Monograph Deselection Project

Deselection is the withdrawal of materials from the library collection to maintain a collection that satisfies the mission of Shepherd University and serves the research and current informational needs of the university and community. This process is an essential part of collection development. A collection evaluation procedure has been developed drawing on American Library Association principles, collection development policies of other academic institutions, and other appropriate sources.

1. The Collection Development Librarian analyzes the collection using OCLC Worldshare-generated reports. These reports have been filtered for the following criteria:

• Publication Date:

  • We are evaluating monographs that have been published over ten years ago.

• Circulation Statistics:

  • Monographs that have circulated ≤3 since their addition to the collection are being considered for deselection.

• Last Circulation Date:

  • We are reviewing the last circulation date. If a book has not circulated in the past five years for fiction and ten for nonfiction, it will be considered for deselection. This criteria is mostly being used for bestsellers that are no longer popular.
• Popularity Decline
  • Past bestsellers that are no longer in demand. These may have higher circulation statistics but have not been checked out in the past five years.

2. Emails will be sent to relevant departments for input on materials being considered for deselection.

3. Once selected items are approved for deselection, they will be pulled from shelves and removed from our library system.

3. Faculty members and librarians cooperate to ensure the library retains materials that best serve the university's educational mission. The librarians appreciate and welcome an active interest in the selection and deselection process.

Some criteria for retention:

1. Material is by a West Virginia author or about West Virginia.
2. Title is recognized as a "classic" or "standard" in a given field.
3. Subject matter is unique or the item is the only one in the field.
4. The title has won a prize.
5. The title is valuable because of its photographs or illustrations.
6. The item is part of a set the library owns.
7. No item will be deselected which has been checked out during the past five years.

Some criteria for deselection:

1. The item is a superseded edition.
2. The item is a duplicate copy of a low use title.
3. The item is a badly worn, mutilated or marked up volume which can not be mended or rebound and is no longer in print. If this deselection creates a gap in this subject area, an attempt will be made to replace it with an appropriate title.
4. The item is a title which is no longer suitable for the collection due to changes in the curriculum or in the University's mission.
5. The item is obsolete, e.g. outdated law books or medical books.

The circulation history of a title is considered in combination with the above factors. This applies to titles not covered by #7 above under "Some criteria for retention." These guidelines are reviewed periodically. The library invites faculty input in the ongoing review of the guidelines for this important aspect of library collection development.

There will be some exceptions to the requirements of faculty review, such as the extremely worn condition of a book. For more information, contact the Collection Development Librarian.