Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Weeding Adds Value To Library Collections: Weighing The Cost Of Weeding And The Cost Of Keeping Books, Tina Chrzastowski, Jessica Harris

Staff publications, research, and presentations

Weeding in libraries is often like the gardening chore it is named for: sweaty hours spent among dirty tangles to clear out messy undergrowth and remove unwanted materials. But the analogy stops there - the intellectual pursuit of a well-managed collection includes much more than identifying and removing materials from the shelf. In fact, the daunting, many-faceted weeding process can keep librarians from tackling this very crucial task. A collection left unassessed, left to grow ungainly, is also a missed opportunity to add value, and real cost savings, to the collection through weeding. Santa Clara University Library undertook a reference …