USC Libraries are fortunate to have Grand Avenue Library to serve as a storage facility.
Without a storage facility, consider:
UCI
All libraries ultimately face three major collection management issues: Overcrowding, out-of-date, and out-of-scope. To those we can add multiple copies, condition issues, and the need to repurpose space. Weeding is the process by which librarians address such issues and should be a regular component of the USC Libraries collection management. Many librarians have had to regularly weed their collections in the subject libraries. Over the years there have been a number of projects to weed Doheny stacks, but most have been undertaken in response to a crisis. Our latest endeavor, despite the short time frame of part 1, aims to begin a more holistic approach that will include journals in Doheny as well as Grand and ideally become a consistent process.
N.B. Some of the content in this LibGuide has been taken from UC-Irvine's subject guide, Space, Space, Space: Weeding and What Remains (http://libguides.lib.uci/fiatfluxweeding). That guide states "This website provides academic libraries with methods to replicate our success through communication and coordination among bibliographers and technical services. Here we share the issues and the solutions..."
When I quote from that guide, I will cite it simply as UCI.
The USC Libraries is one of only 125 ARL institutions, and thus has a substantial interest in preserving the history of civilization within the parameters of the University's teaching and research, past, present, and future. In addition, we continue to build on existing collection strengths. Weeding has sometimes been defined as discarding or withdrawing materials. While some Doheny books may, indeed, be discarded due to condition, duplication, or inappropriateness, this project will focus instead on transferring volumes to Grand Avenue Library. Most will NOT be withdrawn
The principle reason for weeding is usually overcrowded stacks. That is definitely the case in Doheny, which has a capacity of 575,000 volumes, and currently has approximately 506,000 volumes. Doheny adds 20,000-24,000 volumes annually. The goal of our current project is to remove a total of 75,000 volumes. The lists which Masoud Farajpour has produced have about 110,000 titles to be reviewed (22% of the collection).
There are additional benefits to clearing overcrowded shelves, among which are:
According to Slote (1997),