Disciplines

Library and Information Science

Abstract

Presented at Implementing a Disapproval Plan: A Case Study of Rules-Based Weeding.

Speakers: Doug Way, Grand Valley State University; Julie Garrison, Grand Valley State University; Rick Lugg, Sustainable Collection Services.

In 2013, Grand Valley State University will open a new library building. At that time materials in the library's existing off-site storage facility will be moved into the new library's automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS), reintegrating them with the main collection. These materials had originally been moved into storage in 2003 because of their low use and since that time, only about 1% of the collection has circulated. Knowing how difficult it would be to review the collection once it is an ASRS and wanting to maintain the integrity of the current collection, GVSU decided to undertake a major weeding of its offsite storage facility.

Rather than the traditional title-by-title review of books, the GVSU Libraries worked with Sustainable Collection Services (SCS) to establish criteria for identifying books that could be withdrawn. The goal was to identify candidates for weeding based on objective and quantifiable criteria that could be refined by liaison librarians. This session will discuss the parameters and execution of this data-driven deselection project, including how lists were generated and revised, project workflows, disciplinary differences, the percentage of items actually removed, and the speed of removal. The audience will participate in a discussion about how we make choices for keeping or deselecting materials, the need to continue to house legacy collections, and how ebooks, print-on-demand, and PDA impact our decisions to keep large amounts of physical material that either never has or is no longer circulating.

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