Weeding With Wisdom: Tuning Deselection Of Print Monographs In Book-Reliant Disciplines

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Alex McAllister, Associate Professor, Coordinator of Collection Management (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/

Abstract: As university libraries transition to digital collections and new services, their book deselection projects often lead to the adoption of cross-discipline quantitative weeding criteria (such as age and low circulation) in the interest of speed and presumed fairness. Cross-discipline quantitative rubrics, however, can have unintended negative consequences when applied to disciplines such as history and literature that rely on older books with low circulation statistics. The authors argue for a discipline-differentiated approach to weeding academic library collections that can employ quantitative criteria for disciplines, such as in the sciences, that are more reliant on current materials and qualitative criteria for disciplines, such as in the humanities, whose scholars benefit from ready access to older and low-use books.

Additional Information

Publication
McAllister, Alex D., and Allan Scherlen. 2017. "Weeding with Wisdom: Tuning Deselection of Print Monographs in Book-Reliant Disciplines." Collection Management 42, no. 2: 76-91. Version of record can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2017.1299657
Language: English
Date: 2018
Keywords
university libraries, deselection, weeding criteria, humanities, sciences

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