February 2025
Contents:
"All media materials and equipment shall be maintained adequately with provisions made for regular replacement of outdated materials and equipment." ~210:35-3-126.d (Standards for Accreditation for Oklahoma Schools: The Media Program Collection)
Library media specialists play a critical role in ensuring that the library collection remains current, engaging, and relevant to students. A well-maintained collection supports student learning and fosters a love of reading. To achieve this, regular weeding—removing outdated, damaged, or underutilized materials—is essential.
Weeding should be an ongoing process, conducted on a monthly or annual basis, depending on the library’s needs. If a collection has not been weeded for an extended period, librarians can break the task into manageable sections, addressing one area at a time. Once the initial weeding is complete, maintaining a fresh and appealing collection becomes much easier.
To guide weeding decisions, school librarians should analyze circulation data to identify books that are no longer being checked out. Additionally, they should assess materials for physical condition, accuracy, and relevance. Items that are damaged, outdated, or no longer aligned with curricular needs may require repair, replacement, or removal.
A clear weeding policy ensures consistency and supports informed decision-making. Librarians should refer to existing school or district policies on collection maintenance or collaborate with administrators to develop appropriate guidelines if none exist.
By proactively curating their collection, school librarians create a dynamic and engaging learning environment that best serves their students.
Reflection Questions:
- When was the last time you weeded the library's collection?
- When do you conduct an inventory of your collection? Before the school year begins? At the end of the school year? Both?
- How do you determine which materials are outdated? Do you have a written policy?
- What procedures do you use to repair damaged books?
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Located in Mayes County in northeastern Oklahoma, the school library of the month is Pryor High School.
Their media specialist is Sheri Henning, and her assistant is Marshel Morrison. The 2024-2025 school year is Sheri's first year at PHS, and she implemented changes starting in August.
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"My immediate goal was to make the library a bright, welcoming space where students could check out books, relax with a game or puzzle or just hang out," said Sheri.
"I did this by putting up a lot of colorful signs and posters, revamping our fiction and graphic novel sections to be visually appealing and rearranging furniture so we had a comfortable space to do homework, read, decompress with games and puzzles and visit with friends. I also added several board games, card games, a chess set, and puzzles."
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In addition to signage and furniture, Sheri also examined the collection to determine the needs of the students.
"Our collection needed work to bring it up to date and make it appealing to students. I undertook a huge ongoing weeding project and began ordering new young adult books and graphic novels," explained Sheri.
Sheri also reorganized the fiction collection to add front facing books and shelf talkers. "It was important to find a way to display and promote our books in a library with few options for display spaces. I'm fortunate to have an amazing assistant who is very creative."
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In addition to revamping the collection and space, Sheri wanted to collaborate with teachers, which can be challenging as a new librarian.
"My assistant Marshel was a huge help in that endeavor," said Sheri, "and now we have teachers and student groups asking to collaborate with us on displays and showcasing student work."
"I also reached out to our faculty and asked if they would use our shelf talker cards to recommend their favorite books, and I got a really good response."
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In November for Aviation History Month, the Pryor High School library created a display in collaboration with the Aviation Department. "Pryor High School has a growing aviation program and is an Aviation High School of Excellence, which means we're leading the way in aviation curriculum for other schools in the area. Our high school students are building an airplane as part of the district's aviation program and we were honored to be able to promote the program in the library," said Sheri.
 Reflecting on her first year at the Pryor High School Library, Sheri said, "I've made these and many more changes and improvements since August with more to come. Our circulation statistics have improved from last year at this time, and the library is usually full of students, so all our efforts have been worth it!"
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