Ashley Borman, Technical Services Librarian at the Clintonville (WI) Public Library, is back with another weeding tips column.
Weeding social science topics can be stressful. As the world and viewpoints evolve, it is important to make sure this area of your collection reflects the values people hold today.
Books that are respectful towards different races and cultures are important. If you see something on your shelf that stereotypes or marginalizes a group of people (and it is not analyzing said stereotype), it should probably be thrown in the discard pile. This can include anything from a social justice book that is poorly written, to memoirs and biographies that lean into stereotypes to gain the readers’ empathy.
“The Weeding Handbook: A Shelf by Shelf Guide” (second edition) by Rebecca Vnuk suggests evaluating these items every three years, paying particular attention to books on Black history, gender, and women’s issues.
Check items for biases and poor or outdated language. Vnuk asks, “Does the section overall represent people of color and historically marginalized groups? Are materials free of stereotypes and assumptions?”
These are excellent questions to ask as you go through and discard outdated books. They are also excellent questions to ask as you are ordering new books for your collection.
Vnuk, Rebecca. The weeding handbook: A shelf-by-shelf guide. 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: ALA Editions, 2022.
No comments:
Post a Comment