If you’re not too traumatized from weeding your fiction collection, then it’s time to move on to the 900s. The special call-out sections of the 900s are travel and biography. Other portions of the 900s should be weeded based on condition, currency, and usage.
Books on current affairs should be weeded after three to five years; some titles may be retained for historical perspective as space allows. Most general history titles on various historical time periods can be retained if they are in good shape and are circulating, but do watch for dated material—please tell me you don’t have books that refer to the Soviet Union in the present tense. This is also especially true for your geography and map sources.
While physical geography doesn’t shift quickly, boundaries certainly do. Weed with an eye for changes in political boundaries and country names.
For travel guides, weed after two years. Replace annually if the budget allows. An outdated travel guide is fairly useless to a traveler. Sure, people can check online, but the reason they came to your library to get that book was so that they didn’t have to print out everything from the Web! I’ll never forget the librarian who scoffed at me when I weeded Fodor’s New York City, 2000—in 2004. “It’s still useful, not that much changes in a big city like New York, all the tourist stuff is the same every year.” I stared at her and simply said, “Twin Towers,” as I discarded the book.
Core List of Travel Guidebooks
Naturally, libraries will have varied collections based on patron needs and requests, but keep in mind as you are weeding and replacing that most public libraries should have the following current year guidebooks available, at a minimum:
Hawaii
San Francisco/Bay Area
Los Angeles
Las Vegas
Austin
Chicago
New York City
Boston
New Orleans
Florida Keys
International
Maintain country and regional guides to perennially popular travel destinations such as Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Israel, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. Purchase guides to specific cities as needed.
It’s also useful to add general guides or those about unusual destinations, such as the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide series; books on family or budget travel; guides to national and state parks; adventure travel; and Disney guidebooks. Be sure to follow the twice-annual Travel Roundup feature in the September 15 and April 1 issues of Booklist for guidance on replacement titles.
For most general biographies, anything that hasn’t been checked out in three to five years is probably due for some inspection: Is the person no longer of interest? Are there more recent books out about the person? Biographies of popular figures and celebrities can be weeded once demand and popularity have receded, often in about a year. Benchmark titles of historical figures can be kept longer, if space allows.
If you’re basing your weeding on copyright date, my rule of thumb is that for celebrity bios, think three (maybe squeaking to four, for an enduringly popular person) years from publication depending on your space issues. For historical bios, up to ten to fifteen years is reasonable, as long as the books are in use and are in good condition. And really, keep in mind that although a book on Lincoln (or whomever) published in 1992 might still be valuable and interesting, it’s likely time to at least consider buying a newer copy of it. (Recall the anecdote from the section on the 800s, where a student couldn’t use the literary criticism on Orwell because the teacher required a copyright of 2000 or newer.)
Also, think about how many different works you might have on one particular person. For an enduring historical figure, two or three is probably plenty (again, if you have the room), unless you know of a specific assignment where these books might all get checked out. Keep up with new releases on famous personalities—political and historical figures in particular.
As noted earlier in this chapter, this is an area where you should keep a careful eye toward shifting boundaries. There have been, and continue to be, major changes in Europe, with countries experiencing political upheavals that have an effect on their borders and names. Cultural change is also rapid in much of Europe, and your outdated books reflect poorly on the collection. Reconsider any modern history of a country in Europe if it does not address current issues.