Selection, deselection and awful library books

It has come around to the end of the school year, which means it's time to do a bit of weeding. Weeding in a library is similar to weeding in a garden. You go through the collection carefully looking for any books which may once have been a beautiful hibiscus, but which have now become a dried up old thistle... Maybe that's a bit of a stretch but you never quite know what you will find tucked away in a forgotten corner.

While some books are lovely and only get more charming with age, this doesn't mean they will always be appropriate for a modern school library collection.
We also need to look at books for currency - information can quickly go out of date. The overall condition of a specimen is important. Who wants to read a spotty, smelly old book with a cover which looks like 1990's finest (but 2011's lamest)?
Ok some people would (like maybe me in a whimsical mood) but whimsy is not a good reason to keep something that is manky. Neither is the 'it's old so it must be good' idea. But at the same time, it's essential to keep older books which are still in ok condition and appropriate for the curriculum and student needs. Some of the books we weed are still great books, they are just no longer appropriate.

Careful management of library collections is essential for presenting students with the best possible library experience.

The collection is already in pretty awesome shape, so only a little careful weeding is required. But it's important to keep on top of it. If you don't, you could easily end up with a collection that actually puts people off books and libraries. Looking through the collection to find books which need to be removed also highlights gaps - so we will know what we need to buy for the coming school year.

There's a fantastic library blog called Awful Library books. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) there's nothing here that we can submit to them! Random old books do have a certain charm... In the meantime, I'll keep looking!

At the moment there is a trolley of books available on the second floor of the library. These are for staff and students to take home and keep. The ones which are not snapped up will be donated to charity book sales. Come along and grab a few for yourself - you could just end up with a hidden gem!