Many libraries have begun to pursue monographs deselection projects, driven by low circulation rates and space pressure. Such projects take many different forms. Join us as we contrast a large-scale collaborative initiative and an ongoing individual library operation.
Collaboration: The Michigan Shared Print Initiative (MI-SPI) involves seven academic libraries, along with the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS). Using data analysis tools developed by Sustainable Collection Services (SCS), MI-SPI identified candidates for removal from individual collections while maintaining a shared distributed collection among participants. The group plans to utilize these tools and processes to expand the cooperative effort. Two perspectives will be presented: a participant library with no pressures on collection space and the project facilitator.
Workflow Integration: Large-scale weeding, shared print and transfer projects can create major spikes in a library’s workload, even when batch processing and rules-based approaches are utilized. James Madison University (JMU) has chosen instead to flatten their deselection workload, by focusing on 2-3 subjects each year. This creates a smaller, more predictable workflow, and enables weeding and transfers to be integrated into routine operations. Potentially disruptive ad hoc projects are converted into a manageable part of the library’s annual workload. In this session, JMU and SCS will describe their ongoing collaboration, and the path toward routinizing deselection work.
