Weeding Tips: Shelf by Shelf: 700s.

Vnuk, Rebecca (author).

FEATURE. First published November 14, 2012 (Booklist Online).

Weeding the 700s may not be as daunting as it seems. Its a huge number of shelves in most
libraries, but the weeding decisions arent very complicated. The key in this section is to have a
good handle on what your community requires and what is actually being used. Sure, oversize art
books are beautiful, but are they practical or cost effective if there is no interest in them? How
about your sports section? Do you have books on specific teams that no one in your area
follows?
For the most part, general histories of art and music can be kept based on usage and condition.
Its important to note, however, that age quickly becomes a factor here. If your most recent title
on modern art is from the 1990s, its time to update. Now is also the time to weed out black-andwhite books.
Oversize books and those with nonstandard bindings can pose a problem in the 700s. Many art
books are large and weighty. The solution for some libraries is to house an oversize collection
elsewhere in the librarybut I would caution that you need clear signage and notes in your
catalog, or those books will never see much use. You also need to decide if those items (which
are usually quite expensive) are allowed to circulate or not. Many popular craft books are wire
bound or plastic-spiral bound, which does not bode well for multiple checkouts. The best advice
here is to make careful purchase decisions and to accept the fact that those particular items may
need frequent replacement.
As noted in the installment on weeding the 600s, use this opportunity to recatalog books that
may be a better fit in other areas. Gardening books find their way into the landscaping section,
engineering often gets into architecture, and home repair and remodeling mixes in with
decorative arts. Exert local control, and work with your technical-services team to ensure that
these materials are getting the best possible exposure to your patrons.
The following offers more specific tips for particular sections of interest.
712 Landscape Architecture
As noted above, pull books here that seem better suited to 635 (Gardening).
720 Architecture
Older books on the history of architecture are safe to keep as long as they have decent
illustrations and are in good condition. Weed home-building books after 10 years to ensure that
code information is current. Pay attention to books of local interest (Are there famous buildings
in the area, or popular home styles of note?), and keep up on current trends.

This is another tricky cataloging area. Check right nowwhere in your library would you find a
book on updating your kitchen? Mistakenly here at 729, at 747 with interior decoration, or at 643
with housing and household equipment? Why make your patrons chase down similar books?
737 Numismatics
Keep coin and stamp catalogs current, replacing books that provide market valuations and price
guides after three to five years. Evaluate the usage these materials get in your library, and
consider thinning the collection as necessary.
740 Drawing
Keep basic technique books on drawing, painting, and sculpture, etc. Replace as needed with
fresh and attractive new materials when possible. If you collect compilations of perennially
popular comic strips (Calvin & Hobbes, Garfield, Peanuts), replace as they become worn if
circulation warrants.
Consider reclassifying graphic novels (not based on comic strips) from 741.5 to a unique
shelving classification that highlights them and assists patron discovery. Pull these titles and
shelve them at the end of your fiction section, for example.
745749 Decorative Arts, Interior Decoration, Crafts, Antiques
There is an awful lot going on in this small Dewey range. In some libraries, you may find that
more shelves are allocated to this four-number spread than to the rest of the entire section! This
is likely to be a very popular section in most public libraries, so keeping it well organized and
up-to-date is crucial.
Weed general interior-decorating books after five years. Keep a close eye on celebrity and
television-show booksthose may go sooner. As previously mentioned, check to see if you have
similar books shelved elsewhere.
Keep various craft books based on use, but be on the lookout for outdated colors, styles, and
materials. Discard books on crafts and trends that are no longer popular in your area.
Feel free to keep books on antiques and collectiblesespecially identification and price guides
until new editions are available for replacement. As with numismatics and stamp collecting,
evaluate the usage these materials get in your library, and consider thinning the collection as
necessary.
780 Music
Make sure your collection is well rounded with basic works on a variety of musical styles (blues,
classical, country, folk, jazz, opera, pop, rock, New Age, world). If your library collects sheet
music, weed based on condition and use.

790 Performing Arts

This section often includes celebrity biographies or memoirs from performers writing about their
craft. Consider moving these titles if you have a separate section of biography and memoir. Most
titles here can be weeded based on interest and condition.
793 Games and Sports
Books on professional teams can quickly become outdated, so weed and replace as needed. For
general titles on games and sports, weed and replace as rules and trends change, and try to not
keep much 10 years out of copyright. Do watch for gender and racial bias in sports and athletics.
Books on fishing and hunting can be kept for longer periods of time, if condition warrants.
The next installment of Weeding Tips will take a look at the 800s as well as Fiction.