WEEDING GUIDELINES BY DEWEY CLASSIFICATION

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1 000 General 5 NA Computer Science Discard materials over 3 years old unless historical treatment. 010 Books about reading 5 NA Guides, etc. Value determined by use. 020 Library science Encyclopedias 5 NA New edition every 5 years 100 Philosophy/ Psychology Ethics, values, character education Religion Self-help psychology and guidance materials should be reviewed for dated pictures and concepts. Value determined by use. Most unscholarly works are useless after 10 years. Value determined by use. Collection should contain basic information (but not propaganda) about as many sects and religions as possible. 290 Mythology Social science Almanacs and yearbooks 320 Politics Economics Law/Government 5 3 Controversial subjects should be well represented from all sides. Career materials should be discarded after 5 years. 1-3 NA Have latest. Seldom of use after 5 years. Books dealing with historical aspects determined by use. Timely or topical material discard after 10 years. Replace with new editions when available. Timely or topical material discard after 10 years. Watch for new material to supersede older. Remove outdated statute information.

2 360 Social Welfare 5 2 Weeding depends on use. 360 Drug/Alcohol Education Education/Commerce Customs, holidays, folklore Carefully examine for accuracy and presentation. Drugs that are new and pose dangers to students may be missing from older titles. Keep historical materials if used. Keep most non-historical materials 10 years. Keep only current test-prep books. Keep basic material; discard when worn out. Remember that rules of etiquette change in 3-5 years. 398 Folklore 10 5 Keep standard works. Update editions. 400 Language Dictionaries 10 NA 500 General Science Projects/Experiments Mathematics Keep basic material; weeding depends on use. Consider ESL/LEP students. Discard textbooks. Keep basics. Examine for dated examples and illustrations, slang words that have come into common usage. Closely examine anything over 5 years old, except botany and natural history. Retain classics such as Darwin. Monitor changes in methods and safety standards. Keep basic material. Include literature tie-ins. 520 Space and Astronomy 5 3 Discard after 5 years Biology/Natural History/ Botany Critically review materials on genetic engineering more than 5 years old. 600 Health/Technology 5 3 Most materials outdated after 5-10 years. 610 Medicine/Anatomy 5 5 Constantly monitor change in disease diagnosis and treatment. 2

3 620 Engineering/Mechanics Five years, except retain car manuals 621 Radio/Television Technology/ Space Technology Agriculture/Farms/ Gardens/ Pets Home economics/ food/ family life Five years at most; technology is progressing too rapidly to be of use any longer unless it is historical. Five years at most unless retrospective look. Keep up to date with new editions and replacements. Keep Kentucky-related materials. According to use. Keep almost all cookbooks. Keep mostly current material. Discard outdated food groups/pyramid materials. 650 Business, etc. 5 5 Ten years. Computer-related, five years Chemical/ Food Products Manufactures/ Building(s) Five to ten years Art/ Music NA 3-5 Ten years, except older books on crafts, clocks, guns, and toys that may be useful. Retain materials on collectibles. Keep all basic books, especially art history. Keep catalogs up-to-date. Consider replacement or rebinding for sources that are heavily used. 745 Crafts 10 5 Keep well-illustrated items. Monitor fads. 770 Photography 5 3 Avoid dated techniques, equipment 796 Sports and games Rules and safety equipment change: keep current. Watch teams that change locations. 3

4 800 Literature NA History Travel/Geography Biography NA History 10 5 Local History F/E Fiction/Everybody NA 2-5 Keep basic, especially criticism; discard minor, unassigned writers. Literary history in good condition should seldom be discarded unless drastic curriculum changes are made. Keep works by local/regional authors. Check discards against teacher reading lists. Check regularly-used indexes before discarding poetry. Evaluate demand, accuracy, and fairness. Discard travel books more than 10 years old unless useful from historical point of view or of interest as personal accounts. Watch recent books for hasty writing and misinformation. Monitor geopolitical changes. Keep until demand wanes, unless outstanding in content or style and still used. Keep if subject has permanent interest or importance. Replace older biographies of mediocre literary value when better ones appear. Discard books with invented dialogue. Keep works about local/regional individuals. Keep outstanding broad histories. Historical materials should be examined for use patterns as well as bias. Watch for political & geographical changes. Keep most books unless superceded by a newer edition; keep books by local authors. Historical materials should be examined for bias and/or stereotypes. Keep high demand; evaluate literary merit; classics and award-winners should be replaced as new, more attractive editions become available. Duplicates once needed may no longer be appropriate. 4

5 Art prints Weed prints that are faded, scratched, warped, shabby, worn, or unused, or have separating frames, soiled or waterstained mats. Atlases 5 NA Check for accuracy College catalogs 1 NA Replace annually. Indexes 3-5 NA As new annual or cumulations appear, discard old copies Maps and globes NA Check for accuracy RF Newspapers 1 wk NA 2 yrs NA For non-indexed. (Check to see if indexed online in database to which the school has access.) For indexed. (Check to see if indexed online in database to which the school has access.) 1 NA For non-indexed. Periodicals 5-8 NA 10 NA Reference NA KY Kentucky materials NA Indexed (Check to see if indexed online in database to which the school has access.) Bound (Check to see if indexed online in database to which the school has access.) content; reference materials should contain the most recent and up-to-date information. Local histories, materials by local authors or with local settings, memoirs, directories and oral histories may be retained unless superseded by a newer edition or revision. 5

6 PF Professional materials content. AV Audiobooks (CDs and PlayAways) Audiobooks (Cassettes) Sound Recordings (CDs) Sound Recordings (Cassettes) Software 1-3 content. Phase out of the collection as updated formats are purchased. Evaluate physical condition, currency of information, use, and duplication in another format. NA NA Phase out of the collection altogether Consider copyright and licensing agreements. Weed when damaged, outdated, or corrupted, or when equipment no longer supports format. Films and filmstrips NA NA Phase out of the collection altogether Phonograph records NA NA Phase out of the collection altogether Webaccessed materials Transparencies Videorecordings (DVDs, VCDs) 3-5 Videorecordings (Videocassettes) Internet sites ebooks Phase out of the collection altogether content. Phase out of the collection altogether Annually check Internet sites for broken links. Evaluate and delete ebooks according to same criteria as print materials of the same topic. Discard ebooks if access rights have expired. 6

7 REFERENCES References Baumbach, Donna J., and Linda L. Miller. Less is more: a practical guide to weeding school library collections. Chicago: American Library Association, Collection Development Training Weeding Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. 1 Jan Web Sept Larson, Jeanette, ed. CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries. Austin, TX: Texas State Library and Archives Commission, PDF file. Library procedures manual. Georgetown, TX: Georgetown Independent School District. 06 January for Collection Weeding and Inventory Lowe, Karen R. Resource alignment: providing curriculum support in the school library media center. Millers Creek, NC: Beacon Consulting, Weeding: a practical manual for librarians, Revised Edition. Louisville, KY: Jefferson County Public Schools, Library Media Services Jefferson County Public Schools (Louisville, KY) Permission to reproduce or link to this site must be obtained in writing from: copyright@jefferson.kyschools.us