Scarborough Library is facing a space shortage, especially in the areas designated for circulating books. The Library needs to reduce the size of the circulating collection to provide adequate space for updating and keeping the collection current. You may see empty shelves in places and wonder why we consider the space full: This is because a library needs to keep 20-25% of its shelf space clear to accommodate reshelving and shifting, which happens continually as new materials are added to the collection.
The library is reviewing circulating books only; it is not reviewing the following:
The project is fundamentally about proper, responsible stewardship of Scarborough’s intellectual resources in support of the academic work we do here. Reviewing collections and withdrawing materials is sometimes called "weeding," but a more appropriate description is pruning and thinning, to make space for and encourage further growth, with continued vitality in our collections as the goal. It’s something academic libraries should do regularly, if not continually.