Less Is More: A Practical Guide to Weeding School Library Collections

Weeding is the unglamorous side of the library selection coin, yet for vibrant, quality collections, it is critically important. To make weeding part of a library's ongoing procedures, it's best to do it in manageable doses. Now, school and children's librarians nationwide can reap the benefit of Florida's popular Weed of the Month program. This user-friendly guide: explains the ins and outs, including why weeding is such an important task; outlines the steps to get started; breaks weeding criteria down by over 70 topics and Dewey numbers so the task isn't overwhelming; clarifies how to use automation tools in weeding; and, suggests newer titles as replacements to upgrade collections.

Donna J. Baumbach is Professor of Instructional Technology/Educational Media at the University of Central Florida and director of the Florida SUNLINK Project, Florida s K 12 public school union catalog of library media resources. An award-winning instructional technology leader and popular library speaker, Baumbach earned her doctorate in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University.

Linda L. Miller is Associate Director of the Florida SUNLINK Project. Former editor of Florida Media Quarterly, she compiles the monthly electronic newsletter for SUNLINK Schools. She holds her MLS from the University of Michigan.