At this time of year when our attention turns to making our yards beautiful and free from weeds, we might turn to the library to find out how to build a new feature or what plants work best in this climate.
Weeding, the how to's and the benefits are very important to your local library as well. So when you visit your library you might find them having a big book sale or rearranging the shelves because they just did a big book weed. When undertaking a weed, in your garden or at the library, you need first and foremost, the expertise to know what to weed and why. In the library we look to our professional librarian, in our gardens we talk to the greenhouse operator or read up on how.
The next question is why and what are the benefits. For libraries there are six benefits of weeding. First, shelf space costs money and patrons lose patience trying to find items crammed on overcrowded space. Second, you save the time because you and your patrons can find what you want. Third, it will make your collection more appealing by replacing ragged, smudged and unattractive rebinds with attractive new books. Fourth, you will enhance your library's reputation because patrons expect that the information is up to date and reliable. Fifth, you will be able to keep up with the collection because continuous checking identifies mending needs, alerts staff to lost or stolen books that need replacement and leads to better development and purchasing, as outlined in the sixth and final benefit, that of having constant feedback on the collection's strengths and weaknesses.
So, in your travels, if you hear about weeding, and it's not going on in your yard, it might be at the local library where your staff is busy working to provide patrons with the best, most attractive collection possible. Weeding should be systematic and continuous or both your library and your garden will not look as good as they should very quickly.
Remember, if your library doesn't have a copy of what you want there are 305 other libraries in the province with over five million pieces of library material available to you. All because you have a valid Saskatchewan library card. If you don't have a valid library card then you have missed out on one of the most valuable free items you will ever receive.
