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CREW: A Weeding Manual For Modern Libraries
107 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2008
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 7, 2020
Obligatory reading for anyone and everyone who works in a library.
January 1, 2026
This resource is referenced in my workplace's internal documentation and new staff are directed here, but I don't think I'd ever read it all the way through, only referred to the relevant sections as needed.
Five stars for a lot of the theory and general instruction. I would heartily recommend these sections to new professionals as well as managers and paraprofessionals (!).
Significantly fewer stars, however, for the sections with more step-by-step instructions. The weeding procedure as given is far more time-consuming than needed, creates a lot of duplicated work, and uses a lot of paper (says the person who does still work from a printed list for weeding). These instructions *might* work for extremely small libraries that are not part of multi-branch systems, or for extremely small branches in a system that treats each branch separately-- I'm thinking something more the size of an elementary school library: my previous library in a town of 30,000 was too large to comfortably use the procedures given here.
An update would be welcome, especially if that update removes instructions to use coded marks inside physical books, gives examples of incorporating weeding into the ordering process, and separates out more clearly those tasks that should be done routinely by paraprofessionals/volunteers but which are here lumped in as librarian weeding steps (inventory, condition check). Sections specifically directed to paraprofessional staff and board memebrs could be useful. Different editions for [school and very small public libraries] and [mid to large public libraries] would allow more detailed information that's more appropriate for each audience.
Five stars for a lot of the theory and general instruction. I would heartily recommend these sections to new professionals as well as managers and paraprofessionals (!).
Significantly fewer stars, however, for the sections with more step-by-step instructions. The weeding procedure as given is far more time-consuming than needed, creates a lot of duplicated work, and uses a lot of paper (says the person who does still work from a printed list for weeding). These instructions *might* work for extremely small libraries that are not part of multi-branch systems, or for extremely small branches in a system that treats each branch separately-- I'm thinking something more the size of an elementary school library: my previous library in a town of 30,000 was too large to comfortably use the procedures given here.
An update would be welcome, especially if that update removes instructions to use coded marks inside physical books, gives examples of incorporating weeding into the ordering process, and separates out more clearly those tasks that should be done routinely by paraprofessionals/volunteers but which are here lumped in as librarian weeding steps (inventory, condition check). Sections specifically directed to paraprofessional staff and board memebrs could be useful. Different editions for [school and very small public libraries] and [mid to large public libraries] would allow more detailed information that's more appropriate for each audience.
January 9, 2019
The section on how to deal with "Grubby" items and MUSTIE items that might be Misleading, Ugly, Superseded, Trivial...
Those were the parts that were the most helpful to me because I know what to do with "Dead" items.
Those were the parts that were the most helpful to me because I know what to do with "Dead" items.
February 28, 2012
Very helpful and informative
January 21, 2017
This is a singularly helpful book. I would have been lost without it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews