It is the function of librarians to select and to withdraw library materials and to advise on their use. Recognizing that sensitivity to the needs and interests of the community is essential to the development of library collections, the Athenaeum welcomes advice and suggestions from the community, trustees and authorities in various fields. Librarians, however, are responsible for judging the needs of their collection and community, and they must make the final choices. Weeding should be done without bias by individuals, whose personal preferences or interests will not dominate their work. Librarians are expected to include in the collection, when available, materials that reflect all sides of controversial questions.
Every title requires individual judgement.
Each book is considered from the standpoint of its value to the community as well as in relation to other books on the shelf. Duplicate titles which are no longer in demand should be withdrawn. The availability of materials through the interlibrary loan network allows books of limited appeal to be weeded and space given to more useful material. The first number refers to the age of thematerial, or the number of years since the item's latest copyright date. The second number refers to the maximum number of years without usage.