Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
1988
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED297762 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Table of Contents:
- When Can You Weed an Unused Book? Ettelt, Harold Academic Libraries Books Card Catalogs Community Colleges Cost Effectiveness Guidelines Hypothesis Testing Two Year Colleges Use Studies A study was conducted in 1988 by a community college librarian who was seeking an objective guide for weeding unused library books. It was hypothesized that a book not used in a certain number of years would never be used. At the beginning of the study, no books had ever been weeded although the library had begun acquiring books in 1969. To test the hypothesis, books were used that had the longest use (or nonuse) records, i.e., those acquired in 1977 and 1978, during which time permanent use records were first kept. Results of the study are displayed in a graph that illustrates the likelihood of previously unused books being used in the next single year: "first use" of the books was heavy in the first two years; there was a somewhat lower level of use for the next three years; and then a final period of at least five years showed that around 10% of the previously unused books were used for the first time each year. It was concluded that more time and another study would be needed to show if there is some future period during which "first use" truly drops to zero or near it. According to this study, nonuse cannot be relied on for weeding books for at least eight years after acquisition. (CGD)