Weed N' Feed at the Library

Scowl-Face is currently weeding the adult nonfiction collection at my Library.  That means he has to evaluate about a gazillion books to see which ones should be "deselected," as the librarians say.  We from the "old school" call it "weeding," and it is necessary to maintain the general health of the library's numerous collections.  Mostly, it's a space issue.  Some of the bookshelves are wedged so tightly with books that you couldn't get a bookmark between them.  Something has to go, so let's start with anything written by Scowl-Face.

Before "Deselection,"

Tight Packing Makes For Some

Unhappy Campers on These Bookshelves

Freshly-Weeded Stacks With

Much More Breathing Room

(Making Books Much Happier)

Not Quite This Many "Deselected" Books Downstairs

(But Not Too Far Behind)

In collection development circles, librarians evaluate collections using an established formula, based upon physical condition, circulation frequency, uniqueness of subject matter, availability of the same item elsewhere in the Evergreen Indiana (E.I.) consortium, availability of similar materials at my Library (or at other E.I. Libraries), replacement cost, online or digital equivalents, and so forth.  It takes a first-rate library mind to handle the collection deselection and acquisition-recommendation processes involved in collection development.  Sadly, we have Scowl-Face, so we do what we can with such limited intellectual resources.

Flashy Sign Work!

Way to Go, FOL!

This weeding has been going along for several months now, and there are over a couple thousand books awaiting processing downstairs so they may be sold by the Friends of the Library (FOL), which has a bookstore by the Library's front entrance.

Drop by the Library and buy some of these fabulous books.  "Weed 'N Feed" at MPL means great savings on gently-preread books for sale to you, who are so special we'll give you a great bargain.  That's the Cauli guarantee talking, and that's like cash in your pocket.  Well, actually, it's nothing like cash, but it carries weight, nonetheless.

Ask for a special Cauli Le Chat bookmark. There's no better way to mark your place!  Better than slobberdog-earing the pages, that's for sure.  Hey, you can find my bookmarks here and here and here.  One of them should download.  My bookmarks at my Library are laminated, however, so they are extra keen.

Nonfiction Stacks From Dewey 001 Through 385 Are Breathing Easier, At Least,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Collection Development News Beat

P.S.  I mentioned The Weavers in a previous posting, but here's one of their covers that is particularly appropriate for library weeding, when one is sending "deselected" items to the FOL sale room.  It is "So Long, It's Been Good to Know You," composed by Woody Guthrie, and included on the LP The Weavers Greatest Hits (1957).