The Cain-Flagg Public Library is a public library in the City of Duvall, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Duvall is home to approximately 18,000 people and is part of the Greater Boston Area.
The library has a rather extensive fiction and memoir sections, so in accordance to that, said sections have been selected to be weeded in order to make room for newer and/or more popular material, if needed. The following list includes specific materials to be weeded (if need be), as well as explanations as to why or how the process is to be conducted. Weeding decisions for the items from the following list have been determined based on quantity, condition, and age of items, as well as relevance of subject material.
Danielle Steele’s Loving, 1981—4 hardcover copies, all of which are in good condition, but have recently circulated heavily—bestseller Keep 2. Danielle Steele is still a very popular author whose books are continuously in circulation. Since Loving is a few decades old, weeding 2 copies from the collection while still keeping 2 seems reasonable. Due to the books’ condition, the two selected for withdrawal should be donated. Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, 1953—1 rebound copy in good shape, 1 new trade paperback—African American classic Keep 1.Invisible Man won the National Book Award in 1953 and is considered a classic. As African-American literature, it is representative of diverse viewpoints. Invisible Man is also an influential novel and has been noted as impactful for many people (e.g. Barack Obama while writing his personal memoir). If not highly circulated, one copy should be withdrawn, preferably the rebound copy. The new trade paperback should suffice for some time if circulation continues to be minimal. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, 1847—3 rebound copies in good condition, 2 tattered paperbacks—classic Keep 3.Wuthering Heights is a popular classic used for English education in high school and college courses. It is also popularly read for leisure and interest. Goodreads indicates almost 1 million ratings for this particular book. The rebound copies should remain in good condition with heavy circulation. The two tattered paperbacks may be discarded but can be reacquired easily and cheaply if paperbacks are recognized as the preferred format. Samuel Butler’s The Way of All Flesh, 1903—1 copy in good condition—classic Donate. Although The Way of All Flesh represents classic European literature, it has probably been selected for weeding as a result of its dated publication and lack of circulation. This is an item that can likely be acquired as needed through interlibrary loan. Since the copy is in good condition, it should be donated after being withdrawn from the collection. Heather Pozzessere’s Angel's Touch, 1996—3 copies—romance novel—also writes under the name Heather Graham—Florida author Donate. Due to age and lack of circulation, all of these copies should be withdrawn and donated if in good condition. The book may not be as old as others included in this list, but new romance novels are constantly being published and released, so this particular item has lost its timeliness and relevance to the developing collection. If, for whatever reasons, the popularity of this novel spikes, then paperback romance novels are easily acquired at a rather cheap price. Robert Tanenbaum’s Falsely Accused, 1996—2 copies—legal thriller Keep 1. Tanenbaum is a New York Times bestselling author, so his work still holds value within the collection. However, no more than one copy of one of his more dated works is necessary for the collection at this time. The item in better condition should be kept and the other donated. Thomas Harris’s Silence of the Lambs, 1988—2 hardbacks, 1 old paperback—bestseller Keep 2. A popular horror novel adapted into a film, The Silence of the Lambs is valuable to the collection. The two hardbacks copies should be kept because they can withstand regular circulation, but the old paperback should be discarded. If the popularity of this novel seems to be prevalent, the library should consider acquiring other novels in the series for interested parties to check out. James Michener’s Sayonara, 1954—1 rebound copy in good condition—early book by bestselling author Donate. This is a dated title and does not seem relevant to the collection as a result. While the subject matter can be seen as interesting, it is not highly relevant to the average reader today, and therefore the novel’s circulation popularity has lapsed due to a decrease of interest, so the novel should be weeded from the collection. Yukio Mishima’s Temple of the Golden Pavilion, 1973—1 copy in good condition—Japanese author and contemporary classic of Japanese literature Keep. Because this is representative of contemporary classic Japanese literature, this is a good item to keep in the collection, especially since it is still in good condition. It is suggested that this item is compared to similar items in the collection in the future to determine whether it should be weeded at a later date. Pearl Buck’s Pavilion of Women, 1946—1 hardback copy—"older" bestselling author and winner of a number of literary prizes Keep. As an award-winning novel by a bestselling author whose works continue to influence people of all ages, this item should be kept in the collection despite its age. Gael Greene’s Blue Skies, No Candy, 1977—1 copy in good condition Donate. Because it is dated and not very popular, Blue Skies, No Candy does not seem to be constructive to the current collection. If requested in future, this item will be easy enough to reacquire for purchase or via interlibrary loan. Margorie Kinnan Rawlings’ Cross Creek, 1942—3 hardbacks (1 rebound), 2 tattered paperbacks—Florida author Keep 2. Five copies of this particular item seems excessive, but two should suffice in supporting the autobiographical collection. This is an autobiography by the author of the popular classic novel, The Yearling, and is significant as a result. One hardback and the rebound copies of this book should be kept, and the remaining hardcover should be donated. The two tattered paperbacks should be discarded as they are in poor condition. Peter Gent’s North Dallas Forty, 1973—1 copy—bestseller on football Donate. Not very popular and a bit dated, this sports novel has served its role in the collection but is no longer necessary for inclusion. It should be easily accessible through interlibrary loan if needed in future. Mickey Spillane’s I, The Jury, 1953—1 copy—"hard-boiled" detective fiction Donate.I, The Jury is dated and no longer sees sufficient circulation, so it should be weeded from the collection as a result. Despite the fact that there is a film adaptation of this novel, it does not appear that the film or the novel are currently popular in comparison to other similar novels. Carolyn Hart’s Death on the River Walk, 1999—3 copies—"cozy" mystery Keep 1. Cozy mysteries, similarly to romance novels, are widely published and released constantly, so older materials become less valuable to a collection unless they remain popular. Because Death on the River Walk is not a very popular novel but has multiple copies still included in the collection, it is suggested that the library keeps one copy and donates the other two. If the one copy does not see sufficient circulation, it can be donated in the future. Randy Wayne White’s Captiva, 1996—1 hardback, 1 well-used paperback—mystery—Florida author Donate. There is a lack of sufficient circulation and a lack of relevance to the modern collection due to time of publication and subject material; therefore, this item should be withdrawn and donated. Frank Herbert’s Dune, 1965—1 rebound copy, 1 new paperback—science fiction Keep. Despite its age, Dune has more than half a million ratings on Goodreads with an average of 4.19 stars out of 5. It is considered one of the world's best-selling science fiction novels and has withstood the test of time. Both the rebound copy and the new paperback should be kept within the collection. If the novel sees a significant spike in popularity, it should be recommended that the library acquire the other novels within the franchise. Philippa Carr’s Voices in a Haunted Room, 1984—1 copy historical fiction—series book Donate.Voices in a Haunted Room is an example of outdated romantic historical fiction. It does not currently further the goals of this collection and should be removed as a result. If, for whatever reason, the novel is needed, it can be reacquired at a later date. Frank McCourt’s Angela's Ashes, 1999—2 copies in good condition—memoir Keep 1.Angela's Ashes won the Pulitzer Prize for autobiography in 1997 and is, therefore, an influential work. With 400,000+ ratings on Goodreads, it should still be present within the collection but would be acceptable to feature as a single copy rather than two, so the item in better condition should be kept and the other should be donated. Joyce Maynard’s At Home in the World: A Memoir, 1999—1 hardback, 1 paperback, both in good condition Keep 1. Prominent New York Times journalist Joyce Maynard’s autobiography includes her experience of a love affair with author of The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger. It is not highly circulated but still seems relevant to the memoir collection and should be reduced in quantity to a single copy. The paperback should be kept, as it will suffice for minimal circulation over time, and the hardcover should be donated.
Cain-Flagg Public Library
List of items for weeding
The Cain-Flagg Public Library is a public library in the City of Duvall, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Duvall is home to approximately 18,000 people and is part of the Greater Boston Area.
The library has a rather extensive fiction and memoir sections, so in accordance to that, said sections have been selected to be weeded in order to make room for newer and/or more popular material, if needed. The following list includes specific materials to be weeded (if need be), as well as explanations as to why or how the process is to be conducted. Weeding decisions for the items from the following list have been determined based on quantity, condition, and age of items, as well as relevance of subject material.
Danielle Steele’s Loving, 1981—4 hardcover copies, all of which are in good condition, but have recently circulated heavily—bestseller
Keep 2. Danielle Steele is still a very popular author whose books are continuously in circulation. Since Loving is a few decades old, weeding 2 copies from the collection while still keeping 2 seems reasonable. Due to the books’ condition, the two selected for withdrawal should be donated.
Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, 1953—1 rebound copy in good shape, 1 new trade paperback—African American classic
Keep 1. Invisible Man won the National Book Award in 1953 and is considered a classic. As African-American literature, it is representative of diverse viewpoints. Invisible Man is also an influential novel and has been noted as impactful for many people (e.g. Barack Obama while writing his personal memoir). If not highly circulated, one copy should be withdrawn, preferably the rebound copy. The new trade paperback should suffice for some time if circulation continues to be minimal.
Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, 1847—3 rebound copies in good condition, 2 tattered paperbacks—classic
Keep 3. Wuthering Heights is a popular classic used for English education in high school and college courses. It is also popularly read for leisure and interest. Goodreads indicates almost 1 million ratings for this particular book. The rebound copies should remain in good condition with heavy circulation. The two tattered paperbacks may be discarded but can be reacquired easily and cheaply if paperbacks are recognized as the preferred format.
Samuel Butler’s The Way of All Flesh, 1903—1 copy in good condition—classic
Donate. Although The Way of All Flesh represents classic European literature, it has probably been selected for weeding as a result of its dated publication and lack of circulation. This is an item that can likely be acquired as needed through interlibrary loan. Since the copy is in good condition, it should be donated after being withdrawn from the collection.
Heather Pozzessere’s Angel's Touch, 1996—3 copies—romance novel—also writes under the name Heather Graham—Florida author
Donate. Due to age and lack of circulation, all of these copies should be withdrawn and donated if in good condition. The book may not be as old as others included in this list, but new romance novels are constantly being published and released, so this particular item has lost its timeliness and relevance to the developing collection. If, for whatever reasons, the popularity of this novel spikes, then paperback romance novels are easily acquired at a rather cheap price.
Robert Tanenbaum’s Falsely Accused, 1996—2 copies—legal thriller
Keep 1. Tanenbaum is a New York Times bestselling author, so his work still holds value within the collection. However, no more than one copy of one of his more dated works is necessary for the collection at this time. The item in better condition should be kept and the other donated.
Thomas Harris’s Silence of the Lambs, 1988—2 hardbacks, 1 old paperback—bestseller
Keep 2. A popular horror novel adapted into a film, The Silence of the Lambs is valuable to the collection. The two hardbacks copies should be kept because they can withstand regular circulation, but the old paperback should be discarded. If the popularity of this novel seems to be prevalent, the library should consider acquiring other novels in the series for interested parties to check out.
James Michener’s Sayonara, 1954—1 rebound copy in good condition—early book by bestselling author
Donate. This is a dated title and does not seem relevant to the collection as a result. While the subject matter can be seen as interesting, it is not highly relevant to the average reader today, and therefore the novel’s circulation popularity has lapsed due to a decrease of interest, so the novel should be weeded from the collection.
Yukio Mishima’s Temple of the Golden Pavilion, 1973—1 copy in good condition—Japanese author and contemporary classic of Japanese literature
Keep. Because this is representative of contemporary classic Japanese literature, this is a good item to keep in the collection, especially since it is still in good condition. It is suggested that this item is compared to similar items in the collection in the future to determine whether it should be weeded at a later date.
Pearl Buck’s Pavilion of Women, 1946—1 hardback copy—"older" bestselling author and winner of a number of literary prizes
Keep. As an award-winning novel by a bestselling author whose works continue to influence people of all ages, this item should be kept in the collection despite its age.
Gael Greene’s Blue Skies, No Candy, 1977—1 copy in good condition
Donate. Because it is dated and not very popular, Blue Skies, No Candy does not seem to be constructive to the current collection. If requested in future, this item will be easy enough to reacquire for purchase or via interlibrary loan.
Margorie Kinnan Rawlings’ Cross Creek, 1942—3 hardbacks (1 rebound), 2 tattered paperbacks—Florida author
Keep 2. Five copies of this particular item seems excessive, but two should suffice in supporting the autobiographical collection. This is an autobiography by the author of the popular classic novel, The Yearling, and is significant as a result. One hardback and the rebound copies of this book should be kept, and the remaining hardcover should be donated. The two tattered paperbacks should be discarded as they are in poor condition.
Peter Gent’s North Dallas Forty, 1973—1 copy—bestseller on football
Donate. Not very popular and a bit dated, this sports novel has served its role in the collection but is no longer necessary for inclusion. It should be easily accessible through interlibrary loan if needed in future.
Mickey Spillane’s I, The Jury, 1953—1 copy—"hard-boiled" detective fiction
Donate. I, The Jury is dated and no longer sees sufficient circulation, so it should be weeded from the collection as a result. Despite the fact that there is a film adaptation of this novel, it does not appear that the film or the novel are currently popular in comparison to other similar novels.
Carolyn Hart’s Death on the River Walk, 1999—3 copies—"cozy" mystery
Keep 1. Cozy mysteries, similarly to romance novels, are widely published and released constantly, so older materials become less valuable to a collection unless they remain popular. Because Death on the River Walk is not a very popular novel but has multiple copies still included in the collection, it is suggested that the library keeps one copy and donates the other two. If the one copy does not see sufficient circulation, it can be donated in the future.
Randy Wayne White’s Captiva, 1996—1 hardback, 1 well-used paperback—mystery—Florida author
Donate. There is a lack of sufficient circulation and a lack of relevance to the modern collection due to time of publication and subject material; therefore, this item should be withdrawn and donated.
Frank Herbert’s Dune, 1965—1 rebound copy, 1 new paperback—science fiction
Keep. Despite its age, Dune has more than half a million ratings on Goodreads with an average of 4.19 stars out of 5. It is considered one of the world's best-selling science fiction novels and has withstood the test of time. Both the rebound copy and the new paperback should be kept within the collection. If the novel sees a significant spike in popularity, it should be recommended that the library acquire the other novels within the franchise.
Philippa Carr’s Voices in a Haunted Room, 1984—1 copy historical fiction—series book
Donate. Voices in a Haunted Room is an example of outdated romantic historical fiction. It does not currently further the goals of this collection and should be removed as a result. If, for whatever reason, the novel is needed, it can be reacquired at a later date.
Frank McCourt’s Angela's Ashes, 1999—2 copies in good condition—memoir
Keep 1. Angela's Ashes won the Pulitzer Prize for autobiography in 1997 and is, therefore, an influential work. With 400,000+ ratings on Goodreads, it should still be present within the collection but would be acceptable to feature as a single copy rather than two, so the item in better condition should be kept and the other should be donated.
Joyce Maynard’s At Home in the World: A Memoir, 1999—1 hardback, 1 paperback, both in good condition
Keep 1. Prominent New York Times journalist Joyce Maynard’s autobiography includes her experience of a love affair with author of The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger. It is not highly circulated but still seems relevant to the memoir collection and should be reduced in quantity to a single copy. The paperback should be kept, as it will suffice for minimal circulation over time, and the hardcover should be donated.