• Out of date either in their information or their pictorial format
• Present theories or concepts which have been disproved or altered significantly
  
• Present stereotypes of race, culture or sex role
  
• No longer meet curriculum needs and teaching methods.

• Non-Fiction
  
  • 000 Resources in the computing area will date quickly. Examine closely anything over five years old.
    
  • 100 Consider weeding outdated descriptions of psychological problems.
    
  • 200 Remove old information about sects and religions.
    
  • 300 Discard outdated law and government resources. Discard information on outdated social issues (although you should retain works of folklore)
    
  • 400 Consider the removal of old dictionaries.
    
  • 500 Examine closely resources over five years old. Discard those with obsolete information and outdated pictorial formats.
    
  • 600 Resources over five years old, particularly those on technology and medicine need to be examined closely.
    
  • 700 Consider the removal of works on photography, music, art and sport when newer editions are available.
    
  • 800 Examine closely older literary works which have lost their appeal.
    
  • 900 Weed outdated geography and history resources, particularly where the title dates materials and where names of countries have changed. Retain resources that pertain to the history of the school and community.
  
  
• Reference
  Examine closely anything over five years old. Outdated multi-volume encyclopaedia sets have limited value.
  
• Fiction
  Stereotyped fiction, poorly written fiction and unused or old fiction, should be seriously considered for weeding. Classics and award winners should not be discarded.
  
• Other
  Audiovisual resources, (especially where you no longer have the equipment necessary to view or listen to the resource) charts, maps, periodicals, study prints and vertical files need to be regularly assessed.

  In addition, you should consider the following points.

  Use patterns
  Discard items in areas of declining use such as where a particular resource or subject was popular and interest has waned, materials that were acquired to meet the needs of a specific group of students, e.g. materials in another language which is no longer studied in the school, or the items have had no recent use, despite promotion.

  The automated system can provide data regarding use patterns which can inform decisions in this area.

  Records
  Even though a resource may be discarded from a collection, it is imperative a record of its disposal is retained in case of future queries or audits. See the following section on Removing the items targeted for weeding for more information about creating a record.

  Archives
  Some items that are out-of-date may provide an historical and organisational record of the school. The items together with some publications by the school/students that may warrant future research should be set aside in an archive section. The location of the archives will depend on available room and the type of access you want to provide. For example, it may be located on a separate shelf in the library or a closed reference section in a back room. If catalogue records are retained, access can be provided via the library system as per the main collection.

1. Remove any barcodes and other identifying stickers for your library
2. Mark the item/s as WITHDRAWN either with a stamp or by writing it somewhere visible
3. Create a report from your library system listing as much detail about the resources as possible, e.g. date acquired, cost, date withdrawn, etc. This report is essential for any possible future audits of the school's resources. See the section in Finance for more information about auditing responsibilities.
4. Forward the report to your principal to sign off
5. To dispose of resources still in reasonable physical (with correct information) you might allow students and staff to select items to take home (although they may accidentally be returned with other borrowed resources).
6. Donation of weeded resources. If you are considering donating resources to other countries you need to be aware that the content of some resources may be considered culturally or politically unacceptable and should only be undertaken after consultation with relevant authorities.

Additional information on the weeding process can be found in an article entitled Secret library business. Part 2 on the Curriculum Corporation website.

For an example of an approach to weeding a school library refer to the Weed of the Month Club.This site for Florida school libraries suggests some interesting approaches to weeding that can be adapted in WA.

Stocktake

An accurate record of library resources held is required for purposes of accountability. This record provides information on the resource collection so that it may support the achievement of student outcomes within the school, and assists with planning for future collection development. This information also provides evidence of purchases to date, and helps to ensure insurance is adequate. The stocktake process also provides a check on the library holdings and assists library staff in identifying missing items.

Stocktaking using an automated system is easily carried out and may be conducted for the whole collection or a specified part, e.g. fiction, reference, 800s, etc., even when the library resource centre is fully operational. A report on the missing items can be generated for referral and further checking, and steps may be taken to alter the status of items, which are missing, or to remove surplus records from the database. Refer to your library system manual for the procedure.

Before beginning the stocktake, try to have as many resources as possible already shelved. You should also consider when you might undertake the stocktake to minimise any disruption to library users. For example, the process could be undertaken section by section over a period of weeks or months.

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