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Ethics of Weeding
CKLS AdministratorHarry Willems
If you print this presentation, print the notes as well. See http://tinyurl.com/24b99aj for instructions.
Chris RippelCKLS Consultant
A program for Everyday Ethics, May 2010
This presentation covers:
• Ethical theories• Librarians learn to weed• Weeding as part of collection development• Ethical weeding• Some recommendations
Ethical theories
• Goodness = ethics - the goodness of the outcome makes it ethical (Kant)o Ridding the library of outdated, misleading, ugly materials is goodo Room to shelve/re-shelve is good
• Happiness and serenity = ethics - ridding one of superstition and fear (Epicurus)o Discarding is so beneficial it rids us of superstition and fearo Superstitions about “sacred” items disappear
• Moral individuals live according to the dictates of reason (Epictetus)o Understanding who we serve and the purpose of our library
o Source: “The Ethics of Library Discard Practices” by Rosann Bazirjian, The Acquisitions Librarians, Vol. 2, # 3, September 1990, pp. 136-146.
Librarians learn to weed1893: Weeding to save space
Thomas Crane Public Library Quincy, Massachusetts, 1882Built with supposedly enough room for 100 years of growth. Library filled up in 10 years.Source of pictures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Crane_Public_Library
Librarians learn to weedQuincy Plan debate at national convention in 1893
Melvil Dewey
When a librarian goes through his collection and selects the books that he thinks will be no longer useful it will happen that the very next week perhaps some man will come in and want that very book that has been thrown away. Perhaps this man's grandmother placed that book there. Packing the books in close stacks, it seems to me, would be more economical than [weeding]. In carrying it out I am afraid you will not only fail to save money but will cause an amount of criticism that will make it very undesirable. It is bad enough to stand the critics who complain that a book … has not been bought. You can always fall back on lack of funds. But it is a rash librarian who would like to tell one of these gentry that he had recently thrown that very book away. It is a nice question to determine what to add. To decide what to reject after it is^ received, paid for, and cataloged is infinitely more difficult.
Stanley J. Slote studies of eight public libraries discovered that past circulation is the best predictor of future circulation. - Source: Weeding Library Collections by Stanley J. Slote, 1989, p. 64.
In 1985, Loriene Roy weeded 10% of three Illinois public libraries. One-percent of weeded books were requested during the next eight months. - Source: “Weeding without tears” by Loriene Roy, Collection Management Vol. 12, #1 and 2, 1990, pp. 83-93, p. 91.
Librarians learn to weed
Harvard PresidentCharles William Eliot
Use circulation statistics to identify “living” and “dead” books. Store “dead” books in another location.
1902: Circulation as criteria for weeding
Librarians learn to weed1911: Weeding to aid patrons
Fifth Earl of RoseberyArchibald Philip Primrose
“We have learned that the more books we eliminate, the higher our circulation goes…. [I] could provide statistics to prove that 10 percent weeding job would automatically result in upward circulation of 5 to 10 percent. … There must be a point of diminishing return, but we haven’t found it yet.” - Eliot Shelkrot, Baltimore County Public Library, 1980s. - Source: “Does weeding increase circulation?” Loriene Roy Collection Management. Vol. 10, #1 and 2, 1988, pp. 141-156, p. 146 and 1952.
In 1973, when Stanley J. Slote weeded 20% of fiction, six months later circulation increased 106.2%, 20 months later the increase was 121.2%. - Source: Weeding Library Collections by Stanley J. Slote, 1989, p. 65.
“Huge cemeteries of dead books” depress me.
Librarians learn to weedBenefits of weeding
1. Saving space2. Saving patrons’ and staffs’ time3. Increasing library appeal4. Enhancing collection’s reputation for being up to date5. Providing feedback on care of items6. Providing feedback of collection’s strengths and
weaknesses7. Increasing use of other materials8. Making room for more valuable materials9. Encouraging patrons to be more careful handling
materials10. Broadcasting need for more materials11. Reducing duplicate copies12. Withdrawing sexist materials13. Eliminating items no longer fitting library’s mission14. Eliminating items outside patrons’ reading level
1. Instilling greater sensitivity in selection2. Eliminating items no longer of interest to patrons3. Saving overhead costs of retaining books4. Reducing binding costs5. Encumbering catalog and saving time in its use6. Protecting readers from inaccurate information7. Withdrawing irreplaceable books8. Reducing expenses for fire insurance9. Saving time inventorying10. Encouraging browsing11. Forcing librarians to write logical and meaningful
collection development policies12. Forcing more communication with faculty13. Improving library safety
- Source “Weeding” article in Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, Vol. 54, 1994, page 367 - 368.
Librarians learn to weedDevelopment of weeding criteria
CREW Method by Segal, 1980MustyUglySupersededTrivialIrrelevant to your collectionElsewhere availability, e.g., interlibrary loan
CREW: A Weeding manual for modern libraries, 2008, pp. 46-7.Available online at http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/crew/
Librarians learn to weedWeeding as part of collection development
Source: CREW: A Weeding manual for modern libraries, 2008, page 11.Available online at http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/crew/
Weeding’s place in the cosmos.
The CREW Manual teaches that CREW is part of a great cycle of creation and destruction for maintaining the vitality of library collections.
Librarians learn to weedCollection development cycle
Leaving outa step
is unethical
Read reviews and purchase books
Process and Catalog books
Shelve andCirculate books
Weed and discard books
Librarians learn to weedEthical weeding
LOOKSFirst impressions, space to browse,
clean & bright covers, room for face-out display
Outdated InformationScience, law, medical, child training
Worn out and tatteredMUSTIE, replace, repair
Space - Shelving RoomAdequate library shelving, room to expand, room to re-shelve,
pleasing to the eye, ADA compliant
MISSION of Your LibraryEducation - Archival - Social gathering - Recreational reading
Is weeding ethical?What about books?
… weeding may appear to be anti-book and anti-library?
To book-lovers who believe libraries are about books, …
Ethical weedingEthical weeding is a balance
Weeding to maintain useful library collections
“Ethical dilemmas occur when values are in conflict.” • from “American Library Association Code of Ethics” at http://tinyurl.com/6x3246
Loving, preserving and promoting good books
Ethical weedingLibrary shelving denies “Every book, its reader.”
Shelves 2, 3 and 4 circulate 45% more books than the lowest three shelves.
Shelves just inside the door circulate 24% more books than shelves 15 feet inside the door.
Source: “The Influence of sloping shelves on book circulation” by Ralph R. Shaw, The Library Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 4, October 1938, pp. 480-490.
Ethical weedingDisplaying weeded books restores ethical balance
Year Books weeded # Displayed # Circulated from display
1911 Biographies 205 28 (14%)1940 Non-fiction 1,959 326 (14%)1940 Fiction 2,245 1,029 (46%)
Source: “Does weeding increase circulation?: A review of the related literature” by Loriene Roy. Collection Management Vol. 10 (1/2) 1988. pp. 141-156.
Week 1display
Week 2display
Week 3display
Pulledfrom
shelves
Week 4Removed
fromcatalog
and library
Displays should start with 12 books.
And for heaven’s sake don’t put up a sign saying, “Check me out or I will be trashed.”
Ethical weedingWords and actions affect the level of controversy
Protected values = Protecting an ethical position by being unwilling to compromise for any other value. Example: Against abortion even to save the life of the mother. Early psychology experiments exploring this concept described people with protected values as truly uncompromising. More recent research shows that people who claim to be against something under all circumstances actually soften their stance under certain conditions.• “tragic tradeoffs,” e.g., weeding some books for access to other
books• directing attention toward the benefits • slow decision making
Bottom line: the way we explain and do weeding affects its level of controversy.
Cultivating the collectionSpend 15 to 20 minutes of each day cultivating one shelf.
Staff may think that it is not possible to weed a little bit every day, but in fact with a little practice, that is exactly what we can do. If staff and volunteers are trained to look for shabby and outdated items, these materials can be pulled for review by the appropriate person on a weekly basis. … It’s not enough to weed every couple of years or only when space is getting tight. A vital, viable library collection is reviewed on an on-going basis. - CREW Manual, p. 11-12.
After one shelf is completed, stop for the day.
Apply CREW guidelines and MUSTIE to each book.
Books that have not circulated in 10 years, put on display between front door and circulation desk.
Please read, CREW Manual, pages 22 to 28 and 46 to 48
Please read, CREW Manual, step 10, page 28
Cultivating the collectionReplanting books
• Library book sales and giveawayso Your county fairso List books sales on www.booksalefinder.com
• Large print to local nursing homes• Nearby prisons may accept books• Book shelves in local motels with welcome sign and donation box• Handing westerns to truck drivers waiting at grain elevators• Organizations in nearby, larger towns wanting books• Sell books: Better World Books at http://tinyurl.com/ydjwgdp• Sell books: B-logistics at www.blogistics.com/• Swap books: BookMooch at www.bookmooch.com/• Recycle
Cultivating the collectionTalking points explaining cultivating the collection
• One goal of our library is to help readers find books and to ensure that each book has a reader.
• To help our readers find books, we make the collection as attractive and useful as possible. We remove out-of-date books. We repair damaged books. We clean grimy books.
• To help books find readers, we place books that have not circulated in a long time on a display near the front door to increase the chance readers will check out those books.
• Since research clearly shows that past circulation is the best predictor of future circulation, if a book does not circulate after three weeks on display, then it is a safe bet that this library is no longer the best place for that book to find a reader. So we give the book to another organization to make room for other books readers want to read.
• Research shows that this process helps readers find the books they want and more of our collection circulates.
Cultivating the collectionOf the articles listed on our “Ethics of Weeding” WebJunction page, Chris recommends this one.
“Weed It! : For an attractive and useful collection”• Why do we weed?• What happened in San Francisco?• How do we get staff and public on Our side?• Are some materials sacred?• What do we do with weeded materials?• How to convince staff and the public that weeding is necessary?
at www.wmrls.org/services/colldev/weed_it.html
Harry [email protected]
Chris [email protected]
Thank you for participating.
Contact information:
Central Kansas Library System1409 Williams StreetGreat Bend, Kansas 67530800-362-2642 (Kansas only)620-792-4865www.ckls.org
