Criteria for Weeding

• 1). Set aside shabby items as you shelve. Train shelvers and circulation desk staff to perform this task continuously, as they handle the items. A librarian should review these items for possible removal or replacement with a new copy.
  
  
• 2). Discard severely damaged or scratched DVDs and CDs. If these items still circulate often, consider replacing them. Update the format, if needed. For example, replace a VHS with a DVD.
  
  
• 3). Discard periodicals after five years or even sooner if they are damaged or the library has no space available for storage.
  
  
• 4). Discard duplicates of items that are no longer as popular. For example, if your library ordered 10 copies of a Danielle Steele novel published a decade ago but it is no longer checked out, discard seven or eight of the shabbiest copies.
  
  
• 5). Discard materials that contain obsolete information. Weed aggressively in areas like health, science, computers and travel. For example, discard a 1995 edition of a travel guide to Morocco in favor of the current edition. Update your health collection and encyclopedias with books covering the newest advances.
  
  
• 6). Generate circulation reports on a quarterly basis to pinpoint items that no longer circulate. Discard items that patrons have not checked out in three to five years.
  
  

Weeding Process

• 1). Develop a weeding schedule. While weeding of shabby and outdated materials is an ongoing, continuous process, target specific areas of the collection for more aggressive weeding according to your schedule. For example, schedule the holiday collection for weeding in January and young adult fiction in February.
  
  
• 2). Consult with co-workers to generate second and third opinions of materials that you plan to discard. Your co-workers may recommend purchasing a new copy to replace the old if they consider the material valuable or may make suggestions for new materials.
  
  
• 3). Solicit input from your patrons. The library exists to serve its patrons and their interests. Post a list of candidates for removal on the library's website and offer patrons the opportunity to comment.
  
  
• 4). Place candidates for removal in storage, if available, for a period of time before permanently discarding them. This offers patrons the chance to check out the material. If it still does not circulate, discard it.