeding guidelines to merge 2 book
collections due to the closing of one of my two schools.  I hope this helps
and will send any updates as they are received.

robert@gcronline.com



KEEP WHAT IS NEEDED AND THROW THE REST AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!  My  thought is
"when in doubt, throw it out.  My kids will not read old stuff from the
dark ages--I do keep classics, newberry winner, and things like that.
Anything that is too dirty to touch also went.  Anything garbage donated
from someone cleaning house went.  Sometimes old books can over shadow the
new ones and hide them from being circulated.  Today's children want new,
upbeat stuff!!!!!
That's what I think

my deepest sympathies
Weed everything in poor condition bye bye
weed  next fiction that has not been checked out in a number of years
 weed titles that have old fashioned
pictures and titles
keep classic authors in good ocndition
weed anything wih sexistor racist connotations
----how is your budget ??
Check your ar lists  and  keep what is on it
don't forget to keep some easy titles for poor readers


when we weed, we often consult a report our circ system will print out,
showing the recent, yearly, and overall number of times a book has
circulated. Allowing for multiple copies, this gives us an idea of which
books have "shelf appeal" for the students.

If your library is automated you should be able to print a report that will
tell you how many times (and when)a book has been checked out.  If it's not
automated, check the sign out card.  I'm at an older high school and usage,
age, and condition play large roles in my decision to discard. If I'm
uncertain, I check a standard reference to make sure I'm not about to toss a
"classic".  I would think at the elementary level if something is not
circulating you could get rid of it.

Good luck!  I've been in this ark as well.  I've relied pretty heavily on
the Wilson's Childrens catalog for advice.  I would love to hear what other
folks suggest to you if you wouldn't mind sharing.

Our school is PreK 4yr. old- 5th grade in a rural community.  We have had
180- 275 students depending on the yr. & dividing lines in
dist...currently 190.  I'd be very interested in any info you get about
weeding.  I have a similar situation with old "Noah" collections that were
merged from 2 schools in 1987 plus there are some that have come from 2
other schools that closed before that.  I've been trying to "FIND" things
for the past 2 years as my principal (who hasn't a clue about libraries or
arrangement there of) decided he didn't want the library cluttered so he
moved shelves and books...throwing out all filmstrips & records  and old
reference books he didn't think we used or needed!  I'm still finding
things that "walk" back from classrooms I guess that were out prior to
'99!  I only have one room with Juv. Fiction and Reference and Non-fiction
around the 2 outside walls and ARP collection on 1 wall then primary easy
fiction and biography middle floor bookcases.  Currently they are building
me a library with workroom/office space so I won't know how to act as this
is first I have had a computer besides an old LC for checkout.  However, I
want to weed before moving ALL out to new library... so please forward any
hints that you may receive.

Don't weed everything but AR!!! That would be letting AR drive your
collection development, which is why everyone fears AR. Weeding is hard....
I usually use two main guidelines: would a kid ever check this out? and is
this a classic? For the latter info you need to do some research. Bottom
line is, if in doubt, don't weed it.


Besides condition of the book, I would weed by circ stats...If the book
hasn't been off of the shelf in 2 years, let it go.  I would keep the Junie
B. books. and the Marc Brown Arthur series from the k-6 school. The fifth
grade loves these whether they will admit it or not, besides, your lower
readers will thank you!  I also weed fiction by copyright date.  I inherited
a collection with the average book age being 25 years.  I weeded everything
20 years or older immediately (except classics), and have continued to work
toward a more contemporary collection.

 I have the same situation--a previous librarian who worked for 40 years and
didn't weed at all.  At least, now I know that I'm not alone!
I've done some spot weeding--not very thorough--in the fiction based on
condition and lack of circulation.  You might want to compare with
Elementary School Library Collection as a reference to make sure you don't
overlook any well-known author that might not be obvious to you.  Also the
teachers might have certain favorites that they use for whatever reason.
One of my teachers likes an old worn book in my collection that I could have
easily weeded, but she uses it as a writing springboard for essays in the
4th grade.
I haven't tried it yet, but I've seen Benchmark advertised in SLJ to help
compare your collection with other schools to assist in weeding.

Do you get custom AR disks to fit your collection?  I've been able to get
tests for some of my older books, which will then make them circulate.  I
hate to get rid of some of them as the stories are still good, but the
illustrations and style may be less appealing to kids.  It's a tough call on
some books.  These are just a few ideas.  Good luck.

The considerations I weigh when weeding fiction:
* Circulation statistics for the item - if it hasn't circulated for 3 years,
it's a candidate for weeding.  However there are some items (classics and
others) I keep anyway because I feel the library should have them for one
reason or another
* Curriculum - keep abreast of genres and authors the teachers assign and
ensure plenty of appropriate titles are available for their students
* Two guides I keep handy as I weed, to look up particular titles in:  H. W.
Wilson Company's Children's Catalog, and Elementary School Library
Collection:  A Guide to Books and Other Media
* Items that are quite dated, have outlived their popularity, or are
questionable for some reason (racial stereotyping, language, maturity of
subject material, etc.).  On this last point one needs to guard against
self-censoring inappropriately, e.g. some materials may be offensive to some
readers yet are historically or culturally accurate
* Current student interests
* Physical condition of the book - But, as I weed I keep a list of books to
order replacements for.  Often, the most raggedy of books are the most
popular ones

Each book to be potentially weeded is an individual decision based on all of
the above considerations.  I wouldn't weed everything not on AR - in effect
you would be letting AR do the weeding.  There are lots of good books out
there which aren't on AR!


 would suggest getting a collection building resource like the Elementary
School Library Collection (Brodart), or What Do Children Read Next ( Gale
Group).  Next, print out a list of titles with E, F and Dewey separate.
Highlight the ones that appear in your collection building resource and save
those.  A second option would be to use Power Up Your Library (Libraries
Unlimited), or another weeding resource and just go through what you have
using the guidelines in that resource.  Good luck.  I hope you have some
time for this.

Our philosophy on weeding is: if in doubt, throw it out.  After weeding the
old worn-out stuff [cloth tape on the spine is an automatic out], look at
whether it's been checked out lately.  Often an older book will look great
because it's just been sitting on the shelf for fifteen years - if no one
has read the book in the last 5 years, they probably won't read it in the
future, either. Don't try to do too much at one time, because your
ruthlessness will wear off.  You'll see the half empty shelves and start
feeling bad. Resist that feeling!  When you think you've done too much,
you've probably got it about right.
Weed, then merge.  Don't worry about merging until after you've thoroughly
weeded both collections.
Also: hide the books you've weeded until you can dispose of them.  There are
people in your schools who will be aghast at the idea of getting rid of a
book. ["Someone might want that sometime."] If they ask you what you've
gotten rid of, ask them, "what do you miss?"  True story: we weeded 2000
books when we automated and the only book anyone ever came looking for was
the Genghis Khan book, because we only had one.  Bought a nice new one and
that took care of that.

 I have cleaned up a couple of libraries, and my fingers are
itching to come help.
Weeding fiction is not easy.  20 and out is a good guideline,
EXCEPT for fiction.  Have you a good list of classics?  You need to
keep The Wizard of Oz, Children at Greenview Knowles...
When was the last time that the book was checked out?  If it hasn't
been checked out in ten years, it  needs to go.



One of the factors that I use very often to determine if I discard or keep a
book is the copyright date.  If the book is over ten years old and has not
been checked out in the last five years, I discard it.  Also, if it looks
old and is not attractive, I let it go.

In terms of weeding, follow the basics - 1. Get rid of items that are
worn, poor copies with small print or brittle pages.  2. If there is an AR
program, keep anything there is a test for as long as it is in reasonable
condition. 3. Keep significant authors ex. Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander,
Laura Ingalls Wilder etc.
4. Remember that the 5-6 school will probably have reading levels from 1 to
10, especially if there are spec. ed. students.  Check prize winners lists
if
you are unsure of who is a significant author.  5. Be on the lookout for
authors who may have local significance - ex. a given teacher always reads a
specific  book each year

The easiest way  I weed is: if the book is at least 10 years old, and has
not gone out in 5 years, it's gone!  Try it. Works for me!

I suggest getting a "must have" or "basic collection" list from a large
vendor such as Follett.  Also, check your circulation stats.  If it hasn't
been checked out in a couple of years, it's probably not worth keeping.  I
would keep your AR, just in case they do decide to do it.

To be safe, in both collections keep, all AR titles, ALA award
winners (Newbery, Caldicott, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Corretta Scott King,
etc.) and anything that has gone out in the last five years.  You will
probably have very little that falls in the last subset that isn't in the
first two and probably most will be in the first.  The few non-AR,
non-Award books will no doubt be the ones you will need to fall back on for
your  Grade 5-6 kids who have "read everything."  Give any books that don't
fit these criteria, but you are tempted to keep because they are "in such
good condition" to either teachers who have classroom libraries, or to your
present kids who can never get enough to read.  This includes all the Hardy
Boys and Nancy Drew books, etc. we loved as kids.  Please note you are also
allowed to be a little selfish and stash a few personal favorites in your
own personal collection if they meet your weeding criteria.


First of all take out anything that is in poor condition .
Second , get some help from teachers who teach subjects for weeding
their specialty - get a science teacher for the 500's , history teacher
900's
For you fiction for grades 5 and 6  take anything out that has not
circulated in 5 years .  Most anything under 3rd grade level get rid of
, unless youhave MR or other special needs students .
Keep Newberry books and honor boos - most are classics .
authors
Beverly Cleary
Betsy Byars
Judy Blume
Coville
Avi
Delton
Greene
McLachlan
jacque
Alexander
Norton
Christopher
Le Guin
Paulsen
Lowry
keep
There are too many to think about
Read your AR list keep them
keep almost all of your multicultural books Biograph - weed all of your
out of date people and get rid of biographies for boys or such
If you have any doubts, get an experienced librarian from your system to
help


MUSTY is the acronym for weeding
Surely someone will tell you (and me) what each letter stands for.
Be ruthless. If they aren't reading them, there's a reason. We really do
judge a book by its cover- SO if it "looks" bad- PITCH IT!!!!! It will
be hard but you can do it....no point in moving yucky old books that no
one reads.

 I would begin by using an established bibliography such as Children's
Catalog.  It is published every five years with annual updates.  This
resource is often used to build starting collections, like you will be
doing.
    Secondly,  can you get a hold of the circulation records for the feeder
schools?  This will also help you determine circulation needs.
      Thirdly, can you find out what your teachers' needs are in the area of
literature?  If not, look at SOL themes and subject areas when deciding what
should stay and what should go.
      I had a colleague tell me that she weeded almost everything from her
collection when she was in a similar situation.  She did this for two
reasons:  She could then look to her central office and her PTA and they
could SEE the need. and now I can't remember why else she did it.  ( A mind
is a terrible thing to waste.)

when i weeded fiction the first time (3 yrs ago) i got rid of everything pre
1970, and saw no effect in checkouts or student reading.
when i weeded fiction this fall i weeded pre-1990, spent $1500 on new
Permabound and paperback titles (many of these titles were the ones i had
just thrown away) but these looked new and exciting.  I also ordered lots of
multiple copies.  It's been fantastic!

The kids can't believe all the good books we have to read and are constantly
coming in for new finds.  they also appreciate the fact that the shelves
aren't full of old, dusty books.  everything looks inviting to read.
The other day my aide overhead several students at a table discussing one of
the books that they were all reading.  (a literary circle in the making...)
another little quirk to this is one of our most popular new titles is Go Ask
Alice ( i remember having it challenged back in the 70s)  absolutely nobody
was reading the old dusty one (even though the cover is the same as the new
one)  and we have a waiting list for our 4 copies of the new one.  go
figure..


 took a weeding class a few years ago and the tips I remember for what
not to weed are - award winners, classics, anything about your local
history, or anything written by a local author. It sure helped me.


There are several good exhaustive articles in recent library literature.
Shooting from the hip, however, some suggestions:
1) Keep stuff on lists, such as Newbery/Caldecott
2) Keep stuff with known curricular tie-ins
3) Discard multiple copies of anything not likely to have high demand
4) If it is in poor condition, or has no descriptive blurb/attractive
cover, discard. Most kids don't chose "pig in a poke" titles, unless they
are devouring an author's total oeuvre or required to read

Are you elementary, middle or high school?
The H.W. Wilson library catalog for the appropriate grade level would be a
good place to start, especially if you have older as well as current issues
to cross reference.
Also, check Newbery and Caldecott lists and keep at least one copy of each.
Also, the Coretta Scott King awards lists and other annual award lists (you
can find these on the Follett website or in the print catalogs.  Hope this
helps some.


Go to a standard reference such as Children's Catalog and weed the older
copyright titles that are not listed in that reference.  I think the
18th edition has just been released or used the 17th edition.  If your
school system doesnot have that reference borrow it from your public
library.


Keep all classics and Newbery's, both winners and honor books.
Anything else that has copyright date 15 years or older AND has not been
checked out for the past 5 years: I would normally dump. However, it sounds
like these students need an incentive to read fiction.  The Accelerated
Reader program is great for that.  My F circulation DOUBLED in one year when
we began AR.  If that is not an option, you need to discuss book reports and
projects with your 3-5th grade teachers.  If THEY don't encourage reading of
fiction, you're up against the odds--many kids, esp. boys, just
won't--especially with the very attractive non-fiction titles out these
days.[So, give it a 2nd thought about weeding out titles which may be read
with some encouragement.]
Dump books which "look" old and ratty and unattractive--no one will check
them out because of that.
(You may lose some older not so classic classics, but if so, they'll be out
in paperback--replace them later with paperback copies.)

Figuring out the question is a whole lot easier than figuring out the answer
on this one! Weeding fiction is a total judgement call. I look at three main
criteria: condition/age, usage, and "classic" status. If it was a
popular-level book from the '50s thru '70s, toss it; but if it is a
"classic" by Lloyd Alexander, Marguerite Henry, Edgar Rice Burroughs and
such like, hang onto it as long as it will hold up. My motto is if in doubt,
keep it (with fiction, that is). Kids will not check out old, dirty, torn
books with dated pictures anyway, so those can always go. You just have to
acquaint yourself with older "classics" (this is the hard part) and hold
onto those. I bet you could find an SLJ article on this if you looked on
their website. Also, I went to a great weeding workshop at VEMA and they
told me about a wonderful "Weed of the Month Club" website at
http://www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed. They have their former articles archived so
I bet you could find one on fiction. Good luck and Happy Holidays!


Weeding, what a fun task. When I arrived at our high
school 4 years ago, the fiction collection made my heart break. Having
taught English for 10 years and encouraging reading, I knew something had to
be done. First of all, high school kids are attracted to books that have eye
catching jackets and details about the book. Secondly, you need to consider
your clientele. Our high school is quite diverse in population, which makes
book selection challenging but not impossible. Reading the reviews in School
Library Journal, Booklist, and Voya are very helpful. As for pushing the
fiction collection- pick a few teachers that do outside reading projects.
Schedule time for them to come to the library. Find out about the students
before hand- level of reading skill, interests, etc. Spend about 15 minutes
book talking. I read the majority of the fiction that I order, maintain a
database that helps me to remember what I have read, and the kids at school
know to come and ask if they need help finding a great book. Displays that
are eye catching are also very helpful. We also do a weekly literary
selection that is read during announcements. I have a small display at our
circulation desk, that says...Miss Will's Read of the Day. I change the
books out daily and find that the students will take the time to browse
while our secretary is checking them out. A sneaky thing to do, but it
works! I wish you much luck as you dive into your collection.

1.  Find the lists of award winners:  Newbery's, Caldecott's, etc.  Keep
those if they're in decent shape.
2.  Check "Wilson's Children's Catalog."  Keep those titles.
3.  Does either school use Accelerated Reader?  Keep anything you have a
test for.
4.  Keep all Betsy Byars [smile].
5.  Are you familiar with the title?  If you've never run across it
anywhere, you can probably pitch it.

 weeded our entire fiction collection last year in order to fit them
onto some new shelves. Aside from the obvious (damaged/worn items), I
considered the following criteria:

Does it support the curriculum? I looked at an AP List, as well as a
list provided by the English Dept. chairperson.

Is it a classic? Keep it if it's the only copy. Consider re-ordering if
it's damaged.

Is it popular with the age group (e.g. Harry Potter...)? Some I knew.
Others I had to look at the last date checked out. If it didn't meet the
above criteria, and it hadn't been checked out in
10+ years, then out it went. You may decide on a shorter time frame if
you're merging two collections. A former librarian was a big fan of
westerns, yet he was the only one to ever check them out! They got
tossed (actually, placed in the faculty room - they were grabbed up).

Even after all of this, and a year of adding newer fiction, I'm ready to
start weeding again!


Be ruthless.  If it is ugly, get rid of it unless it is a classic and you
don't have better looking copies.

First check  the standards in the industry like the Wilson catalogs
(there is one for elementary, middle and high school).  Brodart has The
Elementary School Library Collection, probably for other levels as well.
Back issues of Horn Book Magazine has Oldies but Goodies, a list of books
that are out of print but still good.  Check your curriculum for what is
being taught and which fiction boooks would support the various curriculum
areas.  Weed out duplicate copies for most titles.
I like keeping a large collection of quality books, even if they are no
longer popular.  I have a nice collection that is used by children
literature
specialist when they need to revisit an out of print book.
If you have a shelf list, or a print out will probably work, compare it to
these standards and list.  Mark those you want to keep, those you are sure
you want to week and Question mark others.

1.  Keep curriculum related fiction

2.  Ditch anything with yellowed pages

3.  Now those are the obvious tips....the third criteria is a combination of
longevity/popularity and space......Recently I weeded all Betsy Byers,
Sidney
Sheldon, Judy Blume, Paula Danziger, Danielle Steel, and a lot of authors
that just have been usurped by Sara Dessen, Sharon Creech, Lurlene McDaniel,
etc..

I don't have instant titles to recommend (except the classics).  What
I have been doing is sitting down with stacks of books and looking at
two things: 1)How many times has the book been checked out in six years
and 2)Does the public library have any copies.  If the book has NEVER
been checked out, but the library has eight copies (and some of them
are spread out throughout the branches) - I keep the book.  My reasoning
is if the public library has a good many copies, the book must be a
worthwhile
read.  However, if the library has one copy (or two or none) and the
book has never gone out, I ditch it.

By the way, for a list of good books to purchase (if you have the money)
go to http://scasl.net/bkawrd.htm and click on one of the nominee link
levels.  I couldn't remember what level you were, but if you are high
school I HIGHLY recommend Speak by Anderson.

I recommend the
following books to help you---
Best Books for Children, 1998 ed. by Gillespie,  The Books kids will sit
still for and More Books Kids will sit still for by Judy Freeman, and the
Gale series of which there are many but the titles are What do Children Read
Next and What Do Children and Young adults read next, What do I read
next--these have excellent topical indexes.

when I started here we had the same problem so as we put books out
we did a preliminary week. I automatically removed any fiction where the
character said "Gee whiz" or "golly" on the first page, any "juvenile
romances" I had read in the 1950's and any title similar to June Jones,
Airline Stewardess!!! :)  I'm sure that is a lot of help but it is a
place to start. I am automating my way around the media center and will
be getting to the fiction soon and will do a much more thorough job. Got
to get rid of the weeds so the good stuff can be seen!

 don't know what your preferences are, but at our location we have some
guidelines which say that if a book has not been checked out in 5 years, it
is probably not worth keeping. The only exceptions that I have found to that
rule are the books which are award winners, Caldecott, Newbery etc. Then I
have usually kept at least one copy which is in the best condition. This is
probably a really good time to weed out the obvious 'awful' books from each
of your libraries and then fill in any holes which you have in your
collection from the closing library

For books not to weed:
1. Lists of "classics" or "best books" are a good place to start.  Start
with the ALA website.
2. Have you seen the new "Recommended Readings in Children's Literature"
from the State of California?  It is online at
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/literature/.  The old one (1992) was only in print.
I don't know if it is still available.

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