Weeding: facing the fears

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide librarians with an approach to weeding, which reduces librarians' fears and concerns of withdrawing books from an academic collection. Design/methodology/approach - The paper takes the form of a case study. Findings - The paper outlines specific steps for implementing a weeding project, including developing criteria and procedures, garnering the support of administration, building librarian confidence in performing weeding, and encouraging teaching faculty involvement. Originality/value - The paper provides insights into the nature of the concerns and fears librarians face in weeding an academic library collection, and offers suggestions on how to build confidence and support for weeding among both librarians and academic faculty.