Procuring digital preservation CAN be quick and painless with our new dynamic...
To Read, or to Weed?
1. To Read, or to Weed?
Using the WorldCat Collection Analysis Tool to Weed Your Library‟s
Collection
2. Why Weed?
Part of assessment and evaluation
Weeding is an ongoing process and is a joint effort
between liaison librarians and the general faculty.
Weeding is an essential element of library service
which achieves a number of goals:
Outdated, unused, and no longer reliable materials are
discarded
Shelf space for new acquisitions is increased
Finding and shelving materials is much easier for clientele
and staff
Deteriorated materials can be repaired, replaced, or
discarded
The collection‟s reputation for reliability and currency is
Linscheid Library Collection Development Handbook
enhanced http://www.ecok.edu/library/information/assessment.htm
3. Systematic Approach
Determine areas to weed
25 areas/5 librarians/5 areas per yr/entire collection in 5
years
Consult syllabi
Use WorldCat Collection Analysis to determine:
a. overall age of holdings;
b. uniqueness of holdings;
c. items lent via ILL;
d. a peer comparison of other regional schools in
Oklahoma; and
e. a „best lists‟ comparison.
Use ILS for initial list
Linscheid Library Weeding Handbook
http://www.ecok.edu/library/information/assessment.htm
4. Creating an Initial List
Books that have never been checked out
Create this list using Millennium
Will be the foundation list for all further lists
What to watch out for: reference books or
other materials that do not circulate, and
newly-catalogued materials which have not
had a chance to circulate
5.
6. Peer Comparison & ILL
How accessible are the materials? Is a single
title shared by multiple institutions?
Will show how many materials are unique to
your collection in the region, or unique to
WorldCat
Unique can be a good thing, or it can
sometimes point to irrelevancy (e.g., “Is a book
on soda can construction beneficial to the
collection?”)
Is anybody else using your books via
interlibrary loan?
7.
8. “Best of” Lists
What books are must-haves?
Should titles be weeded even if they are
contained on a „best of‟ list as established
using the WorldCat tool?
What do we mean by a “best of” list?
9.
10. How We Incorporate the
Information
All the numbers are put into an Excel
spreadsheet
The spreadsheet is weeded using basic Excel
tools
Titles are eliminated from the list that are:
New to the collection
Appear on “best of” lists
Have been ILLed
Unique titles deemed relevant to the collection
11. Important to Remember
The weeding lists are only a jumping-off point
Librarians still need to do traditional viewing of
the physical state of the materials
The list will not catch everything, nor is it
meant to; the librarian can use it as a guide to
help with starting weeding, not a catch-all
M.U.S.T.I.E. is the word of the day
12.
13. Liaison Involvement
Library liaisons are responsible for the
weeding of their designated areas. Weeding is
an essential and continuing library practice.
Liaisons should involve their faculty, whenever
possible, in this process to ensure that
publications of historical or research value are
not discarded.
Collection lists
Physically looking at the collection
Working with students (i.e., service learning)
Linscheid Library Liaison Handbook
http://www.ecok.edu/library/information/assessment.htm
14. Liaison Report
Handbooks mentioned are part of assessment
efforts
Assessment efforts overlap into annual
evaluation process
Liaison report (due at evaluation) documents:
Departments served
Communication & outreach
Collaboration efforts
Collection development – weeding report
Bibliographic instruction
15.
16. Conclusion
Starting a weeding project can be daunting
WorldCat can be a valuable tool in beginning a
weeding project, or simply better
understanding the nature of your collection
While it can never be totally
comprehensive, creating lists with WCA will
provide solid groundwork for both present and
future weeding
