Hi Meagan,
I was in the exact situation. Here are a couple things that really helped me:
1) Check out the LM_Net archives. Search for the term "weeding." There are
many resources already on this list.
2) If you can get your hands on the book, "Less is More", make copies of some
of the pages and talk about it with your administrators. This is a wonderful book
that has age guidelines for each Dewey area. Buy it even if you have to pay for it
yourself.
3) Use a software like Follett's Titlewise to help determine the age/currency
of your collection. If the library is automated, you can upload the records and it
will tell you how outdated your collection is. It produces great reports and
charts that you can show to your administrators. Plus, it's free. If your library
is not automated, I'd pull a random sampling of 10 books from each Dewey section
and average the copyright. Show this to your administrators as well.
4) Pull books off the shelves that are clearly outdated. Look for books in
the history section that are ridiculously outdated. Look for subjects like:
Communist Russia, Berlin Wall/East & West Germany, books that talk about U.S.
history and written before 9/11, etc. Also look for books that are no longer
culturally relevant and may be offensive. I found several books that were very
stereotypical of African Americans. Remind your administrators that the role of a
school library is not to be an archive. Rather, it should support the curriculum.
Show the books you pulled to your administrators.
5) Find other school librarians in your area that are being allowed to weed.
Talk to them and ask them for advice and support. Also, make copies of some of the
message that have been posted about weeding on LM_Net and show them to your
administration. This will demonstrate that you are not crazy in wanting to remove
books.
6) Check your state library association and school library association. They
may have policies or guidelines. If you can't find them, look at other state's
associations like California School Library Association.
7) Here are some website that might be helpful
a. http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/coldev2.html#weed
b. http://www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/weed.html
c. http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/lb/documents/weedingbrochure.pdf
d. http://www.lib.az.us/cdt/weeding.htm
8) Start slow. Don't propose to weed the whole library at once. Ask to weed
maybe just one Dewey section this year. Record how the circulation increases for
that section (it will- less clutter=nicer looking selection=more usage). Plus,
when you start slow you'll have more time to really get to know the collection and
the school's curriculum. Then you'll be able to make better judgment calls about
what to get rid of.
9) Finally- be patient. I've been at my library for 3 years now and still
have struggles with the administration and this. Be polite, professional, and
firm. Always back up your desire to weed with statistics and facts that show why
you need to. Get teachers to back you up. Get the departments involved. The more
support you have, the more likely you will be allowed to do it.
Lisa Gonzalez, MLIS
Notre Dame High School
Salinas, CA
-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Meagan Newberry
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 10:52 AM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: TARGET: book "disposal" policy
Hello, I am a brand new (and by brand new I mean I'm still in school
for library, but already practicing...we have to do that in Montana at
times...) school librarian and I inherited a MESS. My administrators
have cautioned me: DON'T THROW ANYTHING AWAY. Of course, I've already
broken this rule because there was literal trash to throw out, but
what about old, outdated books? I realize this is probably a really
standard thing to know, but I don't know it yet, and I do assume that
there is a standard to "releasing" books from a library's circulation.
I'd appreciate any knowledge on this you could throw my way, if any of
you have been in my situation before. Our shelves are bogged down with
old, old stuff and I'm going to be automating the whole thing this
summer. Thanks!
--
Meagan Newberry, Librarian
West Yellowstone School
West Yellowstone, MT
oldberry@gmail.com
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