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Weeding Library Books: A Brilliant Strategy

Hi, friends! Recently Jessica Jevanord posted a terrific idea for weeding library books in our Learning Librarians Facebook group. I asked her to share allllll the details, and she graciously wrote this guest blog post!

Weeding Library Books Flowers

Giving Students the Gardening Gloves for Weeding Books

Ever walked into a bookstore and just breathed in the smell of new books? Then looked around at the crisp pages and stories just waiting to be read? You don’t know where to go first or what book to pick, but you want to read them all.

This year I took over the library position at a small K-8 private school. The school’s library did not give me that glorious bookstore experience. In fact, it was more or less the opposite. The library, though recently remodeled, felt neglected. I had no desire to rush to the shelves and grab the first book I could get my hands on. The books were yellowing, falling apart, and so very old. Very few books had been purchased for the library since the school opened twenty-three years ago, and even then, most of those were donated or withdrawn from the local public libraries. I didn’t want to read any of them and I knew the students wouldn’t want to either. It was clear I needed a plan to update the books and weed out the outdated ones.

The Update

I stalked thrift stores, garage sales, eBay, and marketplace to bring new, relevant books to the students without breaking the bank. I added those books as quickly as possible into the system. For the first time, the students became eager and excited about library time. I had teachers and parents stopping and thanking me every chance they got. In just a few months’ time, I added over 1000 books to the library.

However, after adding all those books, I am facing a new challenge: Where do I put all those books? This past school year (2020-21) had me distributing books to classrooms from a cart that lived in a hallway.  It was easy to simply place those new books aside and not worry about where they needed to live permanently. Yet, this school year is nearing an end and we are looking forward to students returning to the library in the fall. Furthermore, I have no desire to spend my entire summer going through thousands of outdated, damaged, and yucky books.

Forming my Plan

While surfing Facebook one afternoon, I came across a post from a fellow librarian seeking guidance on weeding her collection. Looking through the comments, I saw one that mentioned having the students point out any false/outdated facts they came across while perusing books in the library. Taking that idea one step further, I thought, “why can’t the students help decide which books are weeded out?” That idea lit a fire within me that only those of us that teach can truly understand. I shared the idea with anyone who would listen. I was simply so excited about implementing it I could barely wait a week to have the older students take part in it.

I spent a lot of time looking for a simple weeding rubric I could have the students use to determine whether a book should stay or go. I couldn’t find anything. Disappointed, but not discouraged, I created my own. I looked through various library websites to find criteria for weeding books. I used that information to compile a simple rubric the students could use as they “judged” a book’s age, condition, interest/readability, and visual appeal. At the end of the rubric, they give their own personal thoughts as to whether the book should stay in the library or be weeded.

Students Weeding Library Books

I asked the classroom teachers what the students were currently learning about in science/social studies. I pulled the entire section on those topics (even the books I knew should stay), threw them into a giant bin, and proceeded to the classroom with the rubrics in hand. I then taught a lesson on what weeding is and why it is important. I explained our weeding project and watched the students get to work.

The Weed

Library class transformed from reading a book and completing a worksheet to an interactive project incorporating multiple subjects. Students felt pride that I would place my trust in their opinions and they truly focused on each book they had the opportunity to grade. They asked meaningful questions about what they were reading and truly let their critical thinking skills get to work. They shared the outdated pictures with other students, they giggled at misinformation, commented on books they thought should be replaced, and, best of all, requested to do it again.

Students Weeding Library Books

I had them form two piles: books that should go and books that should stay. During our first class, we had the opportunity to go through about thirty books. The students decided that three were worth keeping. I was completely OK with this. Quality over quantity. I am now more aware of what our needs are for the library and can request funds (or donations) to purchase books to fit those needs.

The Reception

Now, you may be asking how administration feels about the weeding of 75% of the books in the library. I hear you there and completely understand. Here is another instance where those rubrics are great. Each rubric is placed inside the front cover of the book before being deleted from the system. I have kept the rubrics inside the books before setting them out for teachers or students to take. A member of administration (or teacher, parent, board member) can pick up a discarded book and see clear reasons for getting rid of each one. Better yet, the students can explain the reasons as well.

Student Weeding Library Books

Overall, the reception by the entire staff has been great. I have even had fellow staff members offer to help. Everyone is quite thankful the library is finally getting an update.

Looking Ahead

We’re three weeks into this project and it’s going phenomenally well. So well in fact, I had students request to take books home to weed over spring break. Another teacher suggested we take a couple hours one morning to include the entire school in a “gift of time” weeding project (I am currently working on creating additional rubrics for fiction and picture books).

I am excited for the future of this library as a place where students will want to come. A place where they can take in that wonderful book smell, run to the shelves, and eagerly open the first book they find. And, after this massive project is complete, I’ll know that what they are reading is current, relevant, factual, visually appealing, and, of course, interesting.

Our Guest Blogger

librarianJessica fell in love with children’s literature while studying special education in college. She loves the challenge of finding the perfect book for every student. For the past 8 years, Jessica stayed home with her four children and ran a small business making and selling dog collars in her Etsy boutique. In 2020, she returned to the classroom in the library position. Jessica couldn’t be more excited to have her dream job.

In case you missed it, here’s the link to download the PDF rubric that Jessica created!

 

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    9 Comments

    1. What a great idea to get the students involved in the weeding process. I would love to find out what information she used for the picture book and fiction rubric. Thanks so much for sharing.

    2. I agree that this is an awesome idea. Plus it is a great form of advocacy for her library program and shows how she aims to meet curriculum needs.
      I would also love a copy of her fiction rubric.

    3. Thank you for sharing. I am looking forward to giving this a go in my library. I am hoping to start with the classroom teachers helping to weed the many unused teacher resources. I would love to see your ideas about weeding the fiction sections.

    4. Thank you for sharing this innovative approach to weeding. I think that this process empowers students to be active in the school community by helping select learning materials and also teaches them to think critically about the sources and resources in general. The rubric is very helpful in justifying whether or not to weed a title – keeping them as evidence to advocate for new resources is a good idea!

    5. I’d love a copy of Jessica’s fiction weeding rubric. Does she have a teacherspayteachers account?

    6. It’s a good rubric. However, since this is for school students, it would be helpful to define the areas in the blank areas. Possible ideas are:
      Age
      1) There are mostly (numerous) false/outdated facts.
      2) There are some (several) false/outdated facts but also some dated facts that are still true.
      3) same
      4) There are very few false/outdated facts and the book does present much new information.
      5). same

      Visual appeal
      1) same
      2). There are some pictures that are dull and outdated.
      3) same
      4). Only a few number of photos/pictures are unappealing.
      5) same

    7. I love this idea. What a great way to have the students involved in weeding the books. I’m sure they felt very empowered and also shows the library as a community hub that they should be apart of. Thanks for sharing the rubric!

    8. Reading the information about the state of a library from a private school was interesting coming from the world of public schools. Culling books can be such an overwhelming task especially if the collection is large and outdated. The idea of having students participate in the decision-making process is brilliant. Who better decide what kids like/would like than the students themselves? The use of the rubric is a great way to make educated decisions, it would also help students build pride in the library collection.

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