We are reviewing our reference materials to ensure that they are up-to-date and support the research and curriculum needs of the Glassboro campus. In order to do this, we are working toward completing a thorough, disciplined “weeding” process.
Maintaining a library collection is a thoughtful process. It begins with the decision to purchase a title based on faculty requests, curriculum growth, or literary awards. Any new title must then be made accessible through the catalog or web interface.
During the life of that title, it is repaired or updated as necessary. Collection maintenance necessarily includes the need to periodically review titles based on an agreed upon set of criteria. Libraries use a variety of standards for this review: currency, superseded editions, duplication, or the availability of an updated format. Physical condition, university curriculum, and space are also factors in the decision-making process.
Librarians refer to the later portion of the collection maintenance cycle as “weeding”. Much like a garden plant, good information can become hidden in the collection when old materials are not removed. Subject specialist librarians at Campbell Library have spent the summer evaluating the Reference Collection and have already moved many of the titles. Some have been transferred to the regular stacks because the information is deemed valuable, but not for reference. Some titles have been sent to Better World Books, a global organization that provides discarded, no-longer-needed books to under-privileged libraries. Some titles have been recycled because the information in them was outdated or because we can now provide you with complete online access.
If you have questions about the collection maintenance process, or are having trouble locating reference materials, we encourage you to contact us for assistance:
Deborah Gaspar
Director of Public Services
Keith & Shirley Campbell Library
856-256-4963
gaspar@rowan.edu
All other questions may be submitted at askus.lib.rowan.edu.