The Community College of Allegheny County has culled 35,000 books from its library collection. Some library staff members said they never received a clear explanation for the large and fast-paced “book weeding” — a common process in libraries, but one usually done gradually, according to some library management professionals.
On March 10, CCAC’s website announced an upcoming book sale taking place for one week across the college’s main and branch campuses. Books, DVDs and CDs were available for $1, with proceeds supporting a textbook fund for CCAC students.
“New media, such as electronic media including databases, e-texts and streaming media are in higher demand now as sources of information in community college libraries,” wrote Stephen Wells, CCAC’s provost and chief academic officer, in response to questions from Pittsburgh’s Public Source. “We are shifting resources to provide the resources our students need.”
Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association, said that while the speed of a book weeding may vary, most involve a very slow and methodical process, especially at an academic library. “You have multiple collections that are both public facing and private facing that need to be curated all the time,” Helmick said. “It’s like an ecosystem, it’s happening every single day.”
List after list of books to weed
Last fall, CCAC administration held meetings with campus librarians and asked them to remove books from their academic libraries that had not been checked out in the last 10 years, Malcolm Jenkins, a library aide at the college’s Allegheny campus, told Public Source.
Jenkins said the request was presented as traditional library maintenance.
In January, CCAC administrators asked librarians to extend the cull to any books unchecked in the last five years, according to five library faculty members, all of whom asked not to be named for fear of jeopardizing their jobs. They said they were informed about a book sale set for March.
The faculty members said their professional input was not followed during the process, and they were given an end-of-February deadline to remove listed material.
Jenkins said the school administration constantly gave librarians additional books to weed.
“I was given a list, and then I was given another list, and once I was finished with that list, I was given another list,” Jenkins said. “Anytime we try to raise concerns, the administrators … sort of dance around the questions.”
CCAC: ‘Standard’ process met with ‘enthusiasm’
In the email response to Public Source, Wells referred to book weeding as a “standard and ongoing process,” and said it was done this semester because the college is:
- Turning toward digital media
- Renovating the library space to encourage student collaboration
- Maintaining financial stewardship.
Wells emphasized plans to incorporate electronic resources into the collection.
In a follow up email, Irma Hunt, Assistant Vice President and CCAC dean of faculty and academic affairs, denied that faculty were excluded from the process, stating that librarians played an “operational role” throughout the book weeding. She also included a list of criteria, which she said was created by CCAC librarians, which library maintenance administrators utilized during the book weeding.
The criteria list called for removal of items:
- That had not been checked out in five years
- On subjects no longer taught at CCAC and not relevant to other disciplines
- Available in electronic format and for which access the e-version is “ensured”
- Duplicative or replaced by a newer edition
- In “poor or disgusting” condition.
“We recognize that change — particularly around something as valued as a library collection — can prompt differing perspectives,” Hunt wrote. “At the same time, the response from the broader campus and community to the book sale has been overwhelmingly positive, with strong participation and enthusiasm.” CCAC said more than 5,000 students received one free or low-priced book and some received bags of books.
Librarians: Weeding shouldn’t be haphazard
Experts across academic and public libraries said rapid, large-scale book weeding seemed atypical, especially if there was a lack of communication between administration and librarians.
Michael Chirichella, Carnegie Library of McKeesport director, said the extent of a book weeding usually depends on the size of the institution, the number of outdated materials and the staff’s input. He said any lack of transparency between administration and faculty would be unusual for a book weeding process.
Chirichella also questioned the shift toward digital media. “I think the people who read want a physical book, and the people who don’t aren’t going to suddenly read because they’re renting an ebook,” he said.
Helmick, of the American Library Association, said librarians play a foundational role in their place of work, noting their “meticulous and skillful” work.
“I don’t know how a collection can be managed without a library worker playing a role,” they said. “That would be like me removing flower beds or … ponds or benches in the park without actually talking to the folks who steward it.”
Empty shelves ‘kind of heartbreaking’
Bryanna Biehl, a CCAC student studying microbiology, worked as a volunteer during the book sale. She said she feels conflicted about the current state of the library. While she found the book sale enjoyable and was glad to increase her book collection, empty shelves on the Boyce Campus in Monroeville upset her.
“Seeing it after the sale, it’s kind of heartbreaking,” Biehl said. “I frequent the library a lot. I would like a physical space to read … That’s what you expect when you go to the library, but seeing all those empty shelves that used to be full of books, it sucks as a student, as a reader, really.”
According to Jenkins, what remains of the CCAC libraries is a skeleton of its former self. “We don’t really have a real collection,” he said. “The damage that has been done, you can’t heal that.”
Jamese Platt is an editorial intern and can be reached at jamese@publicsource.org.
This story was fact-checked by Rich Lord.
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