Collection Evaluation and Weeding
Michelle Colquitt for GSU FRIT 7332
Weeding the 560-579 Sections of the Chase Street Elementary Media Center
I visited the Chase Street Media Center on February 9, 2016. When I viewed the 570s, these books were very new and there did not seem to be enough candidates for weeding. Therefore, I expanded my focus to areas 560--Fossils and Prehistoric Life to 579 ( the entirety of Biology). This area covered three shelves top to bottom of a Media Center bookshelf.
Data Analysis of the 560--579 Sections
The first chart is a breakdown of the items within sections 560-579.
The second chart is a breakdown of all circulations of these materials. Each individual item from each section's circulation statistics was added together and counted toward the main call number (e.g. 567).
Chart three relates the average age in years of each section.
Curricular Needs of the 560--579 Collection
Kindergarten
SKL1. Students will sort living organisms and non-living materials into groups by observable physical attributes.
a. Recognize the difference between living organisms and nonliving materials.
b. Group animals according to their observable features such as appearance, size, motion, where it lives, etc. (Example: A green frog has four legs and hops. A rabbit also hops.)
c. Group plants according to their observable features such as appearance, size, etc.
SKL2. Students will compare the similarities and differences in groups of organisms.
a. Explain the similarities and differences in animals. (color, size, appearance, etc.)
b. Explain the similarities and differences in plants. (color, size, appearance, etc.)
c. Recognize the similarities and differences between a parent and a baby.
d. Match pictures of animal parents and their offspring explaining your reasoning. (Example: dog/puppy; cat/kitten; cow/calf; duck/ducklings, etc.)
e. Recognize that you are similar and different from other students. (senses, appearance)
First Grade
S1L1. Students will investigate the characteristics and basic needs of plants and animals.
a. Identify the basic needs of a plant.
1. Air
2. Water
3. Light
4. Nutrients
b. Identify the basic needs of an animal.
1. Air
2. Water
3. Food
4. Shelter
c. Identify the parts of a plant—root, stem, leaf, and flower.
d. Compare and describe various animals—appearance, motion, growth, basic needs.
Second Grade
S2L1. Students will investigate the life cycles of different living organisms.
a. Determine the sequence of the life cycle of common animals in your area: a mammal such as a cat or dog or classroom pet, a bird such as a chicken, an amphibian such as a frog, and an insect such as a butterfly.
b. Relate seasonal changes to observations of how a tree changes throughout a school year.
c. Investigate the life cycle of a plant by growing a plant from a seed and by recording changes over a period of time. d. Identify fungi (mushroom) as living organisms.
Third Grade
S3E2. Students will investigate fossils as evidence of organisms that lived long ago.
a. Investigate fossils by observing authentic fossils or models of fossils or view information resources about fossils as evidence of organisms that lived long ago.
b. Describe how a fossil is formed.
S3L1. Students will investigate the habitats of different organisms and the dependence of organisms on their habitat.
a. Differentiate between habitats of Georgia (mountains, marsh/swamp, coast, Piedmont, Atlantic Ocean) and the organisms that live there.
b. Identify features of green plants that allow them to live and thrive in different regions of Georgia.
c. Identify features of animals that allow them to live and thrive in different regions of Georgia.
d. Explain what will happen to an organism if the habitat is changed.
S3L2. Students will recognize the effects of pollution and humans on the environment.
a. Explain the effects of pollution (such as littering) to the habitats of plants and animals. b. Identify ways to protect the environment.
• Conservation of resources
• Recycling of materials
Fourth Grade
S4L1. Students will describe the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.
a. Identify the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in a community.
b. Demonstrate the flow of energy through a food web/food chain beginning with sunlight and including producers, consumers, and decomposers.
c. Predict how changes in the environment would affect a community (ecosystem) of organisms.
d. Predict effects on a population if some of the plants or animals in the community are scarce or if there are too many.
S4L2. Students will identify factors that affect the survival or extinction of organisms such as adaptation, variation of behaviors (hibernation), and external features (camouflage and protection).
a. Identify external features of organisms that allow them to survive or reproduce better than organisms that do not have these features (for example: camouflage, use of hibernation, protection, etc.).
b. Identify factors that may have led to the extinction of some organisms.
Fifth Grade
S5L1. Students will classify organisms into groups and relate how they determined the groups with how and why scientists use classification.
a. Demonstrate how animals are sorted into groups (vertebrate and invertebrate) and how vertebrates are sorted into groups (fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal).
b. Demonstrate how plants are sorted into groups.
S5L2. Students will recognize that offspring can resemble parents in inherited traits and learned behaviors.
a. Compare and contrast the characteristics of learned behaviors and of inherited traits. b. Discuss what a gene is and the role genes play in the transfer of traits.
Teacher note: Be sensitive to this topic since biological parents may be unavailable.
S5L3. Students will diagram and label parts of various cells (plant, animal, single-celled, multi-celled).
a. Use magnifiers such as microscopes or hand lenses to observe cells and their structure.
b. Identify parts of a plant cell (membrane, wall, cytoplasm, nucleus, chloroplasts) and of an animal cell (membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus) and determine the function of the parts.
c. Explain how cells in multi-celled organisms are similar and different in structure and function to single-celled organisms.
S5L4. Students will relate how microorganisms benefit or harm larger organisms.
a. Identify beneficial microorganisms and explain why they are beneficial.
b. Identify harmful microorganisms and explain why they are harmful.
560-579.9 Shelf
The World of the Dinosaurs
Winking, Blinking, Wiggling, and Waggling
Candidates for Weeding
The 560s--570s area contains a number of books that have been dearly loved by students, especially within the Paleontology area (because Dinosaurs!!).
I am proposing that the following items be weeded from the collection for a wide variety of reasons:
Dinosaurs Walked Here and other stories fossils tell by Patricia Lauber (560 LAU). There are two copies of this title, published in 1987, and each copy had modest circulation during the last five years (3 and 6 respectively). Utilizing the MUSTY principles, the U-ugly would best describe the condition of this book. One copy's binding has loosened and there is a large portion of shelf wear.
El autobus magico en tiempos de los dinosaurios by Joanna Cole (567.9 Col). The Chase Street collection presently contains three copies of this book. This book was published in 1994 and each copy has zero circulations within the last five years. I would suggest paring this title down to one copy based on MUSTY standard T-trivial given that students have not checked this title out within the last five years.
Dino poop and other remarkable remains of the past by Jane Hammerslough (567.9 Ham). This book has been very well loved given that it has been circulated 32 times in the last five years. Based on the MUSTY standard U-ugly, I would recommend that this copy be replaced. The copy has been rebound and the pages are loose. Further, it appears as if there has been possible water damage to the book. There is also children's graffiti in the front of the book. This book is incredibly well loved and should be replaced with a fresher copy, given that this one is probably ten years old.
Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: and other prehistoric creatures by John Malam and Steve Parker (567.9 Mal). Given that this 2002 book has circulated thirty-nine times within the last five years. Utilizing the MUSTY standard U-ugly, this book is almost beaten beyond repair. All four corners of this hardback book are bent and there is white of the boards viewable. The spine is missing a good chunk of the top corner. Since this book is so well-loved, I would suggest replacing this book with a newer copy in better shape.
Dinosaur days by Joyce Milton (567.9 Mil). The Chase Street collection contains three copies of this book, first published in 1985. Utilizing the MUSTY principles U-ugly and S-superseded, this number should be pared down to one. The three books have been circulated fourteen times within the last five years. One book is battered and the edges and spine are fraying. I would suggest keeping the best of the three copies and discarding the other two copies.
The world of the dinosaurs by Anthony Harvey (569 HAR). This text from 1980 has circulated three times within the last five years. Utilizing the MUSTY principle, this book should be weeded based on the U-ugly due to its age and appearance. Several of the corners are bent and there is writing on the spine of the book (as part of cataloging). Given the number of times circulated and its appearance, this text should be weeded and replaced with either a newer version of the book or a comparable book about dinosaurs.
Winking, blinking, wiggling, and wagging by Brian Moses (573.8 Mos). This 2000 text has circulated one time within the last five years. Utilizing the MUSTY principle T-trivial, this text should be replaced because there are other volumes within the Chase Street Media Center that adequately address this topic and are more well-circulated than this volume.
Scholastic's the magic school bus looking for Liz: a sticker book about habitats by Joe Mitchell (574.5 Mit). There are two copies of this 1995 text. Each copy has only circulated once during the last five years. Utilizing the MUSTY principle, S-superseded, I would suggest paring this text down to one copy. I would choose the best-looking copy and discard the worst looking copy. One of these copies has the stickers in place and there is some overhang where the sticker has gotten dirty by being exposed to debris.
Scholastic's the magic school bus gets eaten: a book about food chains by Patricia Reif (574.53 Rei). This volume published in 1996 has been circulated one time during the past five years. Utilizing the MUSTY principles, T-trivial, I would remove this item from the collection because there are other, more appropriate, resources that address this topic.
Scholastic's the magic school bus takes a dive: a book about coral reefs by Nancy White (578.77 Whi). There are six copies of this book, initially published in 1998, at the Chase Street Media Center. There has only been one circulation within the last five years. Utilizing the MUSTY principles, S-superseded and T-trivial, I would recommend that these multiple copies be deleted from the collection. This topic is covered sufficiently in other collection resources.
Disposal of Weeded Items
Mrs. Hudson was previously a Media Specialist at Gaines School Elementary (also within the Clarke County School District), While at Gaines, Mrs. Hudson reported that she had to weed the entire collection fairly in depth. She reported that the standard procedure for weeding is to remove all marks from materials (therefore, they cannot be identified as CCSD property), delete the item from the cataloging system, box up the items for warehouse surplus. The Clarke County School District is responsible for the final resolution of Media Center materials (i.e. disposal, donation, etc.).