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Last summer I weeded about 500 volumes from our collection.  They were mostly
extra copies (1 to 4 of them) of books that were once important, but we now
need only one copy.  Another category was books of supporting interest which
no longer fit with our holdings but once were requested by faculty; those I
transferred to wherever their classification normally put them.

Being out here in the wild west, I do feel an obligation to keep superseded
editions of directories, building codes, etc., but in your area, with the
Smithsonian Libraries, etc., I would keep no more than two or three years of
any directory.  Someone having need for information older than that probably
would have time to call or visit another location.

We don't yet have a great space problem, but next time I weed I will also
evaluate each book for quality.  There are many older books which have built
no reputation for themselves and are therefore highly unlikely to be used
again - and if someone does want one, there's always Interlibrary Loan.
And some books just look worthless anyway.

We were lucky and could check the last 12 years of circulation records -
which did cause me to return a few books to the shelf.

BERNA E. NEAL
Architecture/Environmental Design Library, ASU, Tempe, AZ 85287
(602) 965-7422
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