Glenn Johnson-Grau / Head of Acquisitions & Collection Development (and project manager) / gjohnson@lmu.edu / 310-338-6063
Kristine Brancolini / Dean of the Library / kbrancol@lmu.edu / 310-338-4593
Deselection of library materials is simply the selection process in reverse, and is equally as important as acquisition for responsible stewardship of university resources and library collections. To build a collection, librarians, using their knowledge of institutional needs and professional tools and training, decide which books to purchase. For the Sustainable Collection Growth project, we are applying a methodology that relies on that same skill set, combined with data, to decide which books and journals to withdraw.
The Head of Acquisitions and Collection Development is the project manager for the Sustainable Collection Growth project, and the Dean of the Library has ultimate responsibility for library collections.
Glenn Johnson-Grau / Head of Acquisitions & Collection Development / gjohnson@lmu.edu / x86063
Kristine Brancolini / Dean of the Library / kbrancol@lmu.edu / x84593
It is important to note that deselection of damaged books, duplicates, or outdated content has always been, and will continue to be, a regular part of library operations. But in order to gain the space needed to fulfill the Sustainable Collection Growth plan (creating space in the library basement for up to two decades of collection growth) by Summer 2023, the library needs to undertake a thorough, large-scale review of low-use materials located in the basement to identify candidates for deselection and withdrawal.
Review, withdrawal, and communication procedures for this project are as follows:
In addition to email notification, the schedule with call number ranges for review will be published on this LibGuide, and faculty or other interested parties from any department are welcome to schedule a time to come review the materials slated for withdrawal at any time within each designated one-month review period.
Librarians use some or all of the following well established professional criteria for review in order to determine retention or deselection of library materials. Not all criteria are weighted equally, and may be applied differently depending on academic discipline.
Books withdrawn from the collection and not requested by faculty will be offered to the LMU community through our library book sales or to used booksellers that specialize in library withdrawals. Proceeds from these sales go to purchase additional materials for the William H. Hannon Library. In some cases, books and other materials are offered to another library or nonprofit organization. For materials for which there is no resale market, items may be recycled.