Weeding for Success
Course
You Can CREW! [6:54]
In this lesson, we will discuss how to create a weeding policy and how to use the CREW method with your collection.
First, it is a good idea to review your policies. Yes, I know you probably have them all memorized but trust me, you need to read the policies related to your collection. Look at the selection policy to remind yourself of the priorities for the collection. Priorities and guidelines change overtime and materials that were selected 20 years ago may no longer be a match for the collection even if the material is still in good condition. Set goals for the year. Ideally the entire collection is reviewed for weeding decisions every three to four years and a good rule of thumb is to aim to weed out about 5% of the collection every year or at least as much as you were adding. This doesn't mean that if you took a snapshot of the collection today none of those books would be there in 20 years, but it does mean that the collection's age stays within a reasonable copyright zone. You will retain some books that are older than 20 years, while discarding some that are less than five years old. State standards or voluntary guidelines often set a standard for average copyright age. In Texas for example, the third level down in the standards is for an acceptable collection. That school library has a collection with an overall average copyright age of 15 years. That figure includes copyright dates for fiction which are averaged in with all the new science and computer books and such.
Standards also stipulate that attention will be paid to areas of the collection that require more current average aged based on CREW formulas. This flexibility allows you some latitude for local needs while also indicating that a 15 year old health book is probably outdated.
The collection development policy gives you guidance on what the collection should look like, but should also provide guidance on who is responsible for weeding and what to do with items that are withdrawn. It may also indicate those areas that are exempt from standards such as local history or year books. It's a good idea to set up a schedule. You may be able to do some weeding on a daily basis as ratty and shabby books come back through the circulation desk, but you will want to actually schedule time each week or every month. If it's not on your calendar it probably won't happen so take the time to make an appointment with yourself to weed. I also find it helpful to note what needs to be done before I weed, such as having an aid or a volunteer pull books that haven't circulated in a period of time and get together any needed materials for me. It's also a good idea to establish a schedule for which areas will be examined and when they will be reviewed. For example, you may want to weed the holiday books a few weeks after that holiday has occurred. Similarly weed science project books after the science fair.
On the Ask List Server recently, people were sharing their schedules and there are a number of different ways people slice and dice their schedules so you might want to look at some other examples from other libraries. A sample is provided in the learning support materials that shows one cycle, although not every due area is touched every year, you won't miss any sections by using a schedule and you may in fact schedule some sections more frequently than others. Ultimately the important thing is to pick a schedule that works for you but also ensures that the entire collection is touched and closely reviewed regularly.
If you're part of the school district, all of the librarians might want to agree on the same schedule and work on sections at the same time. This allows you to discuss questionable weeds and if appropriate, ensure that someone in the district has a book that you don't want to replace. The CREW manual provides guidance for all the due areas as well as special sections like media. In addition to a general overview on weeding the due areas, the manual offers specific recommendations for copyright, which is age and the last circulation which represents use. Look at a CREW number and you quickly see a formula like 5/2/Mustie which is spelled out M-U-S-T-I-E. The first number—in this case five—refers to the years since the last copyright. Count back from the year that just ended to allow for full years. The second number—in this case two—refers to the maximum years since the last time the item circulated. So for books on the ever popular paleontology the formula says that the book should be no older than five years since the last copyright date and should've circulated within the past two years. If a lot of books are used in-house, the last use number can be tougher to gage as it did not go through your circulation system. Some librarians mark the date used when the book is returned to the shelf so that they will know. We'll talk more about Mustie in the next segment.
I like to use paleontology as an example because we used to think nothing changed in that subject, dinosaurs are extinct, but there has been changes and there continue to be changes, so a book that is more than five years old needs to be examined and given the popularity of the subject, a book that hasn't gone out in two years has some problems. And even if the content is still accurate, keep in mind that older books may look outdated or have outdates images like showing only male scientists.
As you use the CREW numbers, keep in mind that they are not absolute. Weeding is not automatic. You cannot simply instruct an aid to pull out all of the books that are older than five years and discard them. There will be exceptions in almost every category and you must use professional judgment. You will also look at books that have older copyright dates even if they have circulated. Just because a book has gone out in the past year doesn't mean you keep it. It may have gone out because it was the only item available or the student didn't realize it was outdated until they got home. A new book, Weeding Handbook, A Shelf by Shelf Guide is based on CREW but provides even more detail for each due area and includes sample policies and additional resources. The details for that publication are in the learning support bibliography and of course we have not even touched on condition, which we will do in the next segment.
This lesson suggests activities that support weeding without getting into the particulars of making decisions about titles—which is forthcoming in the next lessons. This "staging" work includes knowledge of your policies, suggestions on schedules for weeding, preparation for the review of books up for possible deselection (e.g., pulling books with specified copyright dates for examination), and a reminder that no "rules" are absolute. Using professional judgment and considering local needs and usage are critical in weeding successfully for your library setting.
Read the CREW Formulas table in Jeanette Larson's CREW Manual (link in Resources below). To practice and think about the application of the formulas, select a Dewey section in your library (or a subsection, such as a Dewey decade) to review according to these guidelines. Here is additional information about using the table.
As you will notice, each row contains a Dewey class and a guideline for considering whether to keep or weed a book. Quoting from Larson's CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries (described in the lesson as the CREW Manual), here are instructions for interpreting the formulas, also known as CREW numbers:
The CREW formulas given here for the various Dewey classes are offered as "rules of thumb" based on opinions in the professional literature and practical experience.
The formula in each case consists of three parts:
1. The first figure refers to the years since the book's latest copyright date (age of material in the book);
2. The second figure refers to the maximum permissible time without usage (in terms of years since its last recorded circulation and assuming that the item has been in the library's collection for at least that period of time);
3. The third refers to the presence of various negative factors, called MUSTIE factors, which will influence the weeding decision (Larson CREW Manual).
If you see an "X" in the formula, this is a category for which "any one of the three parts of the formula is not applicable to a specific subject. For example, in some categories, like literature or picture books, the copyright date has little influence on the weeding decision" (Larson CREW Manual). An example is the 398 section (folklore), which has the CREW formula: of X / 3 / MUSTIE.
The rationale for weeding each Dewey section is provided in the CREW Manual on pages 61–80 for adult collections, with additional considerations for children's collections on pages 81–82.
Dewey Decimal Classification Summaries (OCLC): https://www.oclc.org/en/dewey/features/summaries.html
Larson, Jeanette. CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries. Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 2012. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ld/pubs/crew/
MLA Citation
Morris, Rebecca J. "Weeding for Success: Practice CREW." School Library Connection, September 2017, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1964551?learningModuleId=1964556&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2128218
Additional Resources
About the Author
Jeanette Larson is a semi-retired librarian and adjunct professor at Texas Woman's University. She earned her MLS from the University of Southern California. Larson is the author of several books for librarians, including CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries, Children's Services Today: A Practical Guide for Librarians, The Public Library Policy Writer, and El día de los niños/El día de los libros: Building a Culture of Literacy in Your Community through Día, as well as a book for children, Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas.
Known as a ruthless weeder, Larson recently culled her personal library prior to moving to a smaller home in Rockport, TX.
MLA Citation
Larson, Jeanette. "Weeding for Success. You Can CREW! [6:54]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, September 2015, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1964551?learningModuleId=1964556&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1964551?learningModuleId=1964556&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 1964551