Weeding Reference Materials (Lis 60610)
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Transcript of Weeding Reference Materials (Lis 60610)
WEEDING REFERENCE MATERIALS
LIS 60610/Fall 2008
What Is a Reference Work?
ALA:
• By its nature, usefulto answer referencequestions
• For various reasons,held out of circulation
Bates:Bates:• FunctionalFunctional
“What’s it for?”“What’s it for?”
• AdministrativeAdministrative“How’s it “How’s it used?”used?”
What is a Reference Book??
1. Used to locate facts and citations2. Usually arranged in one of three
ways:AlphabeticallyChronologicallyTopically
3. The title gives detailed information about the work
“Right-Sizing” the Collection
Designate a project team and team leader
Print out a shelf list of the reference collection
# CALL # TITLE Copyright Cond. Keep Weed To Circ.123456789
101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960
“Right-Sizing” the Collection
Perform an inventory
Eliminate titles not found on the shelves
Add titles not included on shelflist printout
“Right-Sizing” the Collection
Gather usage data:
Determine the busiest 2- or 3-month period
Post signs advising users not to reshelve reference materials
Provide labeled carts for used materials
“Right-Sizing” the Collection
Gather usage data:
Provide empty shelves for perusing materials in the stacks
Designate a “roving librarian”
Make a hashmark by each title used
Highlight titles used
Review the data and evaluate materials based on usage (e.g., 0 usage, 1 usage, etc.)Weed the collection to determine which items will be:
RetainedDiscardedMoved to the circulating collection
“Right-Sizing” the Collection
What is Weeding?
The process of removing books and other materials that:
Are in dilapidated physical condition
Contain outdated or inaccurate information
Do not fit into the scope of the library’s collection
Guidelines for Reference Materials
Subject relevance
Other materials on the topic
Weed older editions when superceded
Evaluate periodically
Maintain a reference collection development policy
Other Criteria
Age/Physical condition
Currency
Timeliness
Use
Newer edition available
Suitability for circulating collection
Historical significance
Availability of newer or better title
Other Criteria
Budget constraints Standing order dispositions (older editions sent to branches) Appropriateness for collectionIncomplete setsJudgments based on subject area expertise Current listings in standards tools (e.g., Sheehy, BIP)
Print vs. Online
CONSIDER:How many reference resources are available online?“Free” vs. feeCost of maintaining two formatsOther issues (usability, available computers, patron skill level)
Do NOT Weed…
Local history and genealogy materials
Do NOT Weed…
Volumes of sets and series with special merit
Older reference works augmented by (not superceded by) later editions
http://refdesk.com/
ALMANACS
Two years’ usage
Older editions may be kept for historic research
Update annually
Circulate older editions (1-2 years)
Exception to the rule:
Keep all editions of the state almanac for their unique information
Dictionaries
Keep unabridged editions
Update special dictionaries regularly (5-7 years)
Circulate older editions
www.wordcentral.com/
http://onelook.com/
www.yourdictionary.com/
Encyclopedias
Outdated after 5 years
Purchase on rotating schedule
Supplement with electronic formats
Circulate older sets
www.kidsclick.org/
www.ipl.org/
http://encarta.msn.com
What about Wikipedia?
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1830262
Directories
TelephoneZip codeOfficial Congressional DirectoryOnline (switchboard.com)
Directories
Discard when new ones arrive
Retain older ones IF space and usage warrant
Exception: older telephone and city directories (used by genealogists)
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Atlases and Gazetteers
Maps
Latitude and longitude
Demographic info.
Geographic data
Atlases
Replace when updated (5-7 yrs.)
House older editions separately
Update road atlases annually
Keep local maps updated
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
www.sitesatlas.com/
http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/maps
http://nationalatlas.gov/
Handbooks and Manuals
HANDBOOKS
Give a broad overview of a topic
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Oxford Companion to Literature
MANUALS
Give step-by-step instructions--how to do
Chilton’s Auto Repair Manual
Handbooks
Humanities: retain indefinitely; supplement with newer texts
Social Science: outdated after 10 years
Exceptions: sets containing historical data
Sciences: outdated after 5 years
www.bls.gov/OCO/
Indexes
Magazines and periodicalsPoetryGenealogyElectronic databases (e.g., OhioLINK)
Indexes
Most print indexes have been replaced with online databases
Note: online databases may not include older periodicals
Keep older editions of Granger’s if needed
Quotation Sources
Identify statements by notables in history
Arrangedtopicallyalphabeticallychronologically
Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations
Quotation Sources
Some titles are not superceded by new editions (e.g., Bartlett’s)
Use caution with online resources
Exception: www.bartleby.com
Bibliographies
List of sources grouped by: topic reading level
A to Zoo
Magazines for Libraries
Genreflecting
Children’s Catalog
Bibliographies
Replace when superceded
Note: some may be “one-shot” titles
Biographical Sources
Dictionaries provide brief biog. informationNot superceded by later editionsCurrent BiographyWebster’s New Biog.
Dictionary
Biographical Sources
Keep sets (e.g., Something About the Author):
IF space allows
IF usage dictates
IF online resources don’t cover demand
IF other formats aren’t available