INFO 266 Weeding Exercise

Selection Weeding Exercise

Elijah Enos

INFO 266, Fall 2016, Professor Higgins

San José State University

WEEDING EXERCISE 1

The titles selected for review for this assignment come from the collection of the

Sacramento State University Library (2016). In particular, I elected to review a total of 98 titles

under the Library of Congress call number range PS 501 – PS 507, included within the discipline

of American Literature. This segment of the collection includes a number of anthologies of

literature intended for survey classes, as well as course readers designed for introductory classes

in composition and rhetoric. As a result, the titles included are rather general and non-specialized

in their scope, but also appropriate for a weeding project given that titles of this nature can

quickly become outdated as the literary canon is revised. While literary study does not shift its

focus or emphasis as frequently as some fields in the sciences and social sciences, there are

nevertheless many authors, frequently studied fifty to a hundred years ago, who have since fallen

out of favor as newer and previously overlooked authors have taken their place. In addition,

many changes have occurred in how composition, rhetoric, and literature are taught at the

university level since many of these titles were published, which would now make these titles

less effective for classroom use and reference. The first priority of the university collection

should be that it contains materials that will actually be useful to professors and students.

With that in mind, I also wanted to acknowledge that certain titles included on the shelves

were of historical value, having long been established as seminal texts in the field. Furthermore, I

thought it important to preserve titles that were especially rare. Titles were selected for weeding

according to the MUSTIE standard, which Johnson (2014, p. 199) outlines as including titles that

are Misleading, Ugly, Superseded, Trivial, Irrelevant, and/or (available) Elsewhere. Fortunately,

none of the titles under review met the “misleading,” “trivial,” or “irrelevant” criteria. To the Sac

State Library’s credit, librarians of past decades did a good job selecting high-quality materials;

the only problem is that some of those materials are now outdated (although not necessarily

WEEDING EXERCISE 2

irrelevant). The majority of titles selected for weeding fell under the criteria of either “ugly,”

when they were old, worn, and marked-up, or “superseded,” especially when a newer edition was

also in the library’s collection. In two cases I recommended that an item be replaced by or

supplemented with a newer edition. Ultimately, since some titles were in greater need of

immediate weeding than others, I also elected to designate some as “keep for now,” indicating

that they should be considered for removal in a future weeding program. The majority of these

titles were worn, outdated, and in some cases superseded, but I also deemed them in good

enough condition compared to the “weed” list that I could justify keeping them until the next

major weeding project. In this way, I was able to follow the CREW (Continuous Review,

Evaluation, and Weeding) method (Johnson, p. 199), with an emphasis on “continuous” so that a

librarian working at a later date will have an idea of which titles to begin weeding. As a grand

total, of the 98 titles I reviewed, I designated 76 as “keep,” ten as “keep for now,” another ten as

“weed,” and two as “replace.” The details can be seen in the table below.

Weeding is an aspect of the librarian’s job that should not be taken lightly or done

according to arbitrary, inconsistent standards. As Johnson points out, it is time-consuming,

challenging, and rife with public relations challenges (p. 196). It requires the librarian to navigate

the politics of their professional relationship with their service group – in this case, an academic

community of professors and students. Once a title is removed from the catalog and either

discarded or donated, nobody can ever check it out again, and it may prove difficult to purchase

a new copy if it turns out that a title was hastily discarded. This is why, even if certain titles are

outdated or superseded, they may be worth keeping if they are still in decent enough condition.

In cases where a library has more than one edition of a title in stock (as was the case with this

collection), it may be worth keeping the earlier edition for the sake of having an extra copy. The

WEEDING EXERCISE 3

goal of weeding is to trim the collection, not to gut it, and it would be better for us to have a few

underused and outdated titles on our shelves than to have students unable to check out a book

because somebody else has already checked out the only copy. At the same time, it should be

noted that the list below does not account for the library’s digital holdings. The concerns of not

having enough copies of a book available can be alleviated somewhat if a library increases the

number of e-books it offers: this way, even if all the print copies of a title are checked out,

students can still access digital copies online through the library catalog. This, in turn, can make

weeding a less laborious process when we apply the variable of patron usage – although it is still

a good idea to have print copies of titles on hand due to the unpredictable nature of the digital

book market.

List of Titles Reviewed

Information on publication data was obtained from the online catalog of the Sacramento

State University Library (2016), and a review of the physical details of each item was conducted

by examining the collection in person. Titles to be weeded appear in red, and titles to be replaced

appear in blue. Titles to possibly be considered for weeding at a later date appear in orange.

LoC Call #

Author or Editor / Title Publisher / Year StatusKeep / Weed / Replace

PS 501 .B4 1970-1988

Berkeley Poets Co-operative. Berkeley Poets Co-operative. 30 vols.

self-published, 1970-1988

in good condition; complete set

keep

PS 501 .B43 2003

Eggers, Dave. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003.

Houghton Mifflin, 2003

in excellent condition keep

PS 501 .C35 1998-2016

Sacramento State English Department. Calaveras Station Student Literary Journal. 19 vols. to date.

Sac State English Department, 1998-present

in good condition; complete set; copies not for checkout are included in special

keep

WEEDING EXERCISE 4

collectionsPS 501 .F57 1973

Baraka, Amiri. The Floating Bear.

McGilvery, 1973 in good condition; rare keep

PS 501 .I78 1972

No Author. Isthmus #5.Isthmus Press, 1972

in good condition; rare keep

PS 501 .M53 2001

No Author. The Guide to Safe Camping: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Camping Supplies.

White Fish Press, 2001

in good condition keep

PS 501 .O93 1969

Webb, Lou. The Outsider #4/5.

Loujon Press, 1969


PS 501 .P87 1978-1987, 1989-2016

Henderson, Bill. The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses #2-11, 13-present. 38 vols. to date.

Pushcart Press, 1978-present

in good condition, but an incomplete set; issues #1 & #12 needed

keep

PS 504 .B7 1973

Brooks, Cleanth. American Literature: the Makers and the Making. 2 vols.

St. Martin’s Press, 1973

in good condition; of historical value

keep

PS 504 .C3 1933

Cargill, Oscar. The Social Revolt.

Macmillan, 1933old and worn, but in acceptable condition

keep for now

PS 504 .H6 1966

Horner, George F. Colonial and Federalist American Writing.

Odyssey Press, 1966


PS 504 .J6 1974 V.1

Bradford, William. The Collected Verse. John Colet Archive of American Literature, vol. 1.

John Colet Press, 1974


PS 504 .J6 1975 V.2

Everett, Alexander Hill. Prose Pieces and Correspondence. John Colet Archive of American Literature, vol. 2.



PS Lodge, George Cabot. John Colet Press, in good condition keep

WEEDING EXERCISE 5

504 .J6 1976 V.3

Selected Fiction and Verse. John Colet Archive of American Literature, vol. 3.

1976

PS 504 .J6 1977 V.4

Wendell, Barrett. Literature, Society, and Politics: Selected Essays. John Colet Archive of American Literature, vol. 4.



PS 504 .J6 1977 V.5

Bartol, Cyrus Augustus. On Spirit and Personality. John Colet Archive of American Literature, vol. 5.



PS 504 .J6 1978 V.6

Huneker, James. On Music and Musicians. John Colet Archive of American Literature, vol. 6.



PS 504 .J6 1980 V.7

Cole, Thomas. The Collected Essays and Prose Sketches. John Colet Archive of American Literature, vol. 7.



PS 504 .J6 1987 V.8

Wallace, Horace Binney. Henry Pulteney. John Colet Archive of American Literature, vol. 8.



PS 504 .S7 1888

Stedman, Edmund Clarence. A Library of American Literature from the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. 11 vols.

Webster, 1888

old and somewhat outdated but also rare and in good condition; removing the set would clear up some shelf space

keep for now

PS 504 .S7 1949

Spiller, Robert Ernest. The Roots of National Culture: American Literature to 1830. 2nd ed.

Macmillan, 1949old and worn; marked up with pen; somewhat outdated

weed

PS 507 .A

Literary Guild of America. Works in Progress.

Literary Guild of America, 1970


WEEDING EXERCISE 6

1 W67 1970PS 507 .A62 1961

Bradley, Scully. The American Tradition in Literature. 2 vols. 1st ed.

Norton, 1961

old and worn; marked up with pen; superseded by later editions

weed

PS 507 .A62 1985

Perkins, George B. The American Tradition in Literature. 2 vols. 6th ed.

Random House, 1985

in good condition but superseded by later edition; may be worth keeping for the sake of having an extra copy

keep for now

PS 507 .A62 1999

Perkins, George B. The American Tradition in Literature. 2 vols. 9th ed.

McGraw-Hill, 1999


PS 507 .A68 2004

McMichael, George L. Anthology of American Literature. 2 vols. 8th ed.

Prentice Hall, 2004

in excellent condition keep

PS 507 .A85 1957

Weeks, Edward. Jubilee: 100 years of The Atlantic.

Little, Brown, 1957


keep

PS 507 .B5214 1959

Blair, Walter. Better Reading. 2 vols. 3rd ed.

Scott, Foresman, 1959


PS 507 .B525 1947

Blair, Walter. The Literature of the United States: an Anthology. 2 vols. 1st ed.


in good condition but superseded by later edition; may be of some historical value

keep for now

PS 507 .B525 1969

Blair, Walter. The Literature of the United States: an Anthology. 3 vols. 3rd ed.



PS 507 .B53 1948

Blankenship, Russell. American Literature.

Scribner, 1948 in good condition keep

PS 507 .B6

Boynton, Percy Holmes. American Poetry.

Scribner, 1918 old and worn; outdated weed

WEEDING EXERCISE 7

1918

PS 507 .C2 1963

Cady, Edwin Harrison. Literature of the Early Republic.

Holt, Rinehart, 1963

in good condition; superseded by later edition but of historical value

keep

PS 507 .C2 1969

Cady, Edwin Harrison. Literature of the Early Republic. 2nd ed.

Holt, Rinehart, 1969


PS 507 .C5 1970

Chapson, Jim. Nine Queen Bees.

self-published, 1970


PS 507 .C56 1974

McMichael, George L. Concise Anthology of American Literature. 1st ed.

Macmillan, 1974old and worn; superseded by later edition

weed

PS 507 .C56 1985

McMichael, George L. Concise Anthology of American Literature. 3rd ed.

Macmillan, 1985

in good condition but superseded; replace or supplement with newer edition

replace

PS 507 .C57 1960

Condon, Richard A. Writing from Experience.

Harper, 1960 in good condition keep

PS 507 .D3 1949

Davis, Joe Lee. American Literature: an Anthology and Critical Survey.

Scribner, 1949 old and worn; outdated weed

PS 507 .E3 G3 1972

Gangewere, Robert J. The Exploited Eden: Literature on the American Environment.

Harper & Row, 1972


PS 507 .F6 1934

Foerster, Norman. American Poetry and Prose. 1st ed.


in good condition; superseded by later edition but of historical value

keep

PS 507 .F6 1970

Foerster, Norman. American Poetry and Prose. 5th ed.



PS 507 .G72 1960

Graham, Cary B. Freshman English Program: Rhetoric, Handbook, Anthology.


old and worn; outdated; marked up with pen

weed

WEEDING EXERCISE 8

PS 507 .G73 1948

Greene, Ward. Star Reporters and 34 of their stories.

Random House, 1948

old but in good condition

keep

PS 507 .H227 1987

McQuade, Donald. The Harper American Literature. 2 vols.

Harper & Row, 1987


PS 507 .H23 1959

Knowles, Horace. Gentlemen, Scholars, and Scoundrels: a Treasury of the Best of Harper’s Magazine.

Harper, 1959. in good condition keep

PS 507 .H24 1955

Hart, James David. America’s Literature.

Dryden Press, 1955


PS 507 .H29 1955

Havighurst, Walter. Selection: a Reader for College Writing.

Dryden Press, 1955


PS 507 .H3 1930

Hazard, Lucy Lockwood. In Search of America.

Crowell, 1930old but in good condition

keep

PS 507 .H35 1990

Bruce-Novoa, Paul Lauter. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. 2 vols. 1st ed.

Heath, 1990

in good condition but superseded; replace or supplement with newer edition

replace

PS 507 .H4 1949

Henry, Ralph B. My American Heritage: a Collection of Songs, Poems, Speeches, Sayings, & Other Writings.

Rand McNally, 1949


PS 507 .H6 1955

Howard, Leon. American Heritage: an Anthology and Interpretive Survey of Our Literature. 2 vols. 1st ed.

Heath, 1955 in good condition keep

PS 507 .H

Hubbell, Jay Broadus. American Life in

Harper, 1949 in good condition; of historical value

keep

WEEDING EXERCISE 9

8 1949 Literature. 2 vols. 2nd ed.PS 507 .H83 1962

Huberman, Edward. Angles of Vision: Readings in Thought and Opinion.



PS 507 .H88 1961

Hunt, Kellogg W. Our Living Language. 1st ed.


slightly worn; superseded by later edition but of historical value

keep for now

PS 507 .H88 1967

Hunt, Kellogg W. Our Living Language. 2nd ed.



PS 507 .J592 1953

Jones, Everett L. An Approach to College Reading.

Holt, 1953in good condition but somewhat outdated

keep for now

PS 507 .J6 1952

Jones, Howard Mumford. Major American Writers. 3rd ed.

Harcourt, Brace, 1952


keep

PS 507 .K62 1971

Koller, James. Coyote’s Journal #9.

Book People, 1971


PS 507 .L44 1945

Lee, Charles. North, East, South, West: a Regional Anthology of American Writing.

Howell, Soskin, 1945


keep

PS 507 .L5 1933

Lewisohn, Ludwig. Creative America.

Harper, 1933old but in good condition

keep

PS 507 .L6 1933

Lloyd, Mabel Pearl. Modern Short Stories for Oral Interpretation.

Banta, 1933old but in good condition

keep

PS 507 .M24 1974

McMichael, George L. Anthology of American Literature. 2 vols. 1st ed.

Macmillan, 1974

first volume missing – checked out and never returned; superseded by later edition

weed

PS 507 .M

McMichael, George L. Anthology of American

Macmillan, 1980 in good condition but superseded by later

keep for now

WEEDING EXERCISE 10

24 1980

Literature. 2 vols. 2nd ed.

edition (PS 507 .A68 2004); may be worth keeping for the sake of having an extra copy

PS 507 .M4 1891

Kneeland, John. Masterpieces of American Literature with Biographical Sketches.



keep

PS 507 .M475 1972

Miller, James Edwin. The Dimensions of the Short Story: a Critical Anthology.

Dodd, Mead, 1972


PS 507 .M48 1962

Miller, Perry. Major Writers of America. 2 vols.

Harcourt, Brace, 1962


keep

PS 507 .N4 1929

Newcomer, Alphonso Gerald. Three Centuries of American Poetry and Prose. 2nd ed.


in good condition but old and somewhat outdated

keep for now

PS 507 .N46 1971

Newman, Katharine D. The American Equation: Literature in a Multi-ethnic Culture.

Allyn & Bacon, 1971


PS 507 .N65 1979

Gottesman, Ronald. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 2 vols. 1st ed.

Norton, 1979

in good condition; superseded but of historical value as a 1st edition

keep

PS 507 .N65 2012

Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 5 vols. 8th ed.

Norton, 2012in excellent condition; frequently used

keep

PS 507 .O5 1969

Olsen, James. Playing It Cool.

Noble & Noble, 1969


PS 507 .O9 1938

Benét, William Rose. The Oxford Anthology of American Literature.

Oxford U Press, 1938

old but in good condition; note that OUP discontinued this title, so there is no newer edition

keep

WEEDING EXERCISE 11

PS 507 .P25 1919

Pattee, Fred Lewis. Century Readings for a Course in American Literature. 1st ed.

Century, 1919old and worn; outdated; superseded by later edition

weed

PS 507 .P25 1926

Pattee, Fred Lewis. Century Readings for a Course in American Literature. 3rd ed.

Century, 1926 old and worn; outdated weed

PS 507 .P43 2010

Bryant, John. The Pearson Custom Library of American Literature.

Pearson, 2010 in excellent condition keep

PS 507 .P6 1949

Pochmann, Henry August. Masters of American Literature. 2 vols.

Macmillan, 1949 in good condition keep

PS 507 .R34 1959

Ray, Gordon Norton. Masters of American Literature. 2 vols.


in good condition; note that this is different from the same-titled book preceding it

keep

PS 507 .R5 1951

Richardson, Lyon Norman. The Heritage of American Literature. 2 vols.

Ginn, 1951 in good condition keep

PS 507 .R6 1972

Robson, William J. Holy Doors: an Anthology of Poetry, Prose, and Criticism.

self-published, 1972


PS 507 .R63 1960

Ross, Ralph. The Arts of Reading.

Crowell, 1960 in good condition keep

PS 507 .S3 1955

Salisbury, Rachel. Better Language and Thinking.

Appleton-Century, 1955


PS 507 .S34 1967

Salzman, Jack. Years of Protest: a Collection of American Writings of the 1930’s.

Pegasus, 1967 in good condition keep

PS 507 .S48 1955

Shaw, Harry. A Collection of Readings for Writers: Book Three of a Complete Course in Freshman English. 4th ed.

Harper, 1955

old and worn; part of an incomplete set whose companion volumes are not in the catalog; outdated

weed

WEEDING EXERCISE 12

PS 507 .S483 1959

Shaw, Phillip Boris. College Reading Manual for Class and Individual Training.

Crowell, 1959in good condition but outdated

keep for now

PS 507 .S57 1941

Simpson, Claude Mitchell. The American Reader.

Heath, 1941old but in good condition

keep

PS 507 .S59 1943

Smith, Bernard. The Democratic Spirit: a Collection of American Writings. 2nd ed.

Knopf, 1943old but in good condition

keep

PS 507 .S67 1952

Hamilton, William Baskerville. 50 Years of the South Atlantic Quarterly.

Duke U Press, 1952


PS 507 .S75 1940

Srygley, Ola Pauline. High Lights in American Literature and Other Selections.

Banks Upshaw, 1940


keep

PS 507 .S757 1975

Stern, Milton R. American Literature Survey. 4 vols. 3rd ed.

Penguin, 1975in good condition but outdated

keep for now

PS 507 .S76 1954

Stewart, Randall. Living Masterpieces of American Literature. 4 vols.



PS 507 .S827 1982

Granger Editorial Board. Survey of American Poetry. 10 vols.

Granger, 1982in good condition; complete set

keep

PS 507 .S83 1960

Sutherland Jr., William Owen Sheppard. The Reader: a Study of Form and Content.

Little, Brown, 1960


PS 507 .T5 1941

Thorp, Willard Long. American Issues: the Social Record and the Literary Record. 2 vols.

Lippincott, 1941old but in good condition

keep

PS 507 .T5

Tidwell, James Nathan. A Treasury of American Folk

Crown, 1956 in good condition keep

WEEDING EXERCISE 13

5 1956 Humor.

PS 507 .U5 1960

Untermeyer, Louis. The Brittanica Library of Great American Writing. 2 vols.

Brittanica Press, 1960


keep

PS 507 .W3 1947

Warfel, Harry Redcay. The American Mind: Selections from the Literature of the United States.

American Book Co., 1947


PS 507 .W64 1943

Woolcott, Alexander. As You Were: a Portable Library of American Prose and Poetry Assembled for Members of the Armed Forces and Marines.

Viking, 1943in good condition; of historical value

keep

References

Johnson, P. (2014). Fundamentals of collection development and management (3rd ed.). Chicago:

ALA Editions.

Sacramento State University Library. (2016). Retrieved from http://library.csus.edu/

INFO 266 Weeding Exercise

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