From a national perspective, we now understand that collections are hugely redundant and large portions go unused. Collections were built on a just-in-case basis over the course of centuries; when items needed to be close at hand and out-of-print titles were difficult and expensive to acquire, this was the best strategy to ensure access. This … Continue reading Rightsizing Your Collection
In Episode 36 of the Dewey Decibel podcast, two librarians discuss different aspects of the weeding process. American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart speaks with Rebecca Vnuk, executive director of LibraryReads and author of The Weeding Handbook: A Shelf-By Shelf Guide (ALA Editions, 2015) about why weeding is necessary, how to get started, and … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: Spring Cleaning
What made you want to write this book? Library weeding has always been something I enjoy—and that I’ve had lots of experience with—so when I came to Booklist, I started writing a series of online columns called Weeding Tips. The response to it was huge, so turning those columns into a book seemed like a … Continue reading A Conversation with Author Rebecca Vnuk
In 2013, Highland Park (Mich.) High School was accused of throwing out a large collection of history materials, including some rare items, which had been cultivated over a 50-year period. That same year, the Urbana (Ill.) Free Library discarded nearly 10,000 items, apparently just based on age, rather than condition or use. The discarding was … Continue reading Weeding without Worry
The textbook treatment, The Complete Guide to Acquisitions Management, 2nd edition, by Frances C. Wilkinson, Linda K. Lewis, and Rebecca L. Lubas, covers the essentials of the purchasing process for monographs, serials, and digital items as well as out-of-print and antiquarian materials. Several chapters focus on industry partners in the acquisitions process: the publishers and … Continue reading Understanding Acquisitions
Through her long career, Peggy Johnson, author of Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management, now in its third edition, has been one of many librarians who has taken the profession from book selection and purchasing to collection management by addressing such issues as cooperative collection development, collection analysis, and scholarly communications. Her book’s introduction explains … Continue reading Building the Collection
