Code4Lib Journal (Feb 2019)

Developing Weeding Protocols for Born Digital Collections

  • Athina Livanos-Propst

Journal volume & issue
no. 43

Abstract

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As collections continue to be digitized and even be born digital, the way we handle collection development needs to also shift towards a digital mindset. Digital collections development are not so much concerned about shelf or storage space, as expansion can be as simple as procuring a new hard drive. Digital collections, when not archival, need to focus on issues of access and accessibility. For a born digital library, quality and usefulness must be the primary factors in the collection development policy. This article will walk through the steps taken by one digital library (PBSLearningMedia.org) to assess their collections with an eye to quality and user experience as well as a multi-phase deaccessioning project that occurred and is ongoing. The process, including the multi-iteration drafting of subject specific rubrics, targeted to the needs of the site’s core audience. It also included the quantitative assessment of thousands of items in the collection and the distribution of qualitative and quantitative data to stakeholders across the country. Special attention to the setting of minimal required standards and the communication of those standards was paid. Finally, as this process is now an ongoing review schema for LearningMedia, the article will discuss the issues faced in this project, recommendations for other organizations attempting their own digital weeding/deaccessioning projects, and the plans for the future of the project.