Guidelines for Weeding Adult Fiction

Please follow the guidelines from the Collection Development Department for dealing with excess adult fiction at your location. NOTE: Please weed adult fiction by condition first. Then apply these guidelines for weeding excess adult fiction.

Float vs. Weed Guidelines for Surplus Past Adult Bestsellers:

When past fiction and nonfiction bestsellers have reached the ends of their holds queues, multiple copies start accumulating on branch shelves wherever they are returned, creating a shelf space issue.  This is particularly true of titles by very popular authors that are purchased in high quantities to meet initial demand.  The goal is to strike a balance between making space for new arrivals while keeping sufficient backlist copies available throughout the system.

In the HPL Weeding/Friends guidelines, “pre-approved discards” includes this category of material. 

Space permitting, it is appropriate for most locations to keep 2-3 copies of such a title to meet ongoing interest after the demand for “the newest thing” has faded somewhat.  A good rule of thumb for “past bestseller” designation is first-received date being 6 months ago or longer. Use date stickers on the items as a guide.  

How to determine when “too many is too many” and what to do:

1)      Check the catalog to see how many other active copies are still in the system.

2)      Fill any holds outstanding with copies in hand

3)      If there are 35 or more active copies of the title in the system, surplus copies are automatically approved to go to Friends (physical condition permitting, of course).  Active items = on shelf or checked out, but not missing or overdue/billed.

4)      If there are less than 35 active copies, please float surplus copies to locations that do not have any.  If you have duplicates, at least one other location does not have it. 

a.       Float extras to units that don’t already have the title.

b.      If Central has missing or overdue/billed copies, that may be an appropriate new home rather than another neighborhood location.  Central cataloged adult items do not float in or out so please send possible replacement copies to the Collection Development Department with a note indicating the situation so transfer approval can be done efficiently.

Note: Quantity guidelines for teen and juvenile items may differ.