Weeding Project
edited
Cain-Flagg
Cain-Flagg Public LibraryList Library
List of items
The Cain-Flagg Public Libr…
Cain-Flagg
Cain-Flagg Public LibraryListLibrary
List of items
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.
Weeding Project
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Cain-Flagg Cain-Flagg Public Library
List LibraryList of items ... Boston Area.
The l…
Cain-FlaggCain-Flagg Public Library
ListLibraryList of items
...
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
Weeding Project
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Put yourself in a high school, a public library, or an academic library setting and provide a open…
Put yourself in a high school, a public library, or an academic library setting and provide a opening paragraph that sets the stage for your decisions. If you have been using an elementary school or special library for your assignments, please make another choice for this assignment and describe your new setting.
It has become time to weed the fiction section of and memoir sections of your library. The following titles have been pulled for a weeding decision. Decide what you would do with the following list of titles. Address each title and give reasons why you would keep or weed it. For titles with multiple copies, be aware that it is certainly permissible to keep some and discard some. As in "real life" it is not an all or nothing decision! Also consider whether, if a item is in poor condition and the decision is to keep it, you would try to buy a replacement (and the likelihood of being able to do so) or simply keep the older book in your collection. (I am using second hand book dealers terms for condition, when condition is given. i.e. good condition means it has some problems but still in reasonable shape for reading.)
Danielle Steele Loving 1981 -- 4 hardcover copies, all of which are in good condition, but have recently circulated heavily -- bestseller
Ralph Ellison Invisible Man 1953 --1 rebound copy in good shape, 1 new trade paperback -- African American classic
Emily Bronte Wuthering Heights 1847 -- 3 rebound copies in good condition 2 tattered paperbacks -- classic
Samuel Butler Way of All Flesh 1903 -- 1 copy in good condition -- classic
Heather Pozzessere Angel's Touch 1996 -- 3 copies -- romance novel --also writes under the name Heather Graham, Florida author
Robert Tanenbaum Falsely Accused 1996 -- 2 copies -- legal thriller
Thomas Harris Silence of the Lambs 1988 -- 2 hardbacks -- 1 old paperback -- bestseller
James Michener Sayonara 1954 -- 1 rebound copy in good condition -- early book by best selling author
Yukio Mishima Temple of the Golden Pavilion 1973 -- 1 copy in good condition -- Japanese author and contemporary classic of Japanese literature.
Pearl Buck Pavilion of Women 1946 -- 1 hardback copy -- "older" best selling author and winner of a number of literary prizes.
Gael Greene Blue Skies, No Candy 1977 -- 1 copy in good condition
Margorie Kinnan Rawlings Cross Creek 1942 -- 3 hardbacks (1 rebound) 2 tattered paperbacks -- Florida author
Peter Gent North Dallas Forty 1973 -- 1 copy -- best seller on football
Mickey Spillane I, The Jury 1953 1 copy -- "hard-boiled" detective fiction
Carolyn Hart Death on the River Walk 1999 -- 3 copies --"cozy" mystery
Randy Wayne White Captiva 1996 --1 hardback 1 well used paperback -- mystery -- Florida author
Frank Herbert Dune 1965 1 rebound copy and 1 new paperback science fiction
Philippa Carr Voices in a Haunted Room 1984 -- 1 copy historical fiction -- series book
Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes, 1999 -- 2 copies in good condition -- memoir
Joyce Maynard. At Home in the World: A Memoir. 1999 -- 1 hardback and 1 paperback, both in good condition.
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.
Collection Development Project
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... A: Collection Development Policy development policy
{Duvall State Prison, Collection De…
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A: Collection Development Policydevelopment policy
{Duvall State Prison, Collection Development Policy.pdf}
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B: Action Planplan
Collection Areas Identifiedareas identified for Improvementimprovement
As indicated by the needs assessment, the Duvall State Prison Library the general and urban fiction collections are in need of improvement. Other subjects in need of expansion, as per inmate request, include true crime, human biology, and legal references. Due to the sensitivity of potential materials in true crime and human biology, all items considered for selection will be thoroughly evaluated to ensure compliance with Massachusetts Department of Correction standards. Inmates also identified nonfiction books (i.e. true crime, self-help, family planning, human anatomy/biology) and state/local periodicals as potential areas for improvement as well.
Library User Needsuser needs
Duvall State Prison Library does seem to have a well-balanced collection already, but areas for potential improvement have been identified. The main goal is to constantly develop the collection by continuously adding to, and evaluating, the collection. Since some prisoners have longer sentences than others, the library aims to weed out outdated, unused, or overused items on a regular basis. This ensures that overall library satisfaction is maintained throughout the prison while also guaranteeing that every effort is made to prepare prisoners for successful reentry into their respective communities, thereby attempting prevent likelihood of recidivism.
Objectives
The main objectives sought in terms of changes to be effected as a result of this plan of action are to strengthen the general and urban fiction sections by adding quality titles to maintain prisoner satisfaction with the collection. Since these genres are among the most popular requests within the prison, it is imperative that we make every effort to increase the quantity of accessible materials. Another primary objective is to increase the number of legal materials that the prisoners have access to. This will be done in order to increase the probability of successful reentry of prisoners and lower rates of recidivism within the community. All of these changes should be made within prison library guidelines in an effort to increase overall prisoner well-being and positivity, so that violence and victimization decrease as a result.
Selection Processprocess
All materials will be vetted via reviews to determine whether they are appropriate for inclusion within the collection. All materials must also be vetted to ensure that they fit well within prison collection guidelines, so that nothing illegal or inappropriate (in accordance to said guidelines) is selected to be a part of the collection. Selected materials will be integrated into the collection and made known to the prisoners as soon as the acquisition process has been completed. Various book lists, reviews, recommendations, publications, etc. will be consulted as selection aids during this process and will be compared to similar collections from other correctional institutions within the Massachusetts Department of Correction.
Available Resourcesresources
For the purpose of vetting and acquiring the materials to be added into the collection, resources available to ensure the process is completed successfully include human resources, such as the two full-time librarians, the Manager of Library Services, other library staff, and the institution’s warden. Legal references will also be consulted to certify compliance with all standards. External resources include book donations from prison book programs and outside adult literacy organizations, so that the prison library’s budget can be maintained more effectively.
Evaluation of Successsuccess
After integrating the new materials into the library, a second survey should be conducted to see if the library can adequately quantify inmate satisfaction with the materials that have been added. Any increase in prisoner satisfaction would be considered a success, since that is the main goal. As collection development will be a continuous process, annual surveys (at the very least) should be implemented to ensure that prisoner satisfaction with the acquired materials is consistent and that all requests for materials made by prisoners are considered and vetted, whenever possible. Further evaluation of the library’s collection and user population will take place as seen fit by the staff of Duvall State Prison Library.
{Cain-Flagg, Annotated Bibliography.pdf}
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Selection of Materialsmaterials
{Cain-Flagg Collection, Materials for Selection.pdf}
The legal titles from Nolo were selected in order to assist the prisoners in rehabilitation and successful reentry into society.
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Subscriptions to news databases and local papers were selected to fulfill the requests of prisoners to have access to more (local) news.
The ERIC book was selected so the law collection would have a reference fulfilling a need for recommended collections on file as well, so prisoners can access this knowledge on what they should be able to expect from the Duvall State Prison Library.
Place of Purchasepurchase
Nolo—legal reference
Ingram Publisher Services—nonfiction
OverDrive—National Corrections Library (e-resources)
Baker & Taylor—general fiction
Additional Distributors/Resourcesdistributors/resources
Amazon
Local book retailers
Collection Development Project
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... {Cain-Flagg, Annotated Bibliography.pdf}
Part C: Selection of Materials
The {Cain-Flagg C…
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{Cain-Flagg, Annotated Bibliography.pdf}
Part C: Selection of Materials The{Cain-Flagg Collection, Materials for Selection.pdf}
The legal titles from the Nolo list were selected
All other fiction and nonfiction were selected to fulfill the inmate requests, and were specifically selected from bestseller lists and other reputable selection aids to stimulate prisoner interest.
The high-interest/low-reading level books were selected for the purposes of being easy to read and also to engage prisoners in earlier stages of literacy.