Collection Development

Deselecting or weeding of materials is as important as selecting materials. Shelf space is often limited, so when new books are added, old books should be removed. Weeding should be a regular part of library service.

Some catalog systems allow users to create reports to identify items that haven’t checked out for some time. Run a list of these titles, and use that as a starting point to identify which ones to remove from the collection. Your goal should be to keep shelves between two-thirds to three-quarters full with clean, attractive, relevant children’s titles.  Popular, worn-out titles can be reordered if still available. Pay close attention to board books when weeding in the early childhood collections. Because these books are intended to be heavily touched, mouthed, and used, they have a shorter shelf life.  

This is another instance in which referring to your library’s collection development policy is a good idea, as there might be a predetermined set of criteria for weeding the collection.