The same consideration is given to maintaining our shelves as it is to filling them, especially when a book is out of print or otherwise unobtainable.

We call the planned reduction of library stock ‘deselection’, ‘weeding’ or ‘discarding’. It is a major responsibility of the Collection Development Team, which also selects library material. 

There are many reasons for discarding books – from carefully planned and skilful library management, as set out in Council endorsed policy (we simply don’t have the room for everything we have ever bought); through to damage, or shabbiness caused by overuse; and unfortunately through items simply not being returned. We are very fortunate to have our own bindery, where damaged items can be mended; but there does come a time when a book just has to go.

Some topics are hugely popular for a time, then just as quickly go out of fashion: Atkins diet, misery memoirs, Bach flowers, desktop publishing and vampire fiction, to mention a few. We buy an extra copy of a book when it has a minimum of 6 holds, so with very popular novels like The Luminaries, for example, we may start with up to fifteen copies, buy more to satisfy holds, and then weed copies when demand declines. In the case of certain authors or subjects, we would save one copy (two copies for some NZ authors) for our lending stack collections in the basement.

The stack fiction and nonfiction lending collections are intended to house items which we can predict will be of enduring interest. If a book is weeded and is not suitable for the stack, it will end up in our sale bins so the public can get a book which is still in quite good condition at a bargain price.

Books which are damaged (we get a lot of water bottle accidents) are usually not offered for sale but are recycled. No matter why a book (or CD, magazine, DVD, talking book) is weeded, if it is the last one of that title, we will assess the cost and desirability of replacing it. Unfortunately some books go out of print and are unobtainable, but then they may appear in a different format – perhaps as an e-book.

Lost and missing items are largely out of our control but again, we do try and replace any which are still in demand.