The CREW Weeding Manual gives the librarian six reasons to weed. I had really only one. I was tired of looking at all our books. I thought that 1,193 books was too many books for a family of five living in a two bedroom apartment, and, besides, I didn't want to pack and then unpack the same 1,193 books before and after the apartment painting. So perhaps I had three reasons to weed.
The librarian, I learned, is advised to weed at least once every 5 years. We had gone 20 years without even one weeding. Librarians are advised to weed out about 5% of their collection each year. I had resolved to weed out 20% of mine. Clearly I was at least 15 years behind schedule, but, with my high percentage, more than willing to make up for lost time.
There are weeding guidelines, and mine were shoddy to non-existent according to the CREW method. I weeded largely on the basis of Do I want to continue to look at this book on the shelf? and, secondarily, Will I or anyone in this family ever read this book? In most cases, however, I reverse weeded on the basis of Does this book have sentimental or historical value to me? That is, I held on to books for the very reason that a librarian is advised to 'deselect'.
At Awful Library, we are reminded that libraries "collect information" not "physical things." But my family's home library is a collection of physical things that hold information and more. My childhood copy of the Cat in the Hat evokes a whole host of warm, comforting memories about learning to read, my father's habit of doing calculus problems for fun is inextricably connected to his college math textbooks some with the Drexel Institute of Technology paper covers still intact, the book my mother was reading the week before she died will probably never be read but will remind me of her as it sits on the shelf for years. CREW would say weed it all--outdated material, trivial information, unread books! That pretty much summed up my entire collection.
But a home library will be whatever you want it to be and what may make weeding a source of hand-wringing for the librarian was what made weeding for me a pleasure. I had minimal guidelines that I suspended at whim and, as I went through the shelves, I found weeding to be delightful, empowering even virtuous. I had little problem making the cuts and, to be discussed later, I had very few regrets once I was finished.
Where did the books go? The librarian has various ways to dispose of a book once it's been deselected. I wish to emphasize that I destroyed-- "by burning in an incinerator or throwing in the trash" not a single book. Nor did I trade any books or turn any book into an art project. I donated, sold or recycled.
A total of 45 books went to a Project Cicero program at a local synagogue. Three books went to the Salvation Army. I sold 60 books to the Strand, 25 books to Barnes & Noble (can't remember how the latter worked) and 3 textbooks to Amazon. I viewed the Amazon sale as something akin to recycling. I kindly left 22 books in my building's laundry room for the entertainment of neighbors. That was done over a period of time so the porter wouldn't think I was dumping them there. Unsuspecting friends whom I barely knew received a total of 6 books selected especially for them. I thoughtfully returned 13 of my parents' books to their home library, and grateful sisters, children, nieces, nephews and grandkids received among them 58 books. These 235 deselected volumes brought me just 4 books shy of my weeding goal of 20% of my collection.
Now I could begin the real work. Reading what was left.
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