Comments on: on weeding http://rogersurbanek.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/on-weeding/ Librarian. Geek. You can't take the sky from me. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:46:12 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Jenica http://rogersurbanek.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/on-weeding/#comment-331 Jenica Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:59:37 +0000 http://rogersurbanek.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/on-weeding/#comment-331 I agree that things are lost when we weed -- but, for example, it's not my institution's mission to keep information on Sir Sandford Fleming's contributions to the time conference of 1884, because that's not a part of our curriculum, and we're not an archive or a research library. It's absolutely valuable information, but it's not best suited to <i>my</i> libraries' collections. And so, in the interests of adding seven new books to a shelf of books on death and dying in America, I withdrew a dozen others that were undoubtedly full of valuable scholarship, but which were a) out of date, b) marginal to our curriculum (at best!), and c) not usable at the basic undergraduate level. All information has an intrinsic value, but we have to get rid of that which does not serve our users, particularly in a zero-growth library that doesn't have on-staff technologists who can digitize, index, archive, and make accessible in a user-friendly format the materials we can't keep on the shelf. I agree that things are lost when we weed — but, for example, it’s not my institution’s mission to keep information on Sir Sandford Fleming’s contributions to the time conference of 1884, because that’s not a part of our curriculum, and we’re not an archive or a research library. It’s absolutely valuable information, but it’s not best suited to my libraries’ collections. And so, in the interests of adding seven new books to a shelf of books on death and dying in America, I withdrew a dozen others that were undoubtedly full of valuable scholarship, but which were a) out of date, b) marginal to our curriculum (at best!), and c) not usable at the basic undergraduate level.

All information has an intrinsic value, but we have to get rid of that which does not serve our users, particularly in a zero-growth library that doesn’t have on-staff technologists who can digitize, index, archive, and make accessible in a user-friendly format the materials we can’t keep on the shelf.

]]> By: thedonofpages http://rogersurbanek.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/on-weeding/#comment-326 thedonofpages Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:55:53 +0000 http://rogersurbanek.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/on-weeding/#comment-326 I have mixed feelings about weeding. One possibility to make space is to use of technology. An encyclopedia can take up a whole shelf, but in ascii format, it might fit on a single disk a few millimeters thick. My mom has "The New International Encyclopaedia, 2nd edition". It has information in detail not to be found anywhere. As time marches on, newer editions paraphrase, condense, and finally eliminate. It was published in 1928. Back then, the contribution of Sir Sandford Fleming to the time conference of Oct 1, 1884 and the French holdout until 1911 were detailed. Today it has been forgotten. Weeding can do that. I have mixed feelings about weeding. One possibility to make space is to use of technology. An encyclopedia can take up a whole shelf, but in ascii format, it might fit on a single disk a few millimeters thick. My mom has “The New International Encyclopaedia, 2nd edition”. It has information in detail not to be found anywhere. As time marches on, newer editions paraphrase, condense, and finally eliminate. It was published in 1928. Back then, the contribution of Sir Sandford Fleming to the time conference of Oct 1, 1884 and the French holdout until 1911 were detailed. Today it has been forgotten. Weeding can do that.

]]> By: Ane http://rogersurbanek.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/on-weeding/#comment-324 Ane Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:55:43 +0000 http://rogersurbanek.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/on-weeding/#comment-324 We have a weeding plan and rotate through part of the collection each years so the entire collection gets looked at every 5 years. I'm really very proud of the way we handle it and the policies and procedures we have in place. We've also gotten good responses from faculty because we've educated them and given them a place in the process. Weeding=good. If we're not evaluating our collections we're not doing our jobs. We have a weeding plan and rotate through part of the collection each years so the entire collection gets looked at every 5 years. I’m really very proud of the way we handle it and the policies and procedures we have in place. We’ve also gotten good responses from faculty because we’ve educated them and given them a place in the process.
Weeding=good. If we’re not evaluating our collections we’re not doing our jobs.

]]> By: Get Rid of It! (And Don’t Be Afraid!) « The Searching Librarian http://rogersurbanek.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/on-weeding/#comment-323 Get Rid of It! (And Don’t Be Afraid!) « The Searching Librarian Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:10:09 +0000 http://rogersurbanek.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/on-weeding/#comment-323 [...] 25th, 2007 by darrtk Jenica is encouraging me/us to get rid of our old stuff and I need to listen. I don’t have any room [...] [...] 25th, 2007 by darrtk Jenica is encouraging me/us to get rid of our old stuff and I need to listen. I don’t have any room [...]

]]> By: Jeff http://rogersurbanek.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/on-weeding/#comment-322 Jeff Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:36:57 +0000 http://rogersurbanek.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/on-weeding/#comment-322 Great post! Everyone needs to weed to stay current, otherwise the entire collection will remain current for the year 1998. (will it become an archive next year?) However, weeding is always a sticky subject. Plus weed increases circulation, big time. Think about buying a house. If you see a house that has a bunch of weeds in the front yard what do you think? Nobody takes care of this thing. Same for libraries. Great post! Everyone needs to weed to stay current, otherwise the entire collection will remain current for the year 1998. (will it become an archive next year?) However, weeding is always a sticky subject.

Plus weed increases circulation, big time. Think about buying a house. If you see a house that has a bunch of weeds in the front yard what do you think? Nobody takes care of this thing. Same for libraries.

]]>