Weeding
Weeding is the process of carefully reviewing and removing outdated, damaged, or unused materials from a library's collection. Just like gardening, where you remove unwanted plants to help desired ones grow better, library weeding helps maintain a healthy, relevant, and user-friendly collection. This process ensures library space is used efficiently and that patrons can easily find current and valuable materials. When you see this term in resumes or job descriptions, it refers to collection management and maintenance skills, not gardening.
Examples in Resumes
Conducted systematic weeding of over 5,000 volumes to optimize shelf space and collection relevance
Led annual collection weeding projects to maintain currency of reference materials
Implemented data-driven weeding criteria to improve circulation statistics by 25%
Typical job title: "Librarians"
Also try searching for:
Where to Find Librarians
Professional Organizations
Online Communities
Job Resources
Example Interview Questions
Senior Level Questions
Q: How would you develop a comprehensive weeding policy for a large academic library?
Expected Answer: A strong answer should discuss creating criteria based on circulation statistics, material age, condition, and subject relevance. They should mention stakeholder involvement, documentation processes, and strategies for managing faculty concerns.
Q: Describe how you would handle resistance to weeding from staff or patrons.
Expected Answer: Look for answers that demonstrate leadership skills, ability to communicate the benefits of weeding, use of data to support decisions, and experience in change management and staff training.
Mid Level Questions
Q: What criteria do you use when deciding which materials to weed?
Expected Answer: Should mention the CREW method or similar standard approaches, discussing factors like circulation history, age of material, condition, and relevance to collection goals.
Q: How do you document and track the weeding process?
Expected Answer: Should describe experience with library management systems, spreadsheets, or databases for tracking removed items, maintaining records, and analyzing collection statistics.
Junior Level Questions
Q: What is weeding and why is it important in libraries?
Expected Answer: Should be able to explain that weeding is removing outdated or unused materials to maintain collection quality, save space, and make materials easier to find.
Q: How do you determine if a book is in poor condition?
Expected Answer: Should discuss checking for physical damage, mold, missing pages, outdated information, and understanding when repair is possible versus when replacement is needed.
Experience Level Indicators
Junior (0-2 years)
- Basic understanding of weeding criteria
- Ability to identify damaged materials
- Knowledge of library catalog systems
- Basic collection maintenance tasks
Mid (2-5 years)
- Implementation of weeding projects
- Use of collection analysis tools
- Knowledge of preservation methods
- Experience with inventory management
Senior (5+ years)
- Development of weeding policies
- Project management of large-scale weeding
- Staff training and supervision
- Collection development strategy
Red Flags to Watch For
- No knowledge of standard weeding criteria or methods
- Lack of experience with library management systems
- Poor understanding of collection development principles
- No experience with collection analysis or statistics
Related Terms
Need more hiring wisdom? Check these out...
Refining Job Descriptions to Expand Applicant Pools: Casting a Wider Talent Net
Workforce Solutions Aggregators: The Next Big Thing You Didn't Know You Needed
From Passive to Active: Nurturing Candidates Over the Long Haul
