EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR RELATIONS COURT
WEEDING REPORT
1.0 BACKGROUND
The ELRC library is located on 5th floor in the Milimani Commercial Court Building and has been in operation since 1998 when Milimani Commercial Court moved from Sheria house. The Library was renamed Employment and Labour Relations Court in 2016. This decision was informed by the fact that the Court enjoys the status of a High Court. The mandate of the Library is to develop and manage a library collection that is suitable for the growing needs of the Judges, Judicial Officers and Staff, Legal researchers as well as the law students attached to the Court. Limited space for the fast-growing collection has become a vital issue for the Judiciary libraries.
A poorly maintained collection negatively impacts the ability to meet the mission of any library. Managing space in the ELRC library is an issue that needs to be critically considered as numbers of stock significantly increase. Older, less used materials and duplicate copies must be moved to allow space for current contents on the open shelves. This can only be achieved through weeding.
This report describes the Weeding exercise carried out by the Library staff. Weeding of the entire collection had not been conducted since the Library was established.
1.1 WEEDING
Weeding is the periodic and continual evaluation of the Library’s resources to remove obsolete, damaged, and rarely used books. Weeding ensures that the Library’s materials are useful, attractive, and accessible to patrons.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
The objectives for weeding the collection were –
- To make space for more valuable items.
- To provide a more appealing and a more up to date collection.
- To make the Library easier for the patrons and staff to use
- To provide more reliable information
2.1 ASSIGNING RESPONSIBILITY
The two Librarians assigned themselves portions to enable the exercise to move fast. Each item was examined in turn, checking for physical condition, last circulation date, copyright date, and appropriateness for the collection. Materials such as the dust masks, dust coats, stickers and bookmarks to use in the exercise were provided.
2.1.1 CRITERIA FOR WEEDING
The criteria used for the weeding were –
Appearance and physical condition – can be damaged item be repaired?
Usage – when was an item lastly used?
Relevance – Is the resource still relevant?
Duplication – Is demand sufficient for multiple copies?
3.0 FINDINGS
It was noted that some materials ought not to have been assigned accession numbers. For example, single chapters of the laws of Kenya and pamphlets. The numbering in the accession register had errors that need to be rectified; for example, some numbers were repeated. As a result, the accession register did not reflect the actual number of library materials.
The weeding project resulted in-
- Removal of out of date and duplicate materials
- Identification of books needing restoration and conservation
- Books for transfer
The books identified for restoration and conservation were 123. Some books were found to be suitable for other Court Libraries, so 51 books were identified for transfer.
4.0 CHALLENGES
The exercise took longer to complete because some books had not been assigned accession numbers for the Milimani Commercial Court Library as it then was. The Librarians had to halt the weeding process to accession such materials.
One of the computers collapsed with the typed data, so it had to be retyped afresh hence more delay. The Librarians had to devote one to two hours after work, whenever they could find time from their regular duties to complete the exercise.
5.0 CONCLUSION
Weeding continues to be an essential component of collection development, particularly for the Library to have a collection that is appealing and in good physical condition. In Judiciary libraries, current information is needed for decision making, and retention of outdated materials may have critical consequences such as wrong judgments being passed as a result of obsolete documents kept on the shelf.
By weeding the collection, we anticipate that over time, the most relevant materials will be more visible, circulation increased, and speed of retrieval will be more improved.
6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
- It is recommended that the restoration and conservation of the books be carried out urgently to prevent them from further deterioration.
- The accession register should be cleaned to reflect the actual number of materials.
- Regular weeding is also recommended in order to maintain a reputable collection and for the patrons to access useful materials quickly.