Most librarians must confront the daunting task of weeding/pruning/deselection the library’s collection. There is a wealth of literature showing that pruning is a win-win-win situation for library patron, collection, and librarian. There is also plenty of information about what kind of principles librarians should employ when evaluating a collection. However, when the rubber met the road, I found that all my research had left me unprepared for some of the practical and logistical challenges. This presentation is intended to show the practical lessons I learned while conducting a major pruning project, which lasted approximately 6 months and resulted in the pruning of more than 12,000 titles. While I learned these lessons in an academic setting, many can be applied in other types of libraries as well.
The turn toward digital resources has come with blessings and challenges. Electronic journals are quickly accessible and have, more or less, diminished the need for print journal collections. Electronic books afford simultaneous usage from an entire class and so can offer an affordable textbook alternative. In addition, the move toward Open Educational Resources, is also facilitated by digital resources. Nevertheless, theological libraries (like other humanities disciplines) still see a valid need for physical, printed books and resources. In this conversation, I want to facilitate a discussion concerning methods and modes for weeding library collections with a focus on the way that the physical collection will be used in the future. The weeding of a library is not only a part of routine maintenance, but it also should be responsive to the needs of library patrons. The increase in digital materials, even digital theological materials, presents opportunities and challenges for weeding collections.
Director of Libraries and Theological Librarian, Milligan University
From 2017-present I have been the Theological Librarian for Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan. Beginning in the fall of 2023 I began my tenure as the Director of Libraries for Milligan University. I completed my Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Marquette University, where I wrote... Read More →
Liberation theologies are not monolithic, varying widely across geography and denominations. That rich diversity, however, is rarely reflected in the catalog with subject headings, or on the shelves with limited classification options. This presents a significant challenge to researchers seeking resources on specific types of Liberation Theology.
In this session, Déborah Ortiz-Rivera will first introduce the audience to the history and diversity of Liberation Theologies from both the perspectives of geography and denomination/tradition. Specifically, this introduction will focus on the differences present in various regions of Latin America and between Catholic and Protestant denominations. Building on this groundwork, Brinna Michael will outline a two-fold project undertaken at Pitts Theology Library to address significant gaps in the representation of Liberation Theology in the catalog and stacks. First, Ortiz-Rivera and Michael supplemented existing subject headings with additional geographic and denominational context to improve the search and discovery experience for patrons. Second, they developed a local expansion of the official Library of Congress Classifications for Liberation (BT83.57), Hispanic American (BT83.575), and Mujerista (BT83.583) Theologies to include further subdivisions, including General works (.A1), General special (.A2), and By region or country (.A3-Z).
