Weed and Feed Project

KMoran, VGoff, SOsborne

MLI 5080
2-2010
WEED-N-FEED PROJECT
United States History – Western Expansion [1800-1850]
VGoff – Elementary School
KMoran – Middle School
SOsborne – High School

Why do we need to weed?

It is imperative to establish a well maintained school library media center. A requirement

for that achievement is the process of “weeding,” or discarding undesirable and/or extraneous
materials. Frequently the library media center becomes the burial ground for old textbooks and
other items teachers no longer find useful. Customs and costumes change. The curriculum or the
faculty changes, and large parts of the collection fall into the “seldom used” category. When
weeding does not occur, the students’ learning is hindered because the resources provided to aid
that learning contain inaccurate or outdated information, worn out in appearance, or the items
have no personal value for the students, all of which negatively impact student achievement.

Dewey Numbers to Check

The 973’s section of the Dewey Decimal system is its essential part of the collection.
According to Kerby (2006), the 900’s (Geography/ History) category should be maintained with
books purchased on a rotating basis, so that no title is older than five years. Lowe wrote that
“The guidelines for weeding depend on the needs of the community.” The information provided
to patrons must be reliable, accurate, and presented in a format that interests students. This
particular section of Dewey is under scrutiny due to its reputation for containing work that may
have been created in “haste to get on the market” (Lowe, 2008). Ethnic or Native American
groups may be stereotyped, or possibly errors may have been made in political or geographical
regions when published. Regardless of the reason, the inclusion of the books in the collection
hinders student performance.

Suggested Dewey Decimal Numbers to examine – 030, 912, 973.4, 973.5, and 973.6.

900s (Geography/ History) United States History – Western Expansion

[Time frame 1800-1850]

030 Encyclopedias and Books on Facts

912 Maps and Atlases
973.4 Constitutional period, 1789-1809
973.5 Early 19th century, 1809-1845
973.6 Middle 19th century, 1845-1861
Criteria for Weeding

When determining a weeding agenda, Lowe’s criteria for weeding were studied.
Different curriculum standards prevail across the K-12 spectrum and an elementary, middle, and
high school would not necessarily need an equal representation of books in all three school
libraries. In the high school setting the instruction is focused on the United States reconstruction
years to the present day. During the elementary and middle school years, western expansion is
studied in greater detail and those collections would contain more books and materials related to
the topic. The high school library would contain items and materials more appropriate for
research based projects and papers associated with western expansion.

Books were determined valuable under the following criteria: classic titles, local, listed
on current reading list, irreplaceable, or biographical.

Criteria for Weeding (Lowe, 2008)

Relevance to curriculum
Copyright date
Condition of material
Enduring value
Reading/interest level
Authoritative writing
Bias/stereotypes
Recommendation in source book
Local/community

Examples of weeding criteria in practice:

Indian portrayal as an extinct species referred to in the past tense rather than a culture that exists
today.

973- United States, discard anything 1991 and older, items between 1992 and 1996 are useful,
and items should be kept from 1997 to present, typically keepimg items for 20 years

Consider WEEDING titles like these:

Senior High School = (SH)

Black protest: history, documents, and analyses, 1619 to the present. Grant, J., Fawcett World
Library, 1968. Book. LCCN 68020769

Fighting Indians of the West. Schmitt, M. & Brown, D., C. Scribner’s Sons, 1948. Book. LCCN
48009198
Our Presidents Brief biographies of our Chief Magistrates from Washington to Eisenhower
1789-1958. Morgan, J., The MacMillan Co., 1958. Book. LCCN 5813113.

The American heritage new illustrated history of the United States. Athearn, R., Dell, 1963.
Book. LCCN 63011118

The American Heritage Pictorial History of the Presidents of the United States. Leish, K. W.,
American Heritage Pub. Co. Inc., 1968. Book. LCCN 6815858.

The social fabric: American life from the Civil War to the present. Cary, J.H., Little Brown,
1975. Book. LCCN 74010481

Webster's new geographical dictionary. Merriam-Webster, 1984. Book. LCCN 83022019

World book atlas. Rand McNally, 1992. Book. LCCN 9280532

Consider ADDING title like these:

Senior High School = (SH)

(First entry is APA, second entry is McAnally instructions stated)

Clinton, C. (1999). Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Civil War. Scholastic Reference.

Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Civil War. Clinton, Catherine. Scholastic

Reference, 1999. 112 pp. Book (SH) ISBN 0590372270.

Edwards. J. (1999). Lewis and Clark’s Journey of Discovery. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow.

Lewis and Clark’s Journey of Discovery. Edwards, Judith. Enslow, 1999. 199 pp.
Book (SH) ISBN 0766011275.
Katz, W. (1999). Black Pioneers: An Untold Story. Atheneum.

Black Pioneers: An Untold Story. Katz, William Loren. Atheneum Books for
Young Readers, 1999. 193 pp. Book (SH) ISB 0689814100

Keenan, S. (1996). Scholastic Encyclopedia of Women in the Unites States. Scholastic.

Scholastic Encyclopedia of Women in the Unites States. Keenan, Sheila. Scholastic 1996.
199 pp. Book (SH) ISBN 0590227920.

Monceaux, M. (1999). My Heroes, My People: African Americans and Native Americans in the
West. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

My Heroes, My People: African Americans and Native Americans in the West. Monceaux,
Morgan., and Ruth Katcher. Portraits by Monceaux, Farrar,
Straus, and Giroux, 1999. 64 pp. Book (SH) ISBN 0374307709.
Todras, E.H., (1999). Angelina Grimke: Voice of Abolition. North Haven, CT: Linnet.

Angelina Grimke: Voice of Abolition. Todras, Ellen H., Linnet, 1999. 178 pp. Book (SH) ISBN
0208024859.

Stanley, J. (1997). Digger: The Tragic Fate of the California Indians from
the Missions to the Gold Rush. Crown.

Digger: The Tragic Fate of the California Indians from the Missions to the
Gold Rush. Stanley, Jerry. Crown. 1997. 128 pp. Book (SH) ISBN
051770952x.

Duncan, D. (1996). People of the West. Little Brown.

People of the West. Duncan, Dayton. Little Brown, 1996. 120 pp. Book (SH) ISBN
0316196274.
References

Beers, K. & Lesesne, T. (2001). Books for you: an annotated booklist for senior high students
(14 ed.). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

Gillespie, J. & Barr, C. (2004). Best books for high school readers: grades 9-12. Westport, CT:
Libraries Unlimited.

Kerby, M. (2006). Collection development for the school library media program: A beginner’s
guide. American Association of School Librarians.

Klopfer, K. (2010, February 16). Western Massachusetts Regional Library System: Weed it!
For an attractive and useful collection. Retrieved from
http://www.wmrls.org/services/colldev/weed_it.html on February 17, 2010.

Koelling, H. (2007). Best books for young adults (3rd ed.). Chicago: American Library
Association.

Lowe, K. (2008). Resource alignment: Providing curriculum support in the school library
media center. St. Millers Creek, NC: Beacon.

University of Central Florida. (2009). SUNLINK. Retrieved from

http://www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed/ on February 16, 2010.