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Collections and Cataloging

Useful information about the Libraries' Collections, Cataloging and Deaccessioning practices and policies.

Pardon our dust!

We currently are weeding the Nursing and Reference monograph collections.

Current Weeding Statistics

2022-2023

  Circulating Books Non-circulating Books Serials
Coe Library (Chalon) 1,353 356 1187 volumes
McCarthy Library (Doheny) 503 430 1418 volumes

2023-2024

  Circulating Books Non-circulating Books Serials
Coe Library (Chalon) 40   3,126 volumes
McCarthy Library (Doheny) 898 1,277 1,607 volumes

Why we weed?

Regular weeding, also known as deaccessioning or deselecting, assists libraries in keeping their collections current and relevant to the needs of their communities.  

At the MSMU Libraries, we weed the collection in order to:

  • make space for new books and/or other materials
  • remove books with old and/or outdated information
  • remove books with harmful / triggering language in their titles that may have incorrect information in them.

Please note that books must meet certain criteria before they are weeded.  Each book is examined before we decide to weed it, return it to the stacks or place it on restricted shelves.

How we weed

First, we create spreadsheets of books and periodicals in particular sections of the library (i.e. Reference, Contemporary Fiction). 

Then, we check usage on the books (no usage over time may mean that the book is not helpful for 21st century students and faculty.

Then, we look up the book in Worldcat - First Search to find out how many other libraries or institutions nationally and internationally hold copies of the same book in the same edition.  If more than ten other institutions have the same exact book/series of books, we can deaccession knowing that copies are still accessible through interlibrary loan services.

For circulating books, we also check with our Shared Print partners (SHARP).  For serials (journals, magazines and other periodicals), we check with our WEST archives partners.  

We also check for electronic availability (either in the exact edition or a more current edition) in our digital collections.  We may choose to weed the print and keep and/or acquire the electronic version for ease of use.

Once we have determined that the book or serial remains accessible elsewhere, we proceed with the weeding process.

 

Weeding Criteria

According to the American Library Association, weeding criteria are circulation, physical condition, and accuracy of information. (From Doll, Carol Ann, and Pamela Petrick Barron. Managing and Analyzing Your Collection: A Practical Guide for Small Libraries and School Media Centers . Chicago: American Library Association, 2002).

Some general guidelines for weeding include:

  • Physical Condition 

  • 1 or fewer checkouts in the last 10 years

  • Misleading or inaccurate information 

  • Not relevant to the current MSMU curriculum  

  • STEM materials that are more than twenty years old with no historical relevance 

  • Technology manuals that are more than ten years old

  • Old textbooks (for which there are new editions)

  • Reference books that are available online 

  • Duplicate books that are not linked to a specific course or program

  • Books with harmful / triggering titles