Collection Assessment and Weeding Toolkit

Collection management and development projects are essential to ensure students have access to resources that best align with the learning outcomes of their coursework. After evaluating their collection, the librarians at Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) overhauled their print collection to make sure the titles available to students matched the college’s curricula and degree programs. Collection mapping played an important role in gathering data, allowing the librarians to streamline print collections with a focus on curricular needs as well as forming partnerships with faculty in developing the new collection.

In order to build a faculty learning lab on Ekstrom Library's third floor, the authors undertook a systematic and swift weeding project of bound print journals. A process was created to quickly assess titles for transfer or withdrawal, utilizing the Libraries' recently implemented library management system and its automated storage and retrieval system. The authors describe the process used to determine for each title whether it would be retained, transferred to the Library's automated retrieval system, or discarded. By the end of the project, 49% of the bound journal space was cleared, freeing prime library space to attract and engage users.