Into the Weeds: High-volume Weeding at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Abstract

As print usage continues to shrink while the demand for student space grows, many academic libraries have felt the pressure to weed more aggressively. While not a new trend, much of the discussion surrounding weeding draws on the implicit assumption of some occasional weeding as collection maintenance. This article describes an aggressive weeding project at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, which had previously adhered to a no-weeding policy. It outlines the library’s development of selection criteria and methods where none had previously existed as well as the challenges encountered and the outcomes achieved.