Library plans to shrink parts of book collection

Portland State’s library is undertaking a project that would weed out unused and duplicate books, in an effort some librarians say will create new shelf space and increase the overall selection of books available for students and faculty.

The university is currently analyzing the Millar Library’s collection of books in order to rid it of unused books, as well as excess copies of books taking up valuable shelf space, said university Librarian Helen Spalding.

“Our circulation is going up every year,” she said. “We would never get rid of a book unless we had multiple copies available.”

Tom Raffensberger, assistant university librarian for public services, said the weeding project, as it was referred to in a library e-mail sent to some faculty, is a routine procedure.

“I think its part of a changing collection,” Raffensberger said. “It’s a pretty normal way of moving forward. We’re trying to bring students the best collection we can.”

PSU professor Debra Gwartney said eliminating books from the PSU library could hurt the breadth of the collection. It’s important to keep the school’s library strong, she said, and just because a book isn’t used now doesn’t mean it won’t be used in the future.

“I think it says something about us as a culture,” Gwartney said about the weeding-out project.

Spalding said the library would be careful when it eliminates books from its collection.

“We want to make sure before we take anything out of the collection,” she said.

There are a few other changes to the libraries collection that will help free up space, Raffensberger said.

“We’re purchasing more titles electronically,” he said. “Students seem to really like the electronic format, so we try to provide what’s useful.”

PSU is also a member of the Orbis Cascade Alliance, a Pacific Northwest organization of libraries that provides the university with access to a catalog of over eight million titles from other member schools.

“We can leverage our resources do a better job for all the students,” Raffensberger said about the libraries projects.

With the weeding-out project, the university librarians will continue to fight for a strong library collection, Spalding said.

“I think all our librarians are really strong advocates for our students or having a really strong collection.”

-Additional reporting by Melinda Bardon