tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6683402912326012986.post8062635722293965143..comments2022-12-01T20:06:05.701-06:00Comments on Catch the Possibilities: Collection Development: Weeding Q&AAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09420343807255526152noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6683402912326012986.post-58977803251432392982013-03-29T11:38:28.362-05:002013-03-29T11:38:28.362-05:00Excellent ideas. Another thing that moved circula...Excellent ideas. Another thing that moved circulation (at least as much as you can in the 900s) is that all of our Native American tribes are located at 970.004. Then the cutter is the name of the tribe. You want stuff that will make sense as most people don't get Dewey (it is like a foreign language or secret code to them).Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11701384427343511247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6683402912326012986.post-30770654444047639312013-03-29T11:33:03.122-05:002013-03-29T11:33:03.122-05:00Thanks for all your input everyone! I've got s...Thanks for all your input everyone! I've got spreadsheets going, wish lists, books to be recatalogued (I'm moving the American Indian tribes to their regional areas instead of being lumped together in 970 as they are now), and have pulled everything more than 10 years old, even when it meant getting rid of every book we had for a particular country. I'm going to take some time to figure out which databases we have access to through our county will best meet patron needs while I build the collection up over the years. Carry on! :)Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09420343807255526152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6683402912326012986.post-8459641696811442942013-03-29T11:29:35.354-05:002013-03-29T11:29:35.354-05:00That "trust" piece is exactly what I was...That "trust" piece is exactly what I was hemming and hawing over. I get the sense that a lot of kids in our area are "on their own," when it comes to homework. Caregivers are bringing them to the library, but many are not equipped to discern what is "good" information.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09420343807255526152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6683402912326012986.post-84464656849591442422013-03-29T11:26:30.374-05:002013-03-29T11:26:30.374-05:00Hi Marge-- good point about databases. That'll...Hi Marge-- good point about databases. That'll be a good professional goal for me: remembering to utilize that information in reference situations!Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09420343807255526152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6683402912326012986.post-46137978310361185752013-03-29T11:25:36.893-05:002013-03-29T11:25:36.893-05:00Thanks, Jennifer. We share books with our county s...Thanks, Jennifer. We share books with our county system, and ILL in MN seems to flow pretty efficiently (at least in the Cities), so that's a good point to make. Even if we don't have it, we can get it. Might not satisfy the last-minute folks, but so be it. Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09420343807255526152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6683402912326012986.post-61019236423933757812013-03-28T08:58:34.336-05:002013-03-28T08:58:34.336-05:00At our staff development day, one of our branch ma...At our staff development day, one of our branch managers explained it this way: <br /><br />A few years ago, the library paid a lot of money to have a big survey done to see what the public wanted, what they thought of us, and all that jazz. They found out two key things about collection development. The first, and more obvious, is that the nicer books you have, the more they circulate. Even if that means having a smaller collection of really up-to-date stuff that isn't gross looking, your circulation will still probably go up in the long run. The other, which makes sense but I had never thought of, was that people trust the library for the most part. For example, if they see a book about China on the shelf, they trust us and assume it's accurate and current. A lot of people (especially kids!) aren't great at assessing sources, so they depend on our collection development to hold their hands to a certain extent. So, if you leave, say, old travel guides on the shelf, you're betraying that trust.<br /><br />Keeping the trust thing in mind helps me when I'm weeding and might not have a replacement yet. Sure, a book about marketing careers from twenty years ago is SOMETHING to use in a report, but if it's not accurate information, how is that helpful to the kiddo? Ariel Cumminshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03321184325131220630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6683402912326012986.post-83950971521923639512013-03-27T21:41:01.956-05:002013-03-27T21:41:01.956-05:00I advise taking outdated books out even if there i...I advise taking outdated books out even if there is nothing to replace them at the moment. We look to our databases to fill in the gap. I like both Lisa's ideas on a spreadsheet to stay aware for replacements.Marge Loch-Woutershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09299355611398291374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6683402912326012986.post-87343413111260609932013-03-27T15:31:27.682-05:002013-03-27T15:31:27.682-05:00Hey, 90s is cutting edge! A lot of my nonfiction c...Hey, 90s is cutting edge! A lot of my nonfiction collection is still 80s...or OLDER. I am personally on the side of nothing is better than outdated, especially since we are members of a large consortium and 900s isn't a hot circulation section for us. However, I know there are a lot of people on the other side of the fence on that argument, including my director. Since she has to approve everything I weed and I don't feel justified in spending a huge chunk of my budget in the massive updates needed in this section, I'm just replacing a few books at a time. I did get rid of the book about Charles Lindbergh that was pre-kidnapping though, and the one that said man might someday walk on the moon, if technology got advanced enough. Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05096787155616041727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6683402912326012986.post-26096880614325693222013-03-27T14:40:20.117-05:002013-03-27T14:40:20.117-05:00I know this stinks, right? My big problem comes w...I know this stinks, right? My big problem comes with Canadian provinces (we have books from the late 90s). My thoughts are to pull it if it is totally out of date (like if you have a book on Hong Kong and it doesn't mention that it is part of China now). Make sure that you have databases to support those areas so you can still get the info. I am pretty strict with myself on the 10-year rule (with the exception of provinces b/c nothing else is out there).<br /><br />Also, what I do is have an Excel spreadsheet with series names across the top and countries/states/indians down the left side (each is a different worksheet). Then I go through my collection and put what year the titles that we carry were last published. I also highlight in different colors (Spring 2013, Fall 2013, etc.) when the next title is coming out so I am on top of replacing. While that doesn't totally help you now, it will in the future.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11701384427343511247noreply@blogger.com