@leftyjenkins RE: Weeding Advice #weeding

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Friday, August 14, 2009 | 20:04 UTC-5 | | No comments

by Donna Baumbach @AuntyTech (Is it you? Click to confirm)

I'll give you a little of my advice about weeding. First, CONGRATULATIONS for recognizing the need! You'll shape that collection up in no time.

Second, WAIT! You have plenty to do right now. Get to know the students, the teachers, the curriculum, the needs and interests, the strengths and weaknesses of the collection.

When ready (might be as long as a year or as short as a few months) launch a plan of attact...maybe a shelf a week, or a Dewey section a month...set a schedule and stick to it. If there are sections you need help with, ask teachers who know that subject and use the media center (or encourage students to use it.) Start building relationships and planting the seeds for weeding...show supporters some examples of why things must be weeded.

You can get some ideas and criteria at SUNLINK's Weed of the Month (although the info is old now and probably should be weeded--the criteria is still appropriate for the most part.)

http://www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed/

Meanwhile, you can begin pulling obvious weeds: oldy moldies, those in very poor condition, misleading titles (China TODAY, Our State Now, Modern Anything....with old copyright dates). If you have an automated system, check on those keywords in titles....

And keep track of requests you can't fill for replacing ASAP.

Of course, I'd also recommend Less Is More from ALA by yours truly and Linda Miller:

http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=210

http://www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed/lessMore.html

@auntytech

D. Baumbach

baumbach@mail.ucf.edu

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