Deselection (Weeding) 

Deselection of library materials (the process of removing items from the collection) is essential for the maintenance of a current, academically useful library collection. Deselection provides quality control for the collection by elimination of outdated,inaccurate, and worn-out materials. Librarians are responsible for conducting an ongoing deselection effort. Faculty members are regularly consulted when specific items are recommended for deselection. 

  Print and audio-visual resource deselection  

• Superseded editions are routinely deselected from the collection.  
• Materials which cannot be repaired or rebound or for which the cost of statistics, may be deselected after five to ten years of inactivity. collection despite lack of use.  
  • The title may be retained if it is included in a standard list or bibliography such as Books for College Libraries or if the author has a reputation for being an authority on the topic. 
• works in their field, have long-term value and should be kept in the 
• However, some library materials, such as items considered classic 
• preservation exceeds the usefulness of the information contained are 
  • Because currency of information is extremely important in some fields 
  such as health sciences, technology, and business, older materials must be regularly deselected so that outdated or inaccurate information is eliminated.  
  • Material that has not been used, based on circulation and browsing 
• deselected.  

Ongoing deselection of Internet resources is a necessity because of the dynamic nature of such resources. The following guidelines are used:  

• An Internet resource is no longer available or maintained  
• The currency or reliability of the resource's information has lost its value  
• Another Internet site or resource offers more comprehensive coverage  
• A comparable fee-based or free resource provides more affordable access 

 Serials Deselection 

• Incomplete and short runs of a title may be withdrawn, when the title is not received currently. 
• Titles which contain information that is not useful long-term, such as particularly when newsletters and trade magazines, usually have automatic discard 
  • Annuals, biennials, and regularly updated editions of guidebooks, 
• patterns established such as "Library retains one year only"  
• handbooks, almanacs, and directories have a deselection pattern established depending on the value of the information contained in earlier editions. Often one or two older editions are retained in the reference and/or circulating collections or the latest edition is retained at the Townsend Library.