Gracia Imperial brings her 16-month-old daughter Amira to the Winnipeg Public Library every week. They always find something new.
"There's a wide range to the collection here,†she says. “And every week we find new books that are really interesting.â€
The library always seems fresh thanks to librarians who go through the shelves and do a process called “weeding.â€
They examine each book and throw out the tomes that no longer meet patrons’ needs, making room for the new titles.
Barbara Bourrier-Lacroix showed CTV Winnipeg the “weeding process,†also known as collections management.
“They have a fun little acronym to help you remember as you’re going through your collection,†she said. “It's MUSTIE.â€
M stands for misleading, which includes books that seem factually inaccurate or out of date.
U stands for ugly, which includes worn or damaged copies.
S stands for superseded, referring to titles that can be replaced by newer editions.
T stands for trivial, which includes books that are poorly written or were only popular for a short period of time.
I is for irrelevant to the community.
E stands for elsewhere, meaning the information is available in another format or at another branch.
During a recent round of weeding, Bourrier-Lacroix found a book with a stain on it and marked it as “Ugly.â€
“This one’s got water spilled on it,†she said. “We hope it’s water.â€
“It’s constant upkeep,†she added. “That’s what we do.â€
