Criteria for Weeding

The CREW method uses the acronym, MUSTIE, to assist with weeding in a library collection. In assessing a library collection remove items that are:

Misleading and/or factually inaccurate

Ugly – worn out beyond reasonable mending

Superseded by a new edition or better source

Trivial – little to no literary or scientific merit

Irrelevant to the community

Elsewhere – material may be obtained from other source

(CREW method)

In her Resource Alignment “Specific Helps in Weeding Nonfiction” chart, Karen Lowe recommends weeding titles in these areas after ten years. Mona Kerby, in “Collection Development for the School Library Media Program: A Beginner’s Guide,” states that career materials should be discarded after five years. One may take a middle ground approach between the two recommendations, assessing each title for accurate and current information, patron use and interest, and the copy’s physical condition. The availability of additional or improved resources and the school’s curriculum standards are other components in making decisions about weeding certain titles.

Dewey Number	Keep	Useful	Discard
331	> 01	96 – 00	< 95
362	> 99	94 – 98	< 93
363	> 99	94 – 98	< 93
371	> 94	89 – 93	< 88
610 - 618	> 04	99 – 03	< 98
628	> 99	94 – 98	< 93
630	> 94	89 – 93	< 88
636	> 94	89 – 93	< 88
637	> 94	89 - 93	< 88
			Karen R. Lowe