Weeding with CREW

Presented by Dawn Vogler

dvogler@tsl.state.tx.us

2009

Goals for Today

• Inspiration• Share best practices• Get to know CREW• Change one perception about

material you are reluctant to weed from your collection

Be Weeding Tigers! (or Tigresses)

• Take charge of your collection• Change your attitude towards

weeding• Get intimate with your collection

Make it fierce for your community!

Collection Development Collection Development Process OverviewProcess Overview

Selection/Acquisition

Cataloging/Processing

Circulation/Reference

De-selection

Weeding

A process for removing books that no longer fit within the collection guidelines, are in poor condition or are outdated.

Texas Public Library Standards: Collection Standards

Population Basic Enhanced Comprehensive

Core reference collection Core reference collection Core reference collection 2.0 circulation per capita 4.5 circulation per capita 7.5 circulation per capita 10,000 items, or 1.5 items per capita, whichever is greater

12,500 items, or 3 items per capita, whichever is greater

15,000 items, or 4 items per capita, whichever is greater

15% of collection less than 5 years old

20% of collection less than 5 years old 25% of collection less than 5 years old

Entire collection weeded every 5 years

Entire collection weeded every 4 years Entire collection weeded every 3 years

Local history materials Local history materials

Library extends collection by providing access to Internet and full-text databases provided by the State Library

Library extends collection by providing access to Internet and full-text databases provided by the State Library and by providing licensed full-text databases purchased locally

Library extends collection by providing access to Internet and full-text databases provided by the State Library and by providing licensed full-text databases purchased locally

Remote access to full-text databases purchased locally

Library offers Interlibrary Loan services

Library offers Interlibrary Loan services Library offers Interlibrary Loan services

Library offers materials in a variety of current nonprint formats

Library offers materials in a variety of current nonprint formats

Library offers materials in a variety of current nonprint formats

Library offers digitized local history materials

All populations

Library collects/reports electronic use

Library collects/reports electronic use Library collects/reports electronic use

Less than 5,000

Collection turnover: Not applicable

Collection turnover: Not applicable Collection turnover: Not applicable

Over 5,000 1.00 collection turnover rate (circulating collection only)

1.75 collection turnover rate (circulating collection only)

2.5 collection turnover rate (circulating collection only

System Membership & Collection Size

(B) have at least one item of library materials per capita or expend at least 25% of the local expenditures on the purchase of library materials;

Rusk County LibrariesService Population Last Reported in 2007: 45,925

7.67% growth from 2000-2007

Reported holdings: 121,511 among 4 branches

Could remove HALF of the materials (books, media, serials,

e-books (not TexShare) and still be accredited!

De-selection Policy

Part of a Collection Development PolicyBriefMentions methodologyDisposal

The Attitude

Ranganathan

Ranganathan is considered the father of library science ... in India.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shiyali-Ramamrita-Ranganathan/14219435227

His 5 Laws of Library Science

• Books are for use (not storage!).• Every reader his (or her) book.• Every book its reader.• Save the time of the reader.• A library is a growing organism.

Law #3 - Justification to Keep All?

Every book its readerThis law is about items in the library’s collection and who uses them. Each book in the library has a member of the community that will find the book useful or interesting.

One of the major developments that Ranganathan contributed through this law is the idea that if a book is not being used often it needs exposure to groups of readers who will find it useful.

80/20 Rule or Pareto Principle

20% of your books are responsible for 80% of

your circulation

“Books, in and of themselves, are not sacred objects.”

“Libraries exist to makeinformation available, not to warehouse unused books.”

-Jeanette Larson, SLM ProgramWorkshop on Collection Development, 2007

CREW That Collection

Continuous Review

EvaluationWeeding

Selection/Acquisition, Cataloging/Processing, Circulation/Reference ……then CREW

Weeders – you know who you are

• You like to save space• You like to save time• You like it pretty• You like it fresh and now• You like to keep things interesting• You want to know your collection

intimately

Non-Weeders (tsk, tsk!)• “I hate dealing with my staff when it comes to

weeding.”• “I’m a packrat.”• “If someone in my community sees me throwing

away books…..”• “I can’t admit that was probably not a wise

purchase.”• “It’s not a priority. I don’t need the space.”• “I know someone will adore this book just like I

did when I was her/his age.”• “It’s on my long list of things to do.”

Excuses-Excuses• “I bought this book”• “It’s won awards!”• “Someone might need it – someday!”• “So and so donated it”• “I loved this book!”• “Mr. Schneebly taught this book back in…...”• “People should read the classics!”• “I don’t have a lot of non-fiction.”• “We need to have X books in the collection.”• I have no budget to buy new books.”

Benefits of Weeding

• Save space– Shelves should never be more than

85% full (and 75% is even better!)– Shelf space costs money

•It costs to purchase more shelving•Employees spend time shifting and

customers get frustrated more easily (many believe their time is money!)

Pgs. 15-16

More Benefits

• Save time– People today are busier than ever,

don’t clutter the shelves with useless or inaccurate items that will distract them from finding the info they need.

– Makes reader’s advisory easier on the librarian too!

Even More Benefits

• Appeal– People are attracted to good looking

materials. – We’re all attracted to what’s new.– Barnes & Noble appeal. Spend less

time finding things/tracking things down and more time merchandising them to the community.

Can You Believe More Benefits?• Enhance your library’s reputation

– Reliability– Currency– Build on your historical value as a

trusted source– Don’t fall victim to anyone saying,

“The Library has nothing.”

Ever More Benefits

• Keep up with collection needs– Ongoing weeding without a

monumental effort– Easily identify holes in your

collection– Adapt your collection to the

community more easily by knowing what you have

Last Benefit (but not least)

• You have constant feedback on your collection’s strengths and weaknesses– Wish list– Donation process made easier – Easily identify subject areas in need – Target sections that could be

supplemented by groups that fundraise on your behalf

Pg. 16

Case Study

Before You Attack

Review Your Collection Development Policy

• Pay particular attention to: Selection criteria

De-selection criteriaDiscard informationCity/County policies

Let staff involved read the policyDo you have any goals for the

collection?

Other Factors to Consider

Library goalsCommunity wants and needsAvailability of more suitable materialBudgetary flexibility to buy more

satisfactory itemsCooperative agreements with other

librariesFuture usefulness (ephemera?)Ability to borrow through ILL

Preparation

Walk About-• cluttered areas• books shelved too high and low• merchandised areas?• new books• items that look shabby right

away

Get a Visual

Merchandised Areas

Top Shelves Used

Bottom Shelves Used

No opportunities for face-outsM

ost

clut

tere

d, f

irst

wee

ded?

Preparation

• Collection Evaluation (ILS vendor)

• Community Assessment (demographic shifts? Growth?)

• Statistical reports (circ and turnover)

Turnover Rate

• A measure of use

Total # of Items Total Circulation

5,000 items in Dewey 600 range (tech, medicine, auto repair, cooking)80,000 annual circulation rate overall for library80,000/5,000 = 16Each item in the 600’s had an average circulation of 16 times

Know Your Enemy

Quick & Dirty

• De-dupe and keep only enough copies to meet normal demand• Lose books in obvious poor condition• Lose books without pretty covers that attract attention• Remove older single title authors• One book wonders!• Obscure or ephemeral titles• Knockoffs of popular authors (Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry

Potter)• Lesser works of authors who have died• Minor author/poet collections• Series books when titles are missing• Simplified/abridged classics

Jeanette Larson, Small Library Mgt. Training Program, Collection Development Course

Triage Trap

Looks matter, but so does content!

Should I Weed this?

To Weed or Not To Weed? Checklist of Weeding Factors

Date/Author PublisherCondition Any more copies?Circulation stats Expense to replaceRelevance to curriculum Similar resources?Format Reading levelIllustrations Current interest?Visual appeal In school curricula?

Can you take all these into consideration and remain sane?

Page 20

Figuring Out What to WeedObjective Criteria

X/X/MUSTIE

Copyright DateIs it more than X year(s) ago?

Maximum permissible time without use

Page 51

Figuring Out What to Weed Subjective Criteria

M = Misleading (Inaccurate)U = Ugly (Condition)S = Superseded (New edition/Outdated)T = Trivial (No longer of interest)I = Irrelevant E = Available Elsewhere

(district library, ILL, public library)

Page 51

2008. Overview Chart of CREW Formulas Dewey Class

CREW Formula Dewey Class

CREW Formula Dewey Class CREW Formula

000 500 5/3/MUSTIE 910 3/2/MUSTIE 004 3/X/MUSTIE 507 10/3/MUSTIE Personal Travel Narratives 5/2/MUSTIE 010 10/3/MUSTIE 510 10/3/MUSTIE 930-990 10/3/MUSTIE 020 10/3/MUSTIE 520 5/3/MUSTIE 92, 920 or B X/3/MUSTIE 030 5/X/MUSTIE 550 X/3/MUSTIE Other 000s 5/X/MUSTIE 560 5/2/MUSTIE F (Fiction) X/2/MUSTIE 570 7/3/MUSTIE Graphic Novels X/1/MUSTIE 100 15/5/MUSTIE 580 10/3/MUSTIE E (Easy Readers / Picture books) X/2/MUSTIE 133 10/3/MUSTIE JF (Juvenile Fiction) X/2/MUSTIE 150 10/3/MUSTIE 610 5/3/MUSTIE YA Fiction (Teen Fiction) 3/2/MUSTIE 160 10/3/MUSTIE 629 X/2/MUSTIE J and YA Non-fiction Use Adult Formulas

(review additional criteria)

170 10/3/MUSTIE 630 5/3/MUSTIE 635 10/3/MUSTIE Periodicals/Newspapers 3/X/X 200 10/3/MUSTIE or

5/3/MUSTIE 636 5/2/MUSTIE Government Documents 3/2/X

640 5/3/MUSTIE Local History X/X/X 306 5/2/MUSTIE 649 5/3/MUSTIE 310 2/X/MUSTIE 670 10/3/MUSTIE NonPrint WORST 320 5/3/MUSTIE Film Formats 2/1/WORST 325 5/3/MUSTIE 700 X/3/MUSTIE Audio Formats X/2/X 330 3/3/MUSTIE 720 X/3/MUSTIE 340 5/2/MUSTIE 737 5/3/MUSTIE 350 5/3/MUSTIE 740 X/3/MUSTIE 360 5/3/MUSTIE 769 5/3/MUSTIE 370 10/3/MUSTIE 770 5/3/MUSTIE 390 10/3/MUSTIE 791 10/2/MUSTIE 395 5/3/MUSTIE 793 10/3/MUSTIE 398 X/3/MUSTIE 796 10/3/MUSTIE 400 10/3/MUSTIE 800 X/3/MUSTIE

Overview Chart of CREW Formulas, Pg. 99

Unused Materials Specifics• Non-circulating for 3-5 years• Duplicate copies no longer needed• Periodicals that are available in full-text• Unused volumes in sets or series• Unneeded titles in subject areas used less

frequently• “Hot topics” popular more than 5 years ago• More books than needed on one topic• Formats no longer popular (VHS)• Material that is no longer important to the

collection (curricula, demographics)

Poor Content Specifics

• Outdated and obsolete (computers, law, science, space, health, technology, travel)

• Trivial subject matter (outdated popular culture)• Mediocre writing style• Inaccurate or false information• Unused sets of books (keep used volumes if they meet local

needs)• Repetitious series• Superseded editions• Resources not on standard lists or that weren’t reviewed• Materials that contain bias, racist, sexist terminology or views• Unneeded duplicates• Self-published or small press titles that are not circulating,

especially those added as gifts

Appearance Specifics

• Worn out, ragged items• Poorly bound or poorly printed editions• Rebound editions that are worn• Items that are dirty, marked up, smell of

smoke, warped• Small print or poor quality pictures• Scratched CD’s/DVD’s

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices

Specs: 1998 Copyright

Austin Public Library’s St. John Branch added it in 2000

Library Binding

Black and white pages only, beautiful pencil drawings

Don’t have checkout stats, but date due slip on inside cover.Austin Public Library hasn’t used these slips in at least 3 years.

Condition: Good. In fact, so good, looks like its never been opened. There is no creasing of the spine at all to Indicate usage, very stiff.

Example

The Newest Edition

ATTACK!

Steps in Weeding with CREW

1. Gather usage statistics (inventory report and/or checkout stats on collection or section)

2. Gather weeding tools (truck, slips, circulation reports, the manual itself, post-it notes, pencil)

3. Examine the collection or section you chose item by item (this is assuming you’ve already done a quick and dirty)

4. Check standard indexes if you are questioning items (especially relevant for literature/poetry)

Page 25

Steps (cont.)

5. Treat books removed according to disposal steps – those marked bindery are boxed for shipping, discards are taken care of according to policy, replacements are ordered or put on a wish list to reorder when funds are available (and old ones might go back out accordingly marked for replacement or set aside) or take to recycling, see page 77-80.

6. Research those that are questionable and make decisions on new orders or discards – check the internet for replacements or other relevant titles, see what others in the district own, see what the public library owns, etc.

7. Set up displays for low circulating, but high-quality items and do some marketing/merchandising

8. Place your next weeding project or section on your calendar

CREWing Children’s

Picture Bookso Think boutique (high-quality, current

selection)o Be aware of ephemeral interestso Board books should be replaced more

often since they get the most abuseo Replace worn copies of perennial

faves (multiples)Page 34

CREWing YA

YA Fiction• Be ruthless in this section• Currency is key• Paperbacks• >5 years, remove if not

circulating wellPage 34

C&YA Non-Fiction

• Anything is not better than nothing

• Be aware of online resources

• Better to lack books that have bad information

• Use CREW Guidelines by Dewey Class as in adult sections

Too much of Uranus!

Reading is Fundamental

Other C&YA Issues

• Abridged classics (often poor quality)• Series Books (often poor quality, replace if titles don’t stand

alone and collect for various reading levels)• Older titles – beware of dated look, torn pages, shabby

bindings• Worn classics should be replaced (Don’t be sentimental!)• Geography titles older than 5 years – toss• Science, medicine, inventions – rapid changes so update

every 5 years• Textbooks – gauge by demand in community and

homeschool population

Page 36

CREWing Reference

Types of MaterialsAlmanacsDictionariesDirectoriesAtlasesHandbooks Indexes

Pgs. 37-41

CREWing Reference (cont.)

Considerations Older editions may be weeded when superseded Materials should be periodically evaluated, (not

as often as circulating collection and not as continuous)

Different replacement schedules (new editions may not be as frequent)

Keep websites and databases in mind Consider integrating reference materials into the

circulating collection, especially if usage is poor

Special Considerations for Periodicals

• Current use – use declines drastically 5 years after publication date

• Interest in circulating older issues – do you allow back issues to circulate?

• Full-text availability• Space

Pg. 72

CREWing Media

Subjective CriteriaW – Worn outO – Out-of-dateR – Rarely usedS – Supplied elsewhere T – Trivial or faddish

CREW Guidelines, Pg. 73CREWing Non-Print Media, pg. 43

CREWing Media

• Copyright date not as important• Rely more on circulation and

condition to determine when to weed

Orphaned MaterialsSellDonateTradeRecycle Destroy (dumpster discreetly or in batches

if policy allows, mark through library barcodes and stamps)

Make sure you adhere to city/county policies!

Green Weeding (pg.92)

• Book Sales• Book Giveaways• Host a Swap and Make an Event• Create an email list to notify

community members/orgs• Books Through Bars• B-Logistics and Better World Books

Sacred Cows

• Volumes of sets and series with special merit

• Older reference works augmented by (not superceded by) later editionsi.e. Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations

Hardest Areas to Weed

What are yours?

600’s

700’sCookbooks

Picture books

Rom

ances

Weaknesses

Picture booksClassics

Reference

Classics Debate

• Classics can still make up part of a core collection.

• Only include if they support curriculum.

• It’s our duty as librarians to expose students to “great” literature.

• Unless a movie comes out based on a classic, are students still reading them?

OTHER QUESTIONS OR ISSUES TO BRING UP?

Please complete your evaluation and thanks for coming!