Weeding the Health Sciences Library Book Collection

Over the spring and summer of 2011 library staff will be conducting a major review of the Health Sciences Library's book and media collections. Like your home garden, the library collections work better for our users when they are "weeded" occasionally. The last major weeding review was conducted in 2001. This current review will target publications from 1996 and before. Items which have become obsolete or replaced by more current editions will be withdrawn from the library's collections and made available on a first come first served basis to library users. Items of continuing or historical interest will be kept.

Effective weeding requires feedback from library users. To ensure the weeding process is effective, and your feedback can be easily gathered, we will:

  1. Review the library's book and media collections by Health Sciences collections librarians.
  2. Create a list of all items identified for possible withdrawal. (Note: Items will be on the list for two weeks.) This list can be reviewed at http://www.library.mun.ca/hsl/WeedList.pdf.
  3. Either withdraw the items or leave them in the collection, subject to library user feedback. (Note: If you would like to comment about an item, or obtain the item when, and if, it is withdrawn, you can email your comments to the library information desk.
  4. Offer withdrawn items to library users for their personal collection. The withdrawn books will be displayed on temporary shelving in the centre of the library. Withdrawn items which are not taken by library users will be disposed of by the library.

Help us make a better library for you! Please send your feedback regarding the proposed titles for withdrawal. Thank you!

June 17, 2011
George Beckett