[Libs-Or] Weeding: CREW is unproven

[Tony]

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that while CREW "Feels good" and is popular, it has never been tested as an effective weeding tool.  To my knowledge, the only weeding system that has been tested for effectiveness is Stanley Slote's "Shelf-time" system. Slote relied on the established findings that the best predictor of if a book will be used in the future is how long it has been since its last checkout.  The longer the period since the last checkout, the more likely it is that the book will not be used again.


Slote's test of this led to his discovery that, weeding by shelf-time leads to increased circulation.  Unfortunately the 'shelf-time' part of that finding has dropped away, and now we are told "weeding increases circulation."


A good guide to this is the 4th edition of his book, "Weeding Library Collections".  The technology he describes is out of date, but his methodology is sound, and  any ILS can easily produce a list of how long since items have checked out.


Tony Greiner


Primo and Alma: Making WorldCat Local Look Good
**tony_greiner at hotmail.com**
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