Weeding and Deselection Policy

Overview

The John Spoor Broome Library collects materials primarily to support student and faculty learning and research. Formats include books, CDs, DVDs, and graphic works. In addition, the Broome Library maintains a small leisure collection of current fiction and nonfiction titles, and a current news and magazine collection.

The Broome Library’s collection is periodically evaluated according to the criteria listed below. Items are identified for deselection, or weeding, on an ongoing basis as a consequence.

The scope of this policy covers physical books, CDs, DVDs, and graphic works available for lending.

Deselection Criteria for Consideration

  • Items with little to no usage. (0 browsing or checkout uses over the last 20 years).
  • Outdated or inaccurate materials (e.g., computer science, or medical materials older than 5 years; travel guides older than 10 years; test preparation materials older than 5 years).
  • Duplicate copies of low use items.
  • Older editions.
  • Textbooks (excluding titles put on Reserves).
  • Materials that no longer serve the curriculum, excluding leisure materials.
  • Incomplete multi-volume sets.

Exclusions to Deselection

  • Local and regional history (Campus, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara counties, and Channel Islands).
  • Unique items (fewer than 5 copies in the USA or sole copy in California).
  • Items authored by CSUCI faculty.
  • Children’s book award winners.
  • Items held because of consortial requirements.
  • Seminal works in a discipline or knowledge area.
  • Heavily used items.

Process

  1. Deselection decisions are overseen by the subject liaison specialist in consultation with librarians.
  2. Deselection is informed by usage statistics, evaluation of physical condition, duplication, uniqueness, etc.
  3. Items listed as missing in the OneSearch (library catalog), for more than one year will be reviewed for replacement or withdrawal. Missing consortial retention items will be replaced if possible.

It may be helpful for librarians to think of deselection as removing items that are:

  • Misleading and/or contain factually inaccurate information, unless historically or culturally important.
  • Worn and cannot be mended.
  • Superseded by new editions.
  • Available online through a Broome Library resource.

Back to Policies

Version: 01
Revised: January/2022
Version Code: V01-revJAN2022

Back to Top ↑
©