Liz Workman, M.L.I.S.
Clinical Librarian
Hope Fox Eccles Health Sciences Library
University of Utah
Updated November 2003
Introduction
It is essential to "weed" consumer health collections, or remove certain materials, in order to furnish users with the best information available. It is useful to establish the overall goals of the collection first, and then tailor the weeding process to support these objectives. The following list includes recommended goals to consider when deselecting items:
- Provide information in multiple formats.
- Provide users with the most current literature available.
- Provide materials of high quality.
- Provide information on several topics.
- Give priority to items and topics with the greatest demand, in providing information.
- Provide items with an appealing presentation.
Each of these goals addresses an important issue. The following sections detail these issues and offer additional instructions.
Multiple Formats and Sources
Consider all avenues of access and associated issues when weeding. Much information that was once available only in print form is now accessible on the Internet. Directory-oriented information, interactive tools, drug information, and several fulltext items are now freely available on the World Wide Web.
Funds once reserved for expensive print items might now be spent on something else if the same quality information is duplicated on a free Website. If possible, establish a Homepage for your library where you can provide links to information that will serve distant patrons in addition to the clientele in the library. Internet access comes with its own set of issues: the amount of computers you can afford; the availability of trained staff to maintain the Homepage, equipment, etc,; contingency plans for when the equipment/network/whatever is not working; - the list goes on and on. Consider all of this when weeding individual items. Balance space and budget restraints with the other realities of your library. There are other appealing formats for information, too. Videocassettes, DVD, Compact Discs, etc. Consider every format, every form of information presentation available for a subject when weeding. By providing a variety of formats, you can accommodate multiple learning-style preferences. However, when budget, space and other limitations demand, consider the format most preferred by library users while you are weeding.
Currency
It is important to provide users with the latest information possible. For obvious reasons, it is optimal to gear your collection to have the most current materials. However, it is impractical to assign a stringent year threshold in weeding all materials. For example, if you remove everything that is two years older or more from your collection, you might later discover that nothing of value has been published in a particular field in the last three years. You may end up repurchasing items that you had previously weeded! It is still advisable to have a general policy of discarding items that are five years old or more unless they have an historic value, or if there is nothing more current that is even similar to an item in question.
Consider each item in your collection by field. Consult a reliable source to discover the most current publication(s) according to subject. Such sources include professional bibliographies and core reference lists. You can also check Books in Print, publishers' catalogs, or comparable sources to see if a new edition of a particular publication exists. Pay close attention to items that tend to change each year. Such items include, but are not limited to:
- Those providing drug information (i.e. Physicians' Desk Reference) or anything concerning drug treatments.
- Directories, such as the AMA Directory of Physicians in the United States.
- Anything related to standards of care or procedures.
- Dictionaries.
- Diseases and conditions, especially those where there is lot of ongoing
research in the field, and those whose treatments update frequently.
Items exclusively addressing emotional and spiritual needs are often quite popular and don't become dated as quickly as other items. Factor this into the weeding process.
Condition of Materials
An obvious variable in the weeding process is the physical condition of items. Even current items that are worn or damaged have a diminished value. If funds are available, consider replacing them.
Value
As librarians, we constantly balance our obligation to provide authoritative materials and the public's right to obtain desired information on a topic, regardless of the source or value. This balancing process also plays a part in weeding. However, just as in other phases of collection development, we must analyze the authority and scientific soundness of items when weeding, while respecting overall demand for materials.
Comprehensive Subject Coverage
A valuable consumer health collection includes materials on a variety of topics. When weeding collections, librarians should preserve the array of topics within the framework of deselection guidelines. If possible, replace weeded items with current materials on the same topics, according to user demand.
Priority According to Need
When space and budget demands limit what you can include in your collection, monitor use through circulation statistics, user feedback, and general observation. Note what kinds of items get the most use and give them priority. Often space limitations restrict what librarians can provide. Consider other formats (i.e. information on the Internet) that can supplement the collection when space is an issue.
Updated November 2003
