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Weeding Tips: Shelf by Shelf: 800s and Fiction.

Vnuk, Rebecca (author).

FEATURE. First published January 17, 2013 (Booklist Online).


A great deal of the feedback I get from Corner Shelf readers comes on the heels of every new
Weeding Tips article, and many readers ask when Im going to tackle the fiction collection. So
rather than wait until were at the end of the Dewey collection, Ive decided to combine weeding
the 800s with Fiction.
Weeding the 800s isnt really that much of a challenge, mainly due to the fact that the content of
the books in this section tends to age well, and the materials are often in constant circulation to
students. It becomes a personal point, however, because many librarians cry Sacred! when they
think of literature. Based on your shelf space, you may be able to keep classic items longer.
However, there are some specific sections to pay extra attention to.
In general, use the same guidelines that you would in any section: if its tattered or hasnt
circulated well, its time to go. But what does circulated well mean in the 800s? This is where
its important to know the needs of your patrons. Criticism of classic writers is always in use by
students, so if something hasnt gone out in two to three years, find out why. Is that writer no
longer assigned? Are there newer, more interesting works on the author? Are teachers requiring a
specific cutoff of copyright dates? I once helped a student gather all of our librarys literary
criticism on George Orwell only to be told that she couldnt use most of our books because the
teacher wanted citations no older than 2000. Make the effort to contact your local schools and
community colleges for reading lists.
811812: Poetry; Drama
Unless your library has a mandate to collect poetry or plays, most items should be weeded after
five or six years of no circulation. Inspect your single-copy plays for damage such as
highlighting or margin notes. Replace poetry anthologies with new editionsThe Princeton
Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, for example, has been recently updated.
817: Humor and Satire
This is an area that tends to be trendy. Do you still have books by Jerry Seinfeld or Paul Reiser
on the shelf? Have they been checked out recently?
822.3: Shakespeare
Most small- to medium-sized libraries will be fine with keeping only one edition of the
complete works while also collecting current paperback editions of the most popular plays.
Never underestimate the power of an attractive, fresh copy.
Fiction
Weeding the fiction collection usually gives even the most hardhearted librarian pause. After all,
were supposed to be the guardians of books, the keepers of the fiction flame, and that novel

from the 1980s that hasnt gone out in 15 years is surely someones favorite book! Even though
Im a ruthless weeder, Ill admit that Im thrilled that WorldCat shows me almost 500 libraries
still own a copy of Juffie Kane.
Its very difficult to remain objective when it comes to fiction. What works depends on your shelf
space, your readership, and the overall size of your collection, so there are a lot of variables.
Naturally, youll want to refer to your librarys collection-development policy and mission as
reminders and keep your communitys demographics and interests in mind. But here are some
guidelines you can use to make the task easier.
As a starting place, if a fiction book has not circulated in the last three years, it should be
considered a candidate for weeding. For some libraries, that time period may be shorter,
depending upon the size of the collection. Other libraries may be able to stretch out to five, but
thats really only when space is not a consideration.
Condition is another easy place to start, but its not as simple as just pulling and tossing the ugly
copies. Keep in mind that titles become worn out because people are reading them. On the flip
side, if a book has been on the shelf for several years and is still in pristine condition, that tells
you something, too. And never underestimate the power of replacements. Replacing a tattered or
outdated-looking copy may boost circulation of that titleIve seen it happen over and over
again.
Classics and Old Favorites
One of the biggest issues that comes up when weeding fiction is the balance of classics and
popular titles. Find a list you are happy with (Great Books, the Modern Library 100 Best list,
Fiction Catalog), and use it as a guideline for weeding items that arent circulating well but
might be good candidates for keeping. If staff members are crying foul over seeing their favorite
authors headed for the chopping block, try a display of staff favorites to see if there is any
interest.
Multiple Copies
Your librarys collection-development plan should address multiple copieshow many to
purchase, when to purchase (hold ratios), and how many to keep. This is purely based on your
budget and shelf space. Once interest in a title has wanedwhich will vary, naturallysimply
retain the number of copies specified in your plan.
Series
Because most fiction series are sequential and best read in order, it is helpful to retain the
complete run if the size of your collection permits. In addition, the release of a new title in a
series may create interest in older titles. Ive had great luck using AbeBooks and local used
bookstores to obtain near-new hardcovers of older series titles. That said, if older series books
havent gone out in seven years or more, its hard to imagine that even a new release will make
them circulate, so feel free to weedand weed the whole run. Which is another point: if

circulation stats show you could weed two or more books from a series, you need to either keep
those two, or weed the entire run.
A Few Notes on Youth and YA fiction

Multiple copies of series books often mean messy stacks. Determine whats still popular,
and purchase replacements for worn or outdated versions.
Look at classics in terms of authors as much as books.
Im going to say it. Award winners are not sacred and should be withdrawn when they are
not circulating. If in doubt, try to generate interest with an easy display of award winners.
Outdated covers are terrible across the board, but they are the kiss of death when it comes
to youth and YA books. Check for updated paperback versions of seminal YA works in
particular.
Much of your YA fiction is probably flavor-of-the-month, so make a point of clearing out
the noncirculating items to make room for the new books.

Getting Over It
As I mentioned in my first column on weeding, the response to This is someones favorite
book! is, And wed be happy to ILL it for them. Dont get me wrongI do respect that
weeding can be hard for librarians who hold every book near and dear to their hearts. And I have
my favorite authors and titles as well. But libraries are not museums, and they do have very real
space constraints. Popular fiction makes up the majority of circulation in most public libraries,
and its our job to maintain a useful, attractive, and interesting collection.

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