facing fears about deselection; strategies to help both faculty & librarians feel safe

Caroline MillsAssistant Director for Collection Services

Furman University Library

• founded in 1830 with 620 volumes• 1907 - space for

25,000• 1950’s - space for

250,000 volumes eventually housing 400,00

Furman University Libraries

• 2004 expansion adding 65,000 SF • 3 libraries• space for

half a million volumes

Furman University Libraries

15,000- 20,000 books added annually for the last 7+ years

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012350,000

400,000

450,000

500,000

550,000

600,000

650,000

20,133 18,004

24,75116,718

Furman University Libraries

Changeorganizational restructuring strategic plan: “Redesign library space to create

innovative, dynamic spaces..”

The need to develop a deselection process that was integrated, systematic and inclusive

facing our fears

Full library involvement and investment in the process

facing faculty fears

Focus group to respond to questions

“Are there related library policies that speak to the library's obligation to keep certain books as a matter of historical or intellectual concerns?”

“What obligation does the library have for books that have been given to the library?”

“What is the library's obligation--in concert with all other libraries--to keep certain books for future generations of researchers?”

the process

Furman University Deselection GuidelinesKey FeaturesOngoingData basedMulti-phased Inclusive

the communication

The library staff is assessing our PZ collection. This collection consists primarily of popular fiction published in English prior to 1980. We began this project to remove older, unused books and books in poor condition, to ensure the collection remains useful and accessible and to make space for new acquisitions. We started by looking at books in this range that haven’t circulated for over 10 years and from there added criteria including condition and multiple copies. We retained or replaced with newer copies the following:• award-winners and books listed in Books for College Libraries• books that cover topics related to Furman’s curriculum • books by notable authors and illustrators• books related to Furman or South Carolina Our librarians will be examining these candidates closely and we invite you to evaluate them either using the attached list or in person. These books will be available for evaluation from April 15-June 15, Monday-Friday from 9AM until 5PM in the Technical Services Suite, (004) in the lower level of the James B. Duke Library. You can also find a list of the candidates and other criteria for the project at: http://libguides.furman.edu/deselection.We appreciate your help in making sure our collection remains useful to you and our students!If you have any additional questions please email Caroline Mills (caroline.mills1689@furman.edu) or call 864.294.2264. About the PZ’sThe Library of Congress used the PZ classification between 1906-1980. Only juvenile fiction is currently classed in the Library of Congress PZ range.

the projects

• Juvenile Collection deselection• PZ deselection • Government Documents deselection

the results

• Juvenile Collection [2,372 titles withdrawn 3/13]• PZ Collection [1,309 titles withdrawn 6/13]• Government Documents [23,000+ candidates]

As long as the following books are in decent physical condition, and as long as we don’t have other copies, I’d recommend removing them from the deselection list: #25 (Oates), #42 (Ford), #49 (Malamud), #109 (Heyward), #116 (O’Hara), #127 (Meredith), #135 (Nabokov), # 143 (McCarthy), #177 (Oates), #186 (McCarthy), #210 (Oates), #269 (Oates), #317 (Gold), #322 (Stein), #434 (Dunbar), #462 (Owen), #495 (Roth), #506 (Meredith), #509 (Heyward), #510 (O’Hara), #521 (Oates), #533 (Waugh), #550 (Fox), #593 (Oates), #618 (Singer), #628 (Meredith), #636 (Roth), #641 (O’Hara), #707 (Ford), #718 (Fisher), #720 (Fox), #729 (Meredith), #740 (Owen), #742 (Fisher), #749-51 (O’Hara—one copy), #752 (Styron), #766 (Harris), #778 (Oates), #793 (Heyward), #795 (Day Lewis), #805 (Caldwell), #816 (Hughes), #828 (Mansfield), #838 (Owen), #840 (Greene), #860 (Fisher), #870 (O’Hara), #907 (Fisher), #920 (Meredith), #946 (Owen), #965 (Roth), #969 (Oates), #999-1001 (Lewis—one copy), #1012 (O’Hara), #1042 (Ford), #1057 (O’Hara), #1059 (Styron), #1104 (O’Hara), #1112 (Meredith), #1130 (Cooper), #1152 (Du Bois), #1167 (De la Mare), 1186 (Cooper), 31232 (Scott), #1238 (Malamud), #1297 (Shaw), #1307 (Wier), #1346 Wharton), #1360 (Oates), #1400 (Roth), #1407 (Crane), #1408 (Jones), #1425 (Oates), #1430 (Oates)……….

the problems

• Time intensive• Limited space• Faculty (and librarian) burnout• You probably can’t do this at your library

the future

• Creation of a Center for Academic Success in the Duke Library• Shared collection initiative-The

Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries (PASCAL)• Removal of VCRs from all classrooms• Addition of 65,000 DDA titles to our

catalog

Caroline Mills, Ph.D. Assistant Director for Collection Services

caroline.mills1689@furman.edu

Part II

“What are countless books to me, and libraries of which the owner in his whole life

will scarcely read the titles?”Seneca 4 B.C.-65 A.D.

“if you want roome for modern books, it is easy to remove the less useful into a more

remote place.”Thomas Hollis, 1725

“A small collection of well chosen books is sufficient for the entertainment and

instruction of any man, and all else are useless Lumber.”

Rev. Reginald Heber 1787