We are what we own: Deselection strategies for our profession's viability

Survey Results117responses1847502Age

Do you feel print books are sacred?

How many times a year do you participate in deselection?

Have you purchased or acquired library discards for your office or personal book collection?56%

Space: Print Collections20-49%50-79%

Start a new deselection project

Remove items from library not-used

Avoid discarding – too overwhelming39%18%38%

How stressful do you feel at the thought of your library budget shifting the majorities of money to eBooks as opposed to print books? 7%25%28%

How stressful would it be for you if 30%-40% of print books were to be deselected from your library’s collection?13%33%19%

Florida Community Colleges“...monograph collections… were significantly out of date with the majority of library books having been published before the 1970’s”(Perrault et al, 2002, p. 241)

Florida Community Colleges“..1990’s..the percentage age of older materials to newer materials had increased and that outdated materials were prevalent in all major subject divisions, including science and technology”(Perrault et al, 2002, p. 241)

Non-Traditional User“With students strapped for time already; our resources must be especially efficient, convenient, available during a wide variety of times, and also available remotely”(Poole, 2009, p. 194)

“Reading a book, however, requires concentration, endurance, the ability to disconnect from other connections. You have to be there rather than not there. Hyperwired young people may be making it to age 17 without acquiring that ability, let alone losing it.”(Romano, 2010, para. 19)

“….the focus is no longer in creating a comprehensive print collection but supplementing it with a vast and comprehensive collection of electronic information sources, resources, and links”(Fernandes, 2008, p. 206)

…[Steven J. Bell, Temple University] urged librarians to think past libraries traditional roles of gateway, archive, and buyer of scholarly material.…“We could really carve out a much more significant role as instructional partners”(Howard, 2008, para. 10)

“Ranganathan deplored that many librarians seemed to be more concerned with preservation than with use, thus perpetuating the image of the librarian as a custodian rather than as some skilled in the exploitation of bibliographic resources”(Lancaster, 1988, para. 1)

Meaning of Books“The non-library world interprets weeding destroying of valuable materials, the treasured vessels and conveyers of our culture and society.”(Intner, 2006)

“Libraries were invented so that individuals wouldn’t have to own everything they might sometime want to read. Our trust in libraries makes it possible for us to throw things away.”Nicholson BakerWriter / Advocate for library preservation

Attachment“Even though we can’t hold on to anything, clinging remains one of our strongest habits. Useless though it may be, we devote much of our energy to grasping at that which is elusive and impermanent.”Pema Chodron

“Many librarians have an emotional attachment to their collections. They think of books as a literal part of the library, as part of their family.”Michael SawyerDirector of Calcasieu Parish Public LibraryLouisiana

Browsing“When items on the first shelf or two they examine aren’t what they want and aren’t very attractive looking, browsers get the vague feeling that the rest of the stock, which, on the surface, looks the same as what they’ve just seen, isn’t going to be any better.”(Intner, 2006, p. 16)

Clutter Personality TypesEasily distractedProcrastinatorSentimental CluttererBargain shoppersPerfectionistsGeralin ThomasProfessional OrganizerCary, North Carolina

Decision-making“To weed is to make multiple decisions simultaneously, decisions based on both objective and subjective criteria”(Handy, 1994, para. 5)

“People with compulsive hoarding often feel afraid to throw things away, worry excessively, and repeatedly check to make sure they’re not throwing away anything important.”(Tolin, Frost & Steketee, 2007, p. 20)

Cost ConcernsWill not throw out an item until we have spent the valueShelvingSavings in staff timeMaterial usefuture acquisition decisions

Stakeholders “The benefit of involving the faculty seems to be more to prevent negative feelings rather than to improve the weeding process.” x(Slote, 1997, p. 10)

Case Study 2008-11Tarpon Springs CampusSt. Petersburg College2009-10Lower Division: 5,070not including upper division

Library Staff2 paraprofessionals2 librarians (liaison areas)3 student assistants1 OPS –staff member 20-32 hrs.

Mission / VisionSupport CurriculumLeisure CollectionEasy to FindSpace for study/ leisure/ technologyPrepare for inventory

Undecorating – Tracy ElliottRemove faded posters, paintings, plants, etc.Remove yellowed plastic covers from booksReduce trash can amountDamaged, stained, faded furniture, study carrelsOld technology VCRs, computers, typewriter… Paper/pathfindersSignsSupplies to other departments/campus libraries

Weeding ProcedureLibrarians remove and discard itemsDo not revisit cart – no reviewerCart given to paraprofessional to remove from OPAC and OCLC holdingsOPS/student assistants mark through items - SURPLUSBox for book sale or check better world books or free cart for students

Initial DeselectionJust Weed before involving faculty or other stakeholderRepeat copies – if not usedDamaged materialOlder reference copy in circ. CollectionMedical/Law/Technology 5 yearsDuplication in electronic format- some removalToo many in one subject – gift for other campus library

Multiple Rounds- Small GoalsCheck areas multiple times throughout a period of timeFirst time: everything older than 1990 and does not have historical valueSecond: remove a section not being usedEtc.

ShelvingRedefine Shelving Meaning: Not only storageLay books to view item on shelfRemove items from top and bottom shelfDisplay books face outLet there be lightSecurityBe open to remove shelving

Reference Collection“For most reference collections, more is not necessarily better”(Matthews & Tychson, 1981)

Reference CollectionTotal 3,291Total 1,466No purchasing - replacing

Reference CollectionReference CollectionA-B

General Collectiontotal 25,627total 30,229total 20,475

Age of Collection 200526%25%Total 25627

Age of Collection 200836%23%Total 30,229

Age of Collection 201161%Total 20475

PositivesEasy to find for staff and students

Inventory – barcode in book (majority)

Give books to other campus libraries

We are what we own: Deselection strategies for our profession's viability

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