[Web4lib] Weeding Reference Books Based on Free Online resources available?

[Harvey Melinda]

Hello Salomeh,

Free online doesn't mean that it will stay free or that it will stay online.  If it is something subscription, then you might feel a little better about keeping it.  We have one group who has weeded out everything that was an ebook.  I ask myself each day who really wants to sit at a computer screen and read Pride and Prejudice?

There are also a few resources that work easier in paper that in print.  It's a tricky call to make and one that some of us old pencil and paper pushers are wrestling with.

Also to consider would be the number of times it goes off the shelf.  If it is a go to book, then I wouldn't toss it.  If the money subscribing to the online version is stable (the library would close the doors when the subscription lapsed) then I might be a little more cheerful about pulling something off the shelf.

I've found that some of the older ref books do quite well in the circulating collection too.

Melinda Harvey

Reference Department,
McClellan Library, 
Gadsden State Community College
256-549-8333

 "In the nonstop tsunami of global information, librarians provide us with floaties and teach us how to swim."  Linton Weeks


--- On Thu, 5/1/08, Salomeh Pourmoghim <salomeh.pourmoghim at fresnocitycollege.edu> wrote:

> From: Salomeh Pourmoghim <salomeh.pourmoghim at fresnocitycollege.edu>
> Subject: [Web4lib] Weeding Reference Books Based on Free Online resources available?
> To: web4lib at webjunction.org
> Date: Thursday, May 1, 2008, 4:25 PM
> Hi,
> 
> I have been given a very interesting project to work on.
> Our Reference
> librarian wants me to review our reference collection and
> let him know
> which ones' content can be found online for free. This
> will be the
> beginning of a weeding project.
> 
> Has any of you done something like this? Do you have any
> suggestions as
> to what is the best way to approach this project to get the
> best result?
> 
> 
> His motivation is the article called, "A Time to
> Weed" by Laren
> Lampasone published in Library Journal on May 1, 2008.
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you very much.
> 
> Salomeh Pourmoghim
> 
> Librarian
> 
> Fresno City College Library
> 
>  
> 
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> Web4lib mailing list
> Web4lib at webjunction.org
> http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/


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