What do you do with unused reference books?
Posted by: David Tyckoson
A public librarian from Virginia asked these questions at the Webinar on the 21st Century Reference Collection:
Q: What are you doing with all the unused reference books? Is space an issue? Can you justify using much-needed space for unused items?
A: This is a very practical question. We continue to shrink the reference collection over time (usually in big projects during the summer and winter breaks). Books that are taken out of reference mostly move into the circulating collection, but some are weeded and discarded. This all depends on the subject and format of the book. A 1995 dictionary of philosophy is fine for the circulating collection, whereas a 1995 business directory is pretty much useless. Decisions are made on a title by title basis.
Because we have data on the number of times that each title has been used, we know if people have been using each book in our collection. That information helps us decide whether to leave it in reference, move it to the circulating collection, or discard. If you are doing the same thing in your library, I suggest moving titles that you are uncertain about to the circulating collection. That provides a safety net – you can always bring it back into reference if you find that you still need it there or you can always discard later if no one uses it in the circulating collection.
Space is not an issue for us since we have a brand new building (see the photo below and yes, you are allowed to be jealous!). However, we did greatly reduce the reference collection before moving into the new space. For the majority of you for whom space is an issue, a strong weeding policy will allow you to free up space in reference (which is usually in a prime location in any library) by either discarding unused materials or sending them to the circulating collection stacks. What you move into the free space will depend on your building configuration and community needs, but common uses are for computer workstations, reader space, exhibits, or something else that has high visibility with users.
