| Why
Weed Reference?
As
virtual reference services continue to grow in both numbers
and popularity, print reference collections cannot stay
static or bloated if they are going to be viable and useful.
Even more than the rest of your collection, titles in reference
must be current and authoritative.
Suggested
Dewey Numbers to Check:
 The
reference section may be small, but the Dewey range is large!
Your collection probably spans all the Dewey classes. And
if you have a "ready reference" section behind
your desk, you'll need to check it out also.
Specific
Criteria for Weeding:
As
you examine each title in your reference collection, you
will need to decide if it should be kept as reference, moved
to circulation, or discarded. A title that is kept as reference
must be up-to-date as well as formatted for efficient reference
use. Any titles more suited for browsing, but still current,
should be moved to circulation. Titles with "encyclopedia"
or "dictionary" in their titles should not automatically
merit a place in your reference collection. Evaluate all
titles. Be critical in all areas, but especially any technical,
political, or medical topics. Even titles on subjects like
cooking and social behavior can have misleading and/or potentially
dangerous information, or information that is not relevant
or of interest to today's students.
Reference
titles are often updated by new editions and/or supplements.
If a new edition has been issued, you should replace your
older version. Be sure that you keep up with any supplements
issued until a new edition is released. (But be careful
that you don't mistakenly discard the latest edition and
keep only the supplements!)
In
addition to updating your old standards, think in terms of
new topics that students might look for in a print resource
as well as online. Watch as new reference titles are published
and decide if the topic would be in demand for your reference
section. Promote these new reference titles and your print
reference section.
Consider
Weeding Titles Like These:
 Acronyms
and initialisms dictionary, c1965. -
The aerospace age dictionary, [1965].
-
American Indians, yesterday and today; a profusely illustrated
encyclopedia of the American Indian, 1960.
-
American place-names; a concise and selective dictionary
for the continental United States of America, 1970.
-
The American political dictionary, 1964.
-
The Ann Landers encyclopedia, A to Z : improve your life
emotionally, medically, sexually, socially, spiritually,
1978.
-
The baseball encyclopedia; the complete and official record
of major league baseball, [1969].
-
A basic dictionary of synonyms and antonyms, c1978.
-
Better homes and gardens encyclopedia of cooking, 1973.
-
Better homes and gardens family medical guide, [1966].
-
Black's medical dictionary, 1976.
-
Blakiston's Gould medical dictionary : a modern comprehensive
dictionary of the terms used in all branches of medicine
and allied sciences, with illustrations and tables, c1979.
-
Bloodletters and badmen; a narrative encyclopedia of American
criminals from the Pilgrims to the present, [1973].
-
Clements' encyclopedia of world governments, 1974.
-
The complete encyclopedia of crafts. 1975.
-
Computer dictionary for everyone, c1979.
-
The concise encyclopedia of psychology and psychiatry, 1977.
-
The condensed chemical dictionary, [1971].
-
A consumer's dictionary of food additives, [1972].
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