Decluttering, sometimes called deselecting, is a standard practice of library staff. It is the systematic evaluation of materials in the collection, resulting in the elimination of books that are no longer suitable. Public libraries and school libraries are not designed as storage facilities. They are carefully curated according to the needs of the community they serve. Decluttering makes the collection more searchable, ensures that it is current and relevant to its users – 16 copies of The Catcher in the Rye torn to varying degrees when the book has not been used in school for a decade is a sign of poor library management. Two or three copies in good condition would be quite sufficient.

Public libraries and school libraries should have their own guidelines for the selection process. This could include evaluating objects using the CREW/MUSTIE method, evaluating things like Mis leading/factually incorrect material/poor content; Ugly/irretrievably worn out; Soutdated/there is a new edition or a better book on the subject; Trival/without any discernible literary, scientific or cultural value; Irelevant to the needs or interests of the library community (this explains in particular why some books are readily available in one library but may not be available in a library of another community – the example of The Catcher in the Rye fits here, as a school that still uses the book in its curriculum may actually have to keep those 16 copies on the shelf); and finally EElsewhere/The material can be easily obtained by searchers from another library.

I now find myself at my local branch almost every other day of the week to drop off the stack of books I just finished reading and to pick up reserved items that have finally arrived.