I went to an excellent Connecticut State Library workshop yesterday. Weeding in the Garden of Good and Evil was presented by Mary Engels (from the Middletown Library Service Center) and Linda Williams (from the Willimantic Library Service Center).  These two ladies have presented this workshop many times before, but this was the first chance I’ve had to attend (well, that I could actually justify).

 “Our approach to weeding is that it isn’t the irresponsible disposal of the library’s property, but rather a part of the public service to borrowers, that of maintaining the best possible collection for the community.”

We are facing the daunting task of weeding our non-fiction collection, starting this year, and with all three librarians and four out of five staff members being new in the last twelve months or so, I was a little apprehensive about weeding in a collection that most of us really don’t know well.

I feel I learned some very good strategies from the workshop and will be able to make the case for a comprehensive collection development policy which also spells out our weeding policy.  Armed with my new CREW Method booklet, I think we’ll be able to work together to decide on criteria and a procedure for getting the job done.

It’s almost always colder up in the stacks on the second floor, so I’m swatching for “In the Weeds”:
Pattern: Goodale
By: Cecily Glowik MacDonald
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Tonos Pima Silk (cotton silk blend)
Colourway: 25 Truffle

This should be a nice, lightweight but warm cotton cardigan to wear in the fall and the spring.  The colour is a fabulous muted blend of browns & grays veering almost to full black in places so it should be versatile enough to go with most things.  The yarn is as soft as butter and knits up beautifully.