Deaccessioning Policy
Deaccessioning or weeding is the reverse of the acquisition process. The same consideration taken in the acquisition of an item should be applied to any decision to permanently remove an item from the collections of the Indiana State Library.
A. Criteria:
Items must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Item is outside the scope of the Indiana State Library's Collection Development Policy.
- Item is duplicated in another format within the Indiana State Library
- Missing and stolen items may be considered for deaccessioning four (4) years after the item has been identified as missing or stolen. Indiana historical materials should rarely, if ever, be considered under this criterion.
- Preservation of the item is beyond the ability of the Indiana State Library to restore and preserve.
B. Procedure:
- Staff identify an item which meets one of the criteria.
- Information about the item is collected by staff.
a. Books/Serials/Other Printed Materials
1. available within the library in alternate format
b. Manuscripts
2. available in another library within Indiana
3. collection level indicated from Indiana State Library's Collection Development Policy.1. justification for why the collection no longer should be part of the Manuscript Collection
c. Special Collections
2. any pre-existing conditions identified within the deed of gift or other documentation giving ownership to the library1. justification for why the collection no longer should be part of the State Library's collections
2. any pre-existing conditions identified giving ownership to the library - Collections Review Committee
a. Items designated by staff for deaccessioning are to be reviewed by a Collections Review Committee appointed by the Director of the Indiana State Library.
1. Two (2) librarians from Reference & Government Services Division
b. A list serve will be established for Committee members so that items under consideration for deaccessioning will be listed. Committee members will respond by e-mail regarding their recommendations with any comments. Members will have thirty (30) days to respond.
2. One (1) librarian from Genealogy Division
3. One (1) librarian from Indiana Division
4. One (1) librarian from outside of the State Library
5. One (1) historianc. Items that Committee members agree on for deaccessioning will then be listed on another list serve for libraries and historical societies in Indiana. Some items may be listed on national list serves.
d. Items not agreed upon by Committee members will be reviewed by the Associate Director for Public and Support Services and either
1. withdraw from deaccessioning list
2. referred back to Committee members with members' comments
3. referred to State Library and Historical Board for final decision
C. Disposition:
- Disposition options include the following:
- Transfer as a gift to public or non-profit in-state institution
- Transfer as a gift to public or non-profit out-of-state institution
- Sale from best offer received from public posting upon list serve(s)
- Priority consideration will be given to the first option
- Materials not wanted by other institutions will be disposed of by established means within the guidelines of the State Government Center Complex
- Exceptions:
a. Manuscripts - every effort should be made to contact the individual who donated the collection. If the individual is not living and the item was obtained within the last ten (10) years, the Indiana State Library shall make a good faith effort to notify the heirs or assigns of the decedent. If the heirs or assigns cannot be identified or located, the Indiana State Library shall give notice by publication in the newspaper having the greatest circulation in the county where the individual last resided, and in Marion County if the place of last known residence is outside Indiana
b. Federal Documents - deaccessioning of federal documents must follow the guidelines stated in the GPO Federal Depository Library Manual, GPO Instructions to Depository Libraries , and GPO Superceded List
c. Superceded List - Materials for the blind and physically handicapped - deaccessioning of materials for the blind and physically handicapped must follow the guidelines stated in the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) Excess Policy for Disposal. Other materials not part of the NLS program may be donated to institutions which serve special populations
d. Donations - Major donations of books, serials, and manuscripts must be kept for two (2) years before they can be deaccessioned due to Internal Revenue Service regulations. Donated materials for the Indiana State Library to review for consideration at a future time is exempt for the two (2) year stipulation
- No collection item of the Indiana State Library shall be given, sold, or otherwise transferred to an employee of the Indiana Library and Historical Department (Indiana State Library and Indiana Historical Bureau), a member of the Indiana Library and Historical Board, or their immediate families or representatives
- All records regarding the deaccessioning shall be retained in the Catalog Division of the Indiana State Library. The retention period will be accordingly to value of items or collections. Normal retention period will be five (5) years
- The costs of deaccessioning and record keeping must be kept as low as possible and must be kept in balance with the needs of space and collection expansion and control
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