Evaluation and Weeding
Animals and Zoology- Section 590-599 (By: Emma Stephens)
Justification for Weeding
Greenbrier Elementary school is well over capacity this year. The school was built to hold around 850 students and our current population is well over 1,000. Add to that number the various teachers, staff, and parent volunteers that frequent our Media Center and the total population of the school in a given day is near 1,100. The Media Center is the quietly buzzing hub of our school. When considering what section of this sacred place needed weeding, I decided to observe the students. Through this observation I found that one of the most popular, highly frequented and large sections of our non-fiction books is the Animals and Zoology section. While this section is popular, many of the titles are extremely outdated and contain dated and even incorrect information. According to Melissa Allen in her article "The Art of Weeding to Avoid Criticism", "Students cannot efficiently find quality information if outdated, wrong, or poorly presented information is overcrowding your library shelves." Additionally, numerous books in this section are in bad physical shape and need to replaced or weeded all together. Allen also states that, "Library patrons want attractive, clean books that are in good condition. Shelves crammed with soiled, worn, torn, moldy, or unattractive books will send patrons running from the library."
Questions to ask throughout the Weeding process
When was the book originally purchased?
How often is the book being checked out?
How is the physical condition of the book?
Is the book M.U.S.T.Y?
Evaluation based on data
I utilized Destiny, which is our Media Center's main operating system to review the information on the books in the Animal and Zoology section. Considering the information that I was able find, I gathered that out of the near 500 books in the 590-599 section, almost 400 were 10 years or older, with vast majority written in the late 80's and early 90's, 78 of the titles had never been checked out, over 100 had only been checked out 1-5 times, and that the books about native African animals (giraffes, lions, rhinoceroses, African elephants, etc.) were the most popular.
Evaluation based on Curriculum Needs
http://gsu-group-5.wikispaces.com/file/view/Columbia+County+Media+Handbook.pdf
The necessity of an up to date and informative Animal and Zoology (sections 590-599) are evident in the following Georgia curriculum standards.
1st grade Georgia Science Standards:
S1L1. Students will investigate the characteristics and basic needs of plants and animals. Identify the basic needs of an animal. 1. Air 2. Water 3. Food 4. Shelter
d. Compare and describe various animals—appearance, motion, growth, basic needs.
2nd grade Georgia Science Standards:
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.
3rd grade Georgia Science Standards:
S3L1. Students will investigate the habitats of different organisms and the dependence of organisms on their habitat. 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.
4th grade Georgia Science Standards:
S4L1. Students will describe the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem. d. Predict effects on a population if some of the plants or animals in the community are scarce or if there are too many.
5th grade Science Standards:
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).
Due to these highly specified curriculum standards, it is vitally important that our Animals and Zoology section is stocked with the most up to date, curriculum- relevant, engaging, picture-filled (for lower grades) and well-researched books. Animals and life sciences are a weighty part of the entire Georgia elementary level science standards and our Media Center should reflect this.
Books to weed and what to do when they're gone
Utilizing all of the weeding criteria, suggestions and guides I have come to the conclusion that the Media Center needs to replace nearly the entirety of it's Animals and Zoology section. The books are far too out of date with the estimate median publish date being 1987. There are many instances when the multiple copies of the same book are present or books with almost identical content. There are also a vast number of books with little relativity to the school curriculum and with even less student interest. In view of this need of extensive and time consuming revamping, I have generated a weeding list that needs to occur immediately, with the understanding that an intensive weeding will occur once funds have been raised through the school book fair to replace the necessary books.
Initial Weeding List
Disposal
1. Scan the books out of Destiny as weeded.
2. Offer to teachers as classroom resource.
3. If in good condition- donate books.
4. Trash.