I read the article "Crying Over Spilled Milk" by Gail Dickinson in the Library Media Connection April/May 2005 issue. After our class discussion from a few weeks ago, I became interested in the weeding process. I never had given much thought about what should happen to books when they are no longer being checked out.
The author defines weeding as, "the ongoing process of removing resources from a collection." Librarians have the job of adding and removing from collections. Weeding is one of the many professional responsibilities that librarians have. Weeding should be done throughout the year. The author suggests to weed fifteen minutes a week as everyone can spare that amount of time as well as it is a great routine to get into.
Gail Dickinson included two acronyms for weeding: MUSTY and CREW. From reading this article I do see the importance of weeding. I plan to use the MUSTY tool as a weeding guideline. I also will use the suggestion from the librarian that I interviewed for the Collection Development assignment she said that she started with sections of the library. I think the thought of weeding an entire collection is overwhelming, but broken down into chunks it seems like it could be more manageable. I am concerned about administration not being supportive of weeding especially with budgets so tight. My biggest fear is that I will weed something that is important to a staff member.
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