Library 101: Weeding
Why getting rid of library books can be a good thing
Today, I'm starting a new series in which I discuss various library topics. I always enjoy seeing behind-the-scenes of different jobs and workplaces, so I thought this might be a fun series for book lovers who are passionate about their local libraries.
First, let me tell you about my library experience. I started my library career nearly 20 years ago when I worked as a page at a mid-sized public library. I worked that job through college and even stayed on for several years after I started the job I have now. My primary duties were shelving, preparing the building for opening and closing, and pulling holds.
I had some fantastic supervisors who knew I wanted to work in libraries full-time. They took me under their wings and showed me the ropes, letting me help with all kinds of different tasks, including weeding, which is library-speak for discarding books. I worked my public library job for about 15 years, many of those years overlapping with my current gig as a public school library clerk.
I've been in my school job for 14 years now. When I started, I worked in one high school and one elementary school, but my schedule has changed many times since then. For the past three years, I've been working in five high schools, going to a different site each day. To say this schedule isn't ideal is an understatement, but I do the best I can with the time I've been given.
I work with some incredible librarians who are kind, funny, and thoughtful people. They're all certified teachers, and I am not. I knew I wanted to work in school libraries, but I also knew I didn't want to teach. The clerk role is perfect for me because the librarians are like the parents, and I'm like the fun aunt. They have to teach, provide tech support, run school-wide testing, and corral the youths while I get to design display signs in Canva and play with fonts. I win. I also order, catalog, and process books, curate book lists, keep the library websites updated, and help with circulation.
Thanks to two decades of experience in both public and academic libraries, I've learned a lot about how libraries function, what they offer, and how they can be improved.
I want to start my Library 101 series with a topic that's one of the most misunderstood, and that's weeding. Getting rid of library books can often cause some uproar. People might think the library is tossing out perfectly good books, and to be honest, sometimes we are. But getting rid of books is just as important as purchasing new ones. Overstuffed shelves full of books that patrons are no longer interested in don't serve our communities or our schools. Let's dive deeper as I explain why weeding matters, how it works, and why it might upset people.
Why Weeding Matters
Several years ago, when I still worked in elementary, I was assigned a new-to-me school. The building itself was fairly new, and as soon as I walked into the library, I was stunned. It was beautiful. There were windows everywhere, a courtyard outside, ample shelving, and a nice work area. I was impressed until I looked closely at the shelves. Many of the books in the nonfiction section were several decades out of date. I remember finding health books with inaccurate information, and another book about disabilities that was insensitive.
Just this school year, I embarked on a big weeding project at a school that hadn't done one in many years. I found a book about space that was published before the moon landing in 1969, and another book about American presidents that stopped with Eisenhower. EISENHOWER. Needless to say, our shelves were packed full of obsolete books, copies in poor condition, and books containing incorrect information. Archival libraries might want to keep some of that material, but it doesn't serve public or academic libraries.
Once we discarded the old, outdated books at those two sites, the shelves practically glowed. We suddenly had room to face books out on each shelf, something vital to catching a patron's eye. Before, it was difficult to find newer, up-to-date nonfiction because it was buried between books published in the 1950s. After weeding, the newer stuff stood out, and students didn't have to dig through titles that hadn't circulated in many years to find what they wanted.
It might sound strange, but discarding books increases circulation. All five of my current schools have undergone weeding projects recently, and circulation numbers increased in every single building this year, some as much as 40%. Because of those stats, I truly believe a smaller, well-curated library better serves patrons than a huge collection with shelves that are packed too tightly.
How Weeding Works
Now that we understand why weeding is important, let's look at how the process works. Here are some common reasons why a library book might be discarded:
It contains outdated information.
It no longer supports the curriculum.
It’s in poor condition.
The library has duplicate copies.
It hasn’t been checked out in a long time.
There are many methods out there that people use to evaluate books, and some might be specified in a library's policies. What my schools do is pretty simple: we run two types of reports. One is a collection report that tells us what titles might be obsolete. Certain sections become outdated quicker than others, such as science, health, and technology, fields that are constantly changing. A collection analysis will tell us what books have publication dates that might fall outside the recommended timeframe for keeping a text.
The second report we use lists circulation counts. I can use that report to show me what books are no longer getting checked out. It's easy to discard old, damaged books, but it can be hard to let go of books that you like but aren't circulating. I've weeded many titles over the years that I personally love, but the libraries I work in aren't about me and what I want to read. They must reflect the interests and needs of the communities they serve.
Once we know what books can be discarded, we remove the books from the catalog and box them up. Each library handles discards differently, but in mine, weeded books can be given to teachers for their classrooms or picked up by the school's warehouse team. Those are our two options. Public libraries often place their discards in library book sales.
Why Weeding Can Upset People
Whenever I'm working on a big weeding project, I'm always asked, "Why are you getting rid of these books?" Once, a colleague told me how so-and-so got rid of boxes and boxes of books and how sad it was, not realizing the so-and-so they were talking about was me. While I don't love the complaints, I welcome the questions. When I explain the whys of weeding like I have here, people always understand. If patrons just see boxes full of discarded books, they might assume they're full of wonderful treasures, not texts that have been sitting on the shelf collecting dust since the Reagan administration.
It's important to explain the why to staff and patrons so they understand that discarding is a helpful service, not an attempt to throw away books that are in high demand. Can that happen? Absolutely. With all the book challenges and bans happening across the United States right now, I'm certain some people would love to weed out new, relevant, and high-interest titles simply because they disagree with the content. Responsible weeding is based on data and policies, not personal opinion.
In Conclusion
Weeding is a time-consuming job, but it’s a task I love because the effect is immediate. Sometimes it can be hard to get rid of books, especially if you’re not sure you’ll have the budget to replace them. But I’d rather have nothing on the shelf than a book that is wrong or offensive.
Many years ago, in one of my former schools, a staff member brought up a nonfiction book to the librarian and showed her several racial slurs in it. The slurs were not used to make a point or in a historical context; the book was simply old, and the writer was using terms considered appropriate at the time. I always think about this when I think about discarding. Library staff need to find these types of books before patrons do.
Weeding is one of the most important tasks staff can do to ensure patrons have a successful trip to the library.
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I hope this was interesting information for you. What questions do you have about weeding? What topic would you like to see next in this Library 101 series? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
This was such a refreshing and necessary defence of a practice that’s often misunderstood. Weeding isn’t about neglect or destruction, but about care and intention. I really appreciate the reminder that a well-maintained collection is a living one, shaped not by what we hoard but by what we curate.
There’s such an emotional charge around getting rid of books, especially for those of us who see them as sacred objects. But, as you rightly point out, a book that sits untouched and unnoticed for years isn’t fulfilling its purpose. Clearing shelf space is an act of generosity because we are ultimately making room for stories that will speak to someone now.
I also loved the connection you made between weeding and reader experience. There’s something quietly radical about making sure a library reflects its community’s actual needs and interests. And yes, I’ll admit it: I’ve caught myself judging libraries by their weeded titles, forgetting that sometimes letting go is the most responsible thing you can do.
Thank you for framing this so thoughtfully.
I loved weeding, for all the reasons you explain so clearly and beautifully here. I was astounded at some of the things I found on the shelves of my district's libraries. It's such an important part of collection development!