The document discusses weeding as part of collection development in libraries. It defines weeding as the regular removal of outdated library resources. Weeding helps ensure a library's collection remains current and useful by removing materials that are obsolete, infrequently used, or in poor physical condition. The document provides guidelines for libraries on developing weeding policies and procedures, criteria for identifying materials to weed, and best practices for handling weeded materials.

1. DR. SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA
[ORCID: 0000-0001-5534-4861]
COLLEGE LIBRARIAN, RISHI BANKIM CHANDRA EVENING COLLEGE
NAIHATI, NORTH 24 PARGANAS, WEST BENGAL, INDIA
E-MAIL: tungask@rediffmail.com

2. • Weeding refers to the process of the regular removal of
outdated library resources.
• Weeding is the removing of materials from a library
collection in a systematic and deliberate way.
• It is an ongoing part of collection development, a
planned and thoughtful action that will ensure library
materials are current and enticing.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 2

3. • The collection maintenance policy and procedures of a
particular library must be followed for weeding out the
documents.
• The first consideration of weeding the documents is the
obsolescence of such documents.
• Obsolescence means the decline in use of a document
because it is old, backdated, and not relevant for
present use for oldness which may be rapid in some
subject areas and slow in some other subject areas.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 3

4.  The study based on comprehensive review of related
literature, personally visiting library websites of top
graded organizations and observations of my long
experience as a library professional.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 4

5.  To explain the meaning, purposes and benefits of
weeding
 To describe the details of weeding procedures
 To provide the recommendations in order to weeding
policy
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 5

6. • To save space of the library
• To optimize the use of shelving space available
• To improve use of library resources
• To save time that is required to find a demanded
document for circulation and less time is required for
replacing it
• To maintain the collection becomes less expansive in
terms of staff time and storage space
• To serve the library users more effective because little-
used materials can be shifted to storage section in less
expansive area
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 6

7. • Library collection will be reliable and up-to-date
• Library collection will look attractive and inviting
• Library collection will reflect current thinking and
attitudes
• Students and teachers will be able to easily find what
they need
• Library professionals will be familiar with their
collection’s strengths and gaps
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 7

8. • Books that are mutilated by users because of constant use
should be withdrawn,
• Best seller fiction and non-fiction used by hundred of
readers become worn out after sometime. Such documents
should be weeded out,
• Text books and language books printed on inferior quality
paper deteriorate soon. They can be weeded out once they
are worn out,
• In the field of science and technology the developments are
so fast that the books published twenty or thirty years ago
become outdated. Such books have to be weeded out and
replaced by latest edition or by new books on the subject.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 8

9. • Reference books such as Yearbooks, Annuals, Handbooks
etc. that are published periodically have to be replaced by
their new editions and the older editions are to be discarded,
• Some of the books and journals after the frequency of their
use get reduced or even in the beginning itself should be
replaced by new form of documents like microforms, CD-
ROMs and DVD etc.
• Finally, a library should always keep in mind
Ranganathan’s Fifth Law “Library is a growing organism”
with the increase in the number of documents space
becomes a problem. So, it is essential to weed out all
unserviceable materials to find place for new and urgently
needed books and other documents.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 9

10. • Selection of Materials: Considering selection guide for
weeding library resources, Librarian visits the shelves,
picks up the item after reviewing the title, its contents, and
the issue slips to determine the amount of use of the
materials for possible withdrawal from the library
collection.
• Preparation of List: A list of selected materials for
weeding is prepared with the following details: Author,
Title, Call No., Publisher, Year of publication, Copy No.,
Edition/Volume, Type of material, Reasons for withdrawal,
Action including recommendation and/or decision.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 10

11. • Review/Decision: The list is forwarded to the different
departmental teachers; then to principal/Headmaster,
and finally to the weeding sub-committee for their
opinion on one of the following actions-weed out, do
not weed out, send to departmental library, keep in
secondary storage, or any other decision.
• Submitted to LA/LC: The final list is submitted to the
library authority (LA) or library committee (LC) for the
final decision. Necessary action is taken according to
the final decision recorded by the LA/LC.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 11

12. • Distribution of Material: In case of the LA/LC
decides against the weeding of any material, and then
no action is taken upon it.
• Pulling Out: In case of the LA/LC decides to weed out
a particular material, then that material is pulling out
from the shelves for weeding.
• Secondary Storage Area: In case of the LA/LC
decides to keep the material in the secondary storage
area, and then the weeded out material is forwarded to
the secondary storage area by the library staff.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 12

13.  Donate: If the material discarded has potential value
for other libraries (Academic or Public) in the West
Bengal in that order, they should be sent to them.
 Sell: If donation was not possible in any way, the
material will be offered for sale to the public. The
amount received from the sale may be deposited to
library account.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 13

14. • Recycle: One of the recommended environmentally
friendly methods of disposing of materials is to recycle
them through government or private agencies.
• Destroy: Destruction is the last resort, if the library
materials cannot be donated, sold, or recycled. This can
be done in the following three ways:
• Burning in an incinerator
• Tossing into the trash by removing the hard cover and
tearing of some pages.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 14

15. • Removal of obsolete or backdated and unused
materials, infrequently used materials and out-of-date
materials.
• The documents which are physically unfit for
circulation, for example, torn, mutilated, generally
ragged or without some leaves may be weeded out.
• The excess duplicate copies of a document, not in much
demand, may be weeded out.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 15

16.  Superseded editions of books may be weeded.
 Separate section or block of library storage of less used
collection with rare books, important out-of-print
books, editions with special importance, archive
documents, and the like, so that serious readers,
researchers may be served with those documents.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 16

17.  School staffs need to be aware of school’s policy on
disposal, so any discussion around this can be open and
question clarified.
 Disposing of library materials can be a sensitive issue,
and the agreed options should be documented in school
library management statement.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 17

18.  The library materials weeded out from the library
collection may be grouped in two categories.
 Firstly, materials to be withdrawn or discarded from the
library collection, and
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 18

19. • secondly materials weeded out from the active
collection but kept in separate sequence in a storage,
meant for little-used collection i.e. called relegation.
• Relegation is a part of the total library collection,
means the second type of library holding i.e. for
materials removed from the active collection and kept
in low-used storage.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 19

20.  Weeding should be regular and continuing process. The
librarian has to personally involve in it. Sometimes
members of library committee or the nominee(s) of the
library authority appointed for the purpose may take
decisions and implement weeding out of materials from
the library collection.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 20

21. • www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/lb/documents/weedingbrochure.pdf
• Mahapatra, P. K. (1999). Collection management in libraries. Ess Ess
Publications, New delhi.
• www.library.wlu.edu/universitylibraryweedingpolicy.pdf
• Sharma, J. S. (1978). Library organization. Vikas Publishing, New Delhi.
• Chopra, H. R. (1994). Weeding-out library materials. In Academic
libraries. Ed. By D. D. Chaturvedi. Anmol Publications, New Delhi.
• www.library.kfupm.edu.sa/policies/pdf/publishedweedingpolicy.pdf
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 21

22. • www.library.kfupm.edu.sa/policies/pdf/publishedwee
dingpolicy.pdf
• American Library Association (1989). Guide to the
evaluation of library collection. ALA, Chicago.
• Futas, E. (1995). Collection development policies and
procedures. Oryx Press, Arizona.
• Slote, S. (1989). Weeding library collection: library
weeding methods. Libraries Unlimited, Littleton.
18 May 2021
WEEDING AS A PART OF
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT: A
GUIDE FOR LIBRARIES/DR.
SANTOSH KUMAR TUNGA 22