Just Wondering - Non-Fiction Weeding Conundrums

This post by Manitowoc (WI) Public Library Youth Librarian and YSS Board Member Susie Menk explores the nuances and challenges of information book weeding. And she's wondering....what do you think? 

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Weeding criteria—it’s the same for all library materials right?!  I would say…not necessarily. Do you use the same criteria to weed fiction as you do for non-fiction?  I hope most of us are familiar with the CREW and MUSTIE criteria.  If not, please check here .  We use these guidelines to keep us consistent when doing weeding.  But I would have to say that non-fiction can be trickier than fiction.  For fiction you can check a book’s condition, the circulation stats, popularity, and an author’s popularity and then decide to keep or weed the book.  When you look at non-fiction, it’s sometimes not that easy.

Non-fiction books have more aspects that need to be considered.  Yes, you want to check a book’s circulation stats and popularity, but for non-fiction it is also important to make sure the book reflects current thoughts and trends on a specific topic.  Books that deal with historical figures or events in history have information that doesn’t change much.  Books on current trends or topics like computers, sports figures and science have information that can get outdated quickly. 

I was doing an update with my supervisor the other day and she was playing devil’s advocate.  I work mostly with the youth non-fiction collection and she has tasked me with making sure older publications are getting weeded.  She was making sure I had valid reasons for weeding or keeping books with older publication dates. 

So what aspects do I consider?  Besides looking at the condition and circulation statistics, I also consider how many books on that topic are in our collection.  Books written on non-fiction topics don’t get published as frequently as fiction books.  Non-fiction books for youth have a smaller audience so book publishers are less likely to spend a great deal of money on publishing these kinds of books.  Therefore, I may hang onto a book published in 2013 or 2014 if it’s the newest book that I can find on that topic. 

And not just newer, but well written.  There are some really great non-fiction writers and illustrators.  I personally like authors/illustrators such as Sandra Markle, Sy Montgomery, Nic Bishop and April Pulley Sayre.  For younger readers, I like one of the older authors—Gail Gibbons.  Unfortunately, her books are not often reprinted and once they wear out I have to weed them. 

Another aspect for me is how many libraries in our system have a particular title?  While I do not feel the need to keep a book on every topic under the sun, I still keep in mind that my library is the resource library for our system.  Because of that, I am more careful about keeping at least one book on a specific topic.  Not all topics, and not all the time, but sometimes.  It just depends.  Not an exact science, is it? 

Part of doing a good job with weeding and collection development is knowing your community.  While a particular topic might circulate well in a bigger, urban community, in my rural community it might not move off the shelf.  I need to pay attention to what is moving off the shelf, so I know what topics to focus on. 

So what guidelines do you use for non-fiction?  Any favorite authors?  Any great ideas for moving your non-fiction off the shelves more often?  I would love to hear what works for you!