A quick browse of the non-fiction section of any library enables us to gauge at a glance whether weeding is a priority. That’s not to say fiction isn’t important too, but non-fiction in particular is critical. Successfully managing book stock in your library isn’t always an easy task, especially when we all have an aversion to throwing books away. 

They’re books…

And we don’t have enough…

It’s a sacrilege!

However, weed we must. If some of you reading this are wondering why you need to be getting your gardening gloves out for the few hours a week you’ve been designated to support with your school library, do not fear. All will be revealed.

Weeding is the process of removing outdated stock, or books that have seen a lot of love and could do with being retired. Items should be removed from your library based on a set of criteria relevant to your school setting. 

  • It might well be that you have moved to a new teaching phonics programme in school and you want to remove all books that do not align with your current SSP.
  • It might well be that your library has not been weeded for many years - or in fact ever - and on inspection you find many books that are incorrect. Geography in particular is a big challenge to keep abreast with. We recently found a geography book in a school that featured the USSR!
  • If certain books are so loved that they are falling apart, then don’t be afraid to remove them.
  • Some larger schools who use a school library management system remove books based on borrowing number over a period of time. Many librarians weed books with under 10 checkouts in 5 years for example but of course this will depend on your number of borrowers and total book stock to ascertain which number and weeding policy is right for your setting.
  • We recently worked with a school library who had never implemented a school library management system before, and so they needed to be cautious about just scanning everything to maximise the books available to their students. Don’t worry about weeding out-of-date stock. Less is more and with more space on the shelves the students can see exactly what’s available. Some front facing books are always a pleasure to see, almost as if the student is in a bookstore!

If you use a library management software, don’t forget to remove the books from here also.

And of course, ideally you want to be bringing new stock in to replace the old and ensure there are exciting new fiction and non-fiction reads for all students to enjoy. 

  • By buying books from LoveReading4Kids, you can donate 25% cash back to your school to spend on more books. 
  • By using our dozens of resources, you can encourage your communities to buy books from LoveReading and LoveReading4Kids and donate to you. 
  • You can create wishlists of books you’d like gifted meaning you get the free book plus 25% cashback too!
  • And of course we have our Funding for Schools Scheme for schools with disadvantage to apply for.

If you are looking for inspiration for what books to buy next, check out our recommended reads for every age range or recommended reads for many curriculum areas

You can personally sign up to our LoveReading4Kids newsletter and also by your school signing up as a member, you’ll automatically receive the regular LoveReading4Schools newsletter with schools-focussed content.

In addition to what we have shared here, The School Library Association is a brilliant resource for any school looking for advice on school library management. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch at schools@lovereading.co.uk and we’ll endeavour to support you.