A good library collection is like a good haircut. It’s not what you cut — it’s what you leave.
Anne Felix, Grand Prairie (Texas) Public Library System
Bad News
- Books in Dumpsters Spark Debate on Future of Fairfax County, VA Libraries — By Ian Chant, Library Journal, September 25, 2013
- “Do you ever read any of the books you [weed]?” — Controversy about a decision by the Urbana (IL) Free Library’s director, to weed books in the print collection by date alone.
Bad Books
- Awful Library Books — “Hoarding is not collection development”
- Weed ‘Em and Weep! — Slideshare presentation by Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly of Awful Library Books
Sample Weeding Policies
Weeding Articles [EBSCO links]
- Weeding in a digital age — By Alene E. Moroni, Library Journal, 9/15/2012
- Weeding Gone Wild: Planning and Implementing a Review of the Reference Collection — by Carol A. Singer, Reference & User Services Quarterly, Spring 2008
- Weed ‘Em and Reap: The Art of Weeding to Avoid Criticism — by Melissa Allen, Library Media Connection, May/Jun2010 —
- When Weeding Hits the Headlines: How to Stop Your Library from Making (That Kind of) News — by Nancy McCormack, Feliciter, 2008
- Print to digital: Opportunities for Choice — by Ellen McNair, Library Media Connection, May/June 2012
Getting Creative with Weeded Books
- WEEDED: Book Art on Display
- Weeding, Weeding, and Weeding Some More — From the Book Bug blog
- Recycling Old Books — You’ll find lots of great ideas on this Pinterest board
- 3rd Annual Book Art Contest — From the Greenville College Papyrus site
- Upcycled Books Round Up — From the Homemade City blog
- Librarians give old books new life when space becomes scarce — R=Tarrant County Collegian, September 10, 2013.