Weeding Together in the Sunshine

What is Sunshine & Stories? 

Sunshine & Stories is a Colorado State Library podcast dedicated to all things public and school libraries. Our podcast aims to offer fresh insights, as well as spark creative and practical ideas for diverse public & school library settings. Whether you’re a veteran in the library world, a newbie looking for a little professional support, or someone who’s considering shaking things up in your library (a little or a lot), we hope this podcast will be a valuable resource for you.   

Ep. 210 Weeding Together: The Collection Crew Approach with Len Bryan

Episode Summary:

Join Suzi Tonini as she talks with Len Bryan, Partner of Library Services at Cherry Creek Schools, about transforming weeding from a dreaded solo task into an empowering collaborative experience. Len shares his innovative “collection crew” model, the “ugly weed” method for visual weeding, and why building relationships should come before touching a single book in a new library. (Full transcript available here.)   

If you give us a listen, please let us know what you think by completing a short feedback survey. Your feedback helps us grow and provides us with important reporting data for our funder.   

00:56 – Why weeding creates “The Great Library Divide”  
06:23 – The collection crew concept: collaborative weeding   
10:01 – The “ugly weed” method: visual scanning techniques   
14:20 – Logistics that matter  
21:03 – Communication strategies  
25:20 – Why new librarians should focus on relationships first   
28:18 – Weeding wins  

Resources:

Collection Crew Invitation for Principals (Cherry Creek Schools Library Services) 
Collection Crew Process (Cherry Creek Schools Library Services) 
Curate Shared Foundations Book (book available from ALA) 
FAQs for Weeding Libraries (Cherry Creek Schools Library Services) 
Weeding: Essential Library Collection Maintenance (slide deck presentation) 
Weeding: Essential Library Best Practices (Cherry Creek Schools slide deck presentation)  
“Weeding: The Great Library Divide, Embracing Collection Maintenance with Enthusiasm”  (Knowledge Quest blog post) 
The Weeding Handbook: A Shelf-by-Shelf Guide, Second Edition (book available from ALA) 
Contact Len Bryan: [email protected]  
Follow Len on Bluesky 

Colorado State Library projects like this one are funded in part by the Grants to States program administered by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the Colorado State Library, Institute of Museum and Library Services, or the U.S. Government.