Assignment+4

**LIBE 463** **Assignment 4- Weeding Project **

Weeding a library collection is never easy. First off finding the time to do the job is difficult in the age of cutbacks. It is also a very sad process that librarian must go through to get rid of books. Librarians love books and it is often hard to part with book regardless of its age or condition. However with clear guidelines this process somewhat becomes simplified and easy to justify the removal of a book from the library collection. Since I am not the teacher librarian at the school I teach at I will be unable to actually weed the library collection. What I did instead was I found 10 books that if I was the librarian of the school I would remove from the collection. Below is the process I went through and the justification for each one of my 10 choices.  **Weeding Polices** Before beginning this assignment I first checked out the school library policy on weeding. I asked the school librarian and he said there was no official policy regarding weeding. I then inquired if there was any district policies regarding weeding. I was told that there was no set district policies regarding weeding but there was on the removal of books from the school. Individual librarians use their own judgment when it comes to weeding. Books that are weeded from the collection are boxed up and removed by the school district for recycling. Since I had no school policies I turned to the course text The Collection Program in Schools by Kay Bishop to guide my “simulated” weeding process. In the text Bishop states that weeding is based on the “physical qualities of a material, suitability of the content, recentness of the material, and accuracy of the information are all factors to be considered (pg 121).” **Collection Evaluation** The area of the collection that I looked at for this assignment was the 900’s or books related to Geography and History. I specifically looked at weeding books that would be related to teaching a grade 3 unit on Canada. What I found and highlighted in Assignment 3 //Collection Evaluation and Report// was that the average age of a book was 25 years old. Many of the books in this area of the collection were outdated or in poor condition. However the lack of budget has been the main reason for these resources remaining in the collection. The current school librarian is hesitant to weed out books that he cannot replace.  **Weeding the Collection** I was able to spend 2 hours looking through the collection and finding 10 books that I would weed. Before I went I reread chapter 10 in the text to guide what I would weed from the collection. Bishop provides a list of reasons of why a book should be weeded from the collection. I focused on several of the reasons to formulate my own weeding policy. I first considered age of the material. I felt that the age of a book was the biggest reason for weeding books in this section as a majority of the books were about geography. Geography has changed significantly in the past 25 years and books need to be current to be correct and up to date. I also considered the age appropriateness and the physical appearance of the material which I found was related to age. Older books tend to be less appealing due to design and layout. I also considered the physical condition. I deemed the materials to be good if they looked new, fair if they showed minimal wear and tear, or poor if ripped, broken, or missing pieces. Books that are in poor condition rarely are circulated (unless they are the Guinness world record books!) I must admit if I had been actually weeding the collection there would have been a significantly less books left on the shelf in the 900’s and I understand the reluctance of many librarians such as the one at the school I work for to “strip” the collection.  **Discarding Materials** Discarded materials are removed from the Destiny catalog system which is the school library catalog software. The material is also

stamped discard and the barcode is blacked out. Materials that are typically weeding from the library collection are removed from the

school in two different ways. Materials are placed on a table in front of the library and students are able to take them home. About half of

the materials are removed from the school in this way. The school I teach in is in a low income neighborhood and the students like to take

home discarded books. After a few days the remaining materials are boxed up and removed by the district cartilage department for

recycling.

**Weeded Selections ** **1. ****Book Title: The Living Atlas ** Author: Fraser Cartwright and Jim Gilchrist <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age of Publication: 1991 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age appropriateness: Grades 5 to 8 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Condition: Fair

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Weeding Notes: While this book was one of the newest weeded its content is outdated as the world has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. The readability is 5 to 8 and above most of the students reading level and therefore most students would not be able to comprehend the material.

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">2. ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book Title: ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Macmillan book of Canadian place names ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Author: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">William B. Hamilton <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age of Publication: 1978 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age appropriateness: Grades 4 to 7 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Condition: Fair

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Weeding Notes: I found it amusing that this book was published the year that I was born. This book was in fair condition but its content was clearly outdated and its design would not be appealing to readers even if they wanted to have a nostalgic look at Canada 30 years ago.

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">3. ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book Title: My Heart Soars ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Author: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Chief Dan George and Helmut Hirnschall <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age of Publication: 1974 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age appropriateness: Grades 8 and up <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Condition: Poor

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Weeding Notes: Interestingly enough I found out that part of Chief George’s poem My Heart Soar <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">s was used in the opening ceremonies of the <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">[|2010 Winter Olympics] <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> in <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">[|Vancouver] <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. This book while full of beautifu <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">l poems about Canada is not physically appealing and has not been signed out since the 70’s.

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">4. ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book Title: ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">People of the trail : How the Northern Forest Indians lived ** <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Author: Robin & Jillian Ridington <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age of Publication: 1978 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age appropriateness: Grades 4 to 7 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Condition: Poor

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Weeding Notes: While this book is old that is not the main reason I would weed it from the collection. It uses inappropriate language repeatedly such as Indians when referring to First Nations people.

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">5. ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book Title: ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Pioneer days in British Columbia ** <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Author: BC Outdoors Magazine <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age of Publication: 1977 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age appropriateness: Grades 8+ <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Condition: Poor

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Weeding Notes: This book would not be appealing to any elementary student. The type font is small and it clearly is dated from the 1970’s.

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">6. ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book Title: ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A Picture history of Canada ** <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Author: Hutton Clarke <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age of Publication: 1962 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age appropriateness: Grades 4 and up <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Condition: Poor

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Weeding Notes: This book was the oldest that I found in the 900’s. Besides the age of the book that was enough to discard it, it the spine of the book was broken and pages were beginning to fall out.

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">7. ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book Title: ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">How summer came to Canada ** <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Author: retold by William Toye <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age of Publication: 1969 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age appropriateness: Grades 5 to 8 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Condition: Poor

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Weeding Notes: A beautiful book but its illustrations make this book unattractive to students and staff. I looked at the circulation information and found the book had not been circulated since the 1970’s.

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">8. ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book Title: ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mosaic of Canada on postage stamps; a pictorial glimpse at Canada's history ** <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Author: Nick and Helma Mika <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age of Publication: 1967 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age appropriateness: Grades 5 and up <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Condition: Fair

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Weeding Notes: While an interesting book the age and the fact the book is 44 years old is why this book would end up on my discard pile

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">9. ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book Title: ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Canada: the land and its people ** <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Author: Jeanette Harris <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age of Publication: 1976 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age appropriateness: Grades 4 to 6 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Condition: Fair

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Weeding Notes: Another book that is taking up shelf space. It has not been circulated since 1985 and I suspect it is because the book is dated in design and typeface.

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">10. ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book Title: ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The dancing sun : a celebration of Canadian children ** <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Author: Edited by Jan Andrews <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age of Publication: 1981 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Age appropriateness: Grades 3 to 5 <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">Condition: Poor

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">Weeding Notes: While this is an interesting book, its age and appeal are reasons alone to remove it from the collection. <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
 * Reflection**

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Weeding books is a difficult task. What one librarian would deem a discard another librarian would decide to keep. There is also the teachers in every school how want to keep everything because they may find it useful someday. Lastly there is the public interest that believes that we should not be discarding materials while asking for funds to buy more. However with clear library policies regarding weeding in place, the job of weeding becomes easier and justifiable to interested parties. <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">While the library in the school I work in went through a surface weeding when the librarian was packed up in the past school year it is evident that there is more work to do. While the current justification is to keep the materials regardless of age or condition is that there is no budget to replace the weeded materials. I would argue that the collection would be better off without these materials. If they have not been circulated in the past 15 years they are simply taking up shelf space and making it harder to find the materials that are up to date and appealing to library patrons. <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Part of the difficulty of weeding comes from finding the time. However if weeding is done on an ongoing basis, it becomes maintenance rather than a catastrophe. If I was the school librarian I would start small looking at the library collection section by section. After I completed weeding the collection I would review each section of the library at least every 2 years to ensure that materials are up to date, and that any gaps in the collection are identified so plan of action could be created to replace or purchase new items. <span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">In conclusion while the task of weeding is a difficult time consuming process it is also a necessary one. If the library collection is maintained both by weeding and annual replacement of materials students and staff will be able to find materials that are up to date and appropriate.

<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">P.S. sorry about the font change in the middle of the document. It is fine on my master copy but for some reason it changed on the wiki. I can't figure out wat the problem is.