Question:
How do you know when it’s time to get rid of a crafting book? Do you go by last
checkout date? Condition? Age? The answer: yes to all of the above. There is a
fine balance we walk when it comes to certain parts of our collection. Crafting
books are one such area. It seems like they are always getting checked out,
whether they are shiny and new, or falling apart or just plain ugly! It’s kind
of a conundrum. Some books are so old you just wish you could throw them out,
but they are the only books on a specific topic and patrons still use them.
Others might look brand new, but not be used frequently.
Obviously,
if an item hasn’t circ’ed in 5 years, get rid of it! Why are you holding on to
that junk?! Unless it’s a really rare item for a specific type of craft that
has limited books (but even then, no one’s using it, so WHY ARE YOU SAVING
IT?!). Those crafting books that are well loved and falling apart have lived
their best life: time to move on (If they are relatively new, you could look
into replacing them, but with as many crafting books as are produced, I
recommend replacing them with newer titles on the subject if you can). If you
have a crafting book that is thirty years old, and it LOOKS like it was made in
the ‘80s or ’90s, you probably don’t want to hang on to it (those pictures do
NOT age well, have you seen some of the awful styles from back then?!), whether
or not it gets circ’s. Make room for some newer, more eye-catching titles!
I
know this doesn’t necessarily seem like an easy answer. Finding the right
balance between popular, well-used items and newer, nicer items to replace the
old and cruddy crafting books can be difficult, and varies from library to
library. However, by weeding out old, gross, and non-circulating materials, you
can help create a more visually appealing collection, as well as promoting
newer materials you have.
Plus,
the discards can also make good weapons!
Until
next month, my weeding peeps. Stay safe and healthy!
Guest post by: Ashley Borman, Technical
Services Librarian, Clintonville Public Library
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