The Weeding Handbook: A Shelf-by-Shelf Guide Paperback – May 18, 2015

I bought this to add to my professional collection. I am a school librarian and I am always looking for practical weeding information. This book is good on theory and I like that there are sample collection development plans in the Appendix. From a school library point of view the book is light on actual practical guidance from the school librarian's perspective. A better choice for school librarians would be Less is More: A Practical Guide to Weeding School Library Collections by Donna Baumbach and Linda Miller.

Rebecca Vnuk is a well-known collection development guru.This deciptively slim volume is a crystal clear distillation of her vast knowledge that library professionals at all levels of experience can literally take to the shelf with them as they approach the sometimes intimidating task of weeding. A must have for every professional collection.

The cont is rich and well organized

Rebecca Vnuk is THE library world’s expert on weeding and collection development. In this textbook, she walks you through the collection in Dewey order explaining best practices for weeding. She discusses why weeding is an important part of collection development and how it is not just about “throwing out books.” There are also sections on how to educate your community in preparation for any large weeding project.But where this book excels is in when Vnuk discusses the importance of having a formal collection development plan. With one, you will never be forced into a major weeding project again, and your collections will be more responsive to your community all of the time. She even includes easily adaptable plans that you can implement in your library ASAP. A solid collection development plan saves you and your tax payers time and money while giving them the best collection possible.

This book has been very helpful to me as I start thinking about working in a public library again. I really enjoy the shelf by shelf approach. Weeding media is different than weeding poetry or satire. The sample collection development plans are invaluable. It would also be helpful in making a case to a board of trustees that weeding is important because it is concise, straightforward and easy to follow. An excellent resource and a fun read too.

Both seasoned library staff and those new to collection development will find this book incredibly useful in guiding their weeding efforts, particularly those taking place in public libraries (although many of the suggested guidelines can be tailored for academic institutions or special libraries). Unlike many information science books that seem out of touch with the day-to-day realities of library work, this is rooted in practical, relevant information. Plus it's breezy to boot! I particularly appreciated the suggestions on how to get reluctant staff, administrators, board members and patrons on the weeding bandwagon, and the many examples of weeding and collection guidelines of other libraries.

I read this book while in a class on collection development while working on my MLIS degree. This was so very helpful during that time! Rebecca writes clearly and precisely, laying out both the hows and the whys of weeding in libraries. I felt that this book made an excellent argument for the necessity of weeding and provided concrete examples on how and what to weed that work for any library.

Book as described - no problems - would use this supplier again