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Weeding Projects: Home

Information on the Wimberly Library's weeding projects.

What and Where are We Weeding?

Our ongoing review of materials includes the following formats and collections:

  • electronic database and journal subscriptions
  • print books and journals in the General collection
  • reference books in the Reference collection
  • microfilm and microfiche
  • audio-visual materials, especially VHS tapes, in the Media Center

​All subject areas throughout the Wimberly Library will be reviewed.

Our Weeding Process

We are currently weeding through, or deselecting, various collections at the Wimberly Library. The weeding of materials is an integral and ongoing aspect of collection management in an academic library.

A library is similar to a garden - periodically, it should be reviewed for any materials that need to be weeded, with the intent to add new plants to take their place. Just as a library carefully and thoughtfully selects materials to add to its collection, it must also use the same approach in withdrawing them in order to maximize the collection's usefulness. The FAU Libraries make decisions to periodically deselect materials to ensure that the collection remains viable and continues to support the curricular, instructional, research, and programmatic needs of Florida Atlantic University students, faculty, and staff.

The Wimberly Library on the Boca Raton campus is currently working on a project to review its print books and journals, microforms, and audiovisual materials in all subjects to determine whether any are: 

  • Obviously outdated
  • Duplicates
  • Previous editions
  • Worn, torn, or otherwise damaged
  • Missing
  • Available electronically (especially for print journals)

We are also looking to see if items are available electronically through library-subscribed or purchased databases, e-books, e-journals, etc., or are easily obtainable from another library or repository. Our goal is to ensure that all students and faculty have access to the information resources they need for their research and study, regardless of location and format.

The librarians are carefully reviewing each title to see which ones might be good candidates for weeding. Different subjects, of course, are being treated differently, depending on how time-sensitive their materials are. For example, some books in the health science field may become outdated at a faster rate than titles in other disciplines such as literature or philosophy. The FAU Libraries take into consideration students and faculty whose scholarship and teaching requires the use of historical texts in areas such as psychology, mathematics, and physics.

New books (both print and electronic) will continue to be added to ensure that our students and researchers are finding the most appropriate resources. If you have any feedback or questions, please contact us.