Public Library Collection Development: Weeding Library Collections - Research Paper Example

? Public Library Collection Development: Weeding Library Collections Affiliation with more information about affiliation, research grants, conflict of interest and how to contact Public Library Collection Development: Weeding Library Collections Introduction/Background of the Study: Library is a sacred place where people come in search of knowledge, for educating themselves, and to transform their ignorance into enlightenment. Therefore, elegance in display, neat and tidy stacking of the books and the books themselves being in good condition are the basic qualities that a library should possess in order to attract and retain it memberships. Patrons coming into a library expect an enjoyable experience which includes not only good services but also in terms of easy accessibility, display and condition of books. There is no point in keeping an outdated and shabby “collection focused on the needs of patrons from 20 years ago” to the modern day customers whose tastes and aspirations vary vastly (Francis, 2012, p.220). Thus, the regular weeding out of outdated or overused collection is a mandatory requirement for rendering the library a sophisticated outlook as well as updating its reference books. In addition, with the passage of time, many aspects relating to books will keep changing. For example, because of the introduction of certain online resources, people may no more be using such books which are available through websites. Thus, libraries need to undertake periodical reviews of their book collection, identify items that will not be in demand or those in bad physical condition and weed them out. This will enable them to replenish their stock with appropriate books that are relevant to the present times and that will cater to the needs of the modern patron, which will enhance the library’s reputation as the provider of reference and entertainment material. Francis (2012), in a case study carried out on Dakota State University, finds that though collection management in respect of reference materials is a significant area for the librarian, this aspect still remains “only lightly touched on in the literature” and this leaves ample scope for further exploration in this field of study (p.221). This case study has attempted to address the main concerns relating to procedures to be followed when conducting a weeding program for reference materials and what kind of benefits a “complete review of reference collection” may fetch as well as the challenges one may encounter in the process (p.220). According to this study, the process of weeding needs to mainly focus on: (a) updating collection and removing items that are outdated, (b) freeing space, (c) identifying books that electronic versions can replace, (d) rendering an appealing appearance to books, (e) enhancing the knowledge value of contents (f) locating lost items, and (g) developing policies for “future reference collection weeding” (p.222). Though some people feel that in a scenario of advanced technology and many emerging trends in this field, the concept of print books and libraries to accommodate them has become irrelevant. However, there are many patrons who rather prefer books in print over electronic versions and also there are people who are not conversant with modern technology and they feel comfortable with the traditional print media. Therefore, libraries have to still retain their stock of printed books and, in order to manage their collection in a systematically, they also need to carry out timely weeding, which is an imperative and inescapable activity. Ginny Collier, a practicing librarian, who incorporates a methodological system in her profession, enjoys verifying the circulation of books to determine which ones she should retain and which are to be weeded (Collier, 2010, p.51). She recognizes the problem of some librarians harboring misconceived notions that books, once acquired in a library, are not to be weeded because they think a patron may require it at a later stage. Thus, they become reluctant to weed the books in time. However, she considers this as a misplaced apprehension because libraries cannot always provide the patrons whatever they ask for and missing out on one or two books is not such a major issue. This contention is quite right because a library should not feel limited to having to keep a collection of old, shabby books on the chance that a customer may at some stage ask for a certain book. Instead they need to focus on the needs of the larger patron base and weed outdated books regularly. Collier (2010) also delineates certain criteria for weeding such as: (a) date of publication, especially those in science or medicine, because in these areas new theories and innovations occur frequently, (b) appearance of the book, (c) items that circulate less, (d) and books that have not been borrowed for a while, for example, “more than two years” (p.52-53). If the libraries carryout weeding with due consideration of these aspects, on regular intervals, they will definitely be able to evolve a proper system of collection management and avoid unnecessary piling up of old books. It further transpires that a library’s collection must be “reflective of the needs of those” it serves and not the management’s preferences and, therefore, they always should strive to keep it updated, and make sure that the collection is useful to and being used by the community (Collier, 2010, p.53). Thus, timely weeding is an imperative requirement for every library so that they can provide their patrons with updated collection that meets their requirements avoid wastage of space besides rendering a neat and tidy look to the library. However, Merle Jacob, Director of Library Collection Development at the Chicago Public Library finds that weeding the fiction collection as well as teaching someone about it is “one of the most difficult things” because the process is associated with addressing one’s “mistakes, bias and inadequacies simultaneously” (Jacobs, 2001, p.234). Further, the category of fiction raises a lot of issues due to its specific nature and it becomes difficult to determine which titles to keep and which ones to weed. This difficulty derives basically from the fact that unlike in the case of reference books adopting a certain criteria is difficult for fiction. For example, there may be an excellent piece of work that a librarian thinks is a valuable item in the collection but patron may not appreciate the book in the same context. Besides, one has to take into consideration aspects such as representation of all genres as well as inclusion of literary works. Thus, librarians often find it a difficult proposition to match the collection content to the specific needs of the patrons. The author, therefore, recites her personal experiences as a librarian, who has handled a variety of weeding procedures to give her audience a balanced view of the issue. According to Jacobs (2001), the most difficult area of weeding is fiction due to its lack of definitive weeding criteria as can be determined for non-fictional reference books and also, the needs of different libraries vary. She believes that weeding is a librarian’s “most professional duty” and suggests 12 focus areas to help one determine what items from the collection to weed, such as: (a) “Relevance” in terms of the needs of the community and to motivate usage, (b) “Currency” for updating as well as retaining patrons’ interest, (c) “Appeal” to attain a good look, (d) to increase “Circulation” as weeding helps patrons to select their choices easily, (e) enhance “Accessibility” because customers and librarians can access materials easily (f) speed up “Turn Over Rates,” (g) regular weeding will help save “Space,” (h) it also reduce “Costs” in terms of expenditure being incurred on archiving (i) “Value of Books” as it changes over time (j) weeding unnecessary items increases librarians’ “Awareness” of retained books, (k) help attain “Balance” between old and new authors, and (l) facilitates “Feedback” (Jacobs, 2001, p.235). The author further contends that availability of correct information, which also includes a plan for the collection development, is an important ingredient in making the weeding projects successful. The plan of action, according to her, also needs to encompass evaluation of statistics relating various aspects lending such as frequency of circulation of books, patrons’ preferences about certain items, visibility in shelf space, neighboring libraries and their content etc (p.236). Action plans should also consider parameters for determining book conditions, timeframes within which weeding is to be carried out and keeping proper records of it apart from arranging the necessary equipment and technical support (p.237). It becomes evident that the author has identified all these aspects from her personal experience and if one systematically organizes the weeding, it can be easily and effectively carried out so that the library will remain updated and the patrons can easily access the books they want. Besides, it can also facilitate ample shelf space and an appealing look to the library. Evans & Saponaro (2012) consider the evaluation of the collection, which has been in practice since long, as an important tool in assessing the strength and weakness of the library as well as to determine the direction in which it needs to proceed in the future (p.133). It is also necessary to facilitate a proper system of internal assessment so as to enable the organization to be accountable to external stakeholders like sponsoring authorities and general public. Besides, evaluation and assessment will also provide the librarians a clear understanding of the present status of books and compare it with the needs of the community. Thus, they will be able to weed unnecessary items and replenish the stock with books that are currently in demand and those that will serve the interests of the community better. Evans & Saponaro further suggest several methodologies such as statistical analysis, feedback from users, citation and in-house use studies, as well as “shelf-availability” for collection assessment (Evans & Saponaro, 2012, p.137). They also contend that the check listing system will help libraries to manage their collection properly and help them which books to retain, which ones to weed and what new items are to be procured from the market. They also advocate an emerging “assessment tool” known as the “Bowker Book Analysis Systems (BBAS)” that can help in “identifying gaps as well as duplication in the collection” (p.141). Besides, they also emphasize the relevance of “collection standards” as an assessment tool to determine the quality of the collection (p.142). With the emergence of new technologies in Library Science, as in all other fields, several supporting elements may emerge in the future to make the maintenance of libraries more easy and efficient. However, there is no denial of the fact that timely weeding out is a crucial and inevitable part of the library management activity to facility a highly effective system of collection management. Eliminating outdated out dated materials and replenishing one’s resources with current and relevant items are activities that apply to many aspects of human life. However, in the case of libraries, which are sources of knowledge gaining not only for the academic fraternity but also for the entire community, this exercise is of paramount significance. Thus, libraries needs to undertake regular and systematic weeding by properly identifying the items from their collection that are obsolete or irrelevant to the present context and which do not serve the interest of a wide group of patrons. Besides, they also need to replace books that are not in circulation with such books that are useful to the customers. Regular and timely weeding will help libraries to organize as well as access and distribute their resources easily and thus enable them to serve the society in a better manner. In addition to saving space, it will also render the libraries a presentable and elegant appearance that befits an organization serving such a noble purpose. Reference List Collier, G. (2010). The Reluctant Weeder: Embracing the Joy of Weeding. Children and Libraries: Summer/Fall 2010, pp.51-54. Evans, G. E & Saponaro, M. Z. (2012). Collection Management Basics. 6th ed. ABC-CLIO: California, US. Francis, M. (2012). Weeding the Reference Collection: A Case Study of Collection Management. The Reference Librarian. 53:2, pp.219-234. Retrieved from Jacob, M. (2001). Weeding the Fiction Collection. Or Should I Dump Payton Place? References and User Services Quarterly. 40:3, 2001. pp.234-239. Read More