Into the Weeds: Emotions and Deselection in the Library

Abstract

Weeding is, among all of the tasks common in librarianship, one of the most rife with conflict. The purpose of this chapter was to examine the emotions and emotional impact of deselection on librarians and library staff using a framework of weeding styles. The authors did a qualitative survey-based case study. They created a survey using Google Forms and deployed it to five library-related listservs and one Facebook group. All of the questions were mandatory, except for the open-answer questions. The authors also conducted an extensive literature review. The survey revealed a more harmonious practice than the literature might indicate. There were some noteworthy correlations drawn among weeding styles, emotions, and the practice of weeding. The authors discuss the implications of their findings and ideas for future research. They also provide strategies and recommendations in terms of communication in the course of deselection and how to handle emotional labor in the workplace. A literature review conducted by both authors did not reveal any other examination of this type. The chapter will fill a gap in the literature.

Citation

Reno, L. and Lowe, M. (2017), "Into the Weeds: Emotions and Deselection in the Library", Emotion in the Library Workplace (Advances in Library Administration and Organization, Vol. 37), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 99-128. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0732-067120170000037006