Laying Foundations for Inventory and Deselection in an Academic Health Sciences Library's Print Collection: Challenges, Approach, and Goals

Faculty librarians and staff in the Harrell Health Sciences Library at the Penn State College of Medicine are undergoing a review of their reserve and circulating print collections with a goal of deselection and removal, as well as making purchases where appropriate. Several criteria are being used to identify print titles for removal. Circulation metrics of materials, condition of items, relevance to current academic programs, age of item, and availability of digital versions or alternatives are under consideration. A comprehensive inventory of the library's print book collection will be conducted after a review of course syllabi across the college to identify core texts referenced in current curricula. Collaborating directly with department heads and teaching faculty will provide insight into the necessity of titles or resources to support their programs. By fostering communication between the library and academic departments, this initiative will ensure that the health sciences library continues to meet the evolving educational needs of its users.

Background: Academic health sciences libraries today face the challenge of balancing up to date print and electronic resources.  Periodic review of all holdings helps in maximizing usage of materials, remaining current on user needs, and using space more efficiently.  This project focuses on optimizing the health sciences library's print collection by identifying key titles for retention and removal with the goal of aligning the library’s resources with the institution's evolving educational needs.

Description: Faculty librarians and staff in the Harrell Health Sciences Library at the Penn State College of Medicine are undergoing a review of their reserve and circulating print collections with a goal of deselection and removal, as well as making purchases where appropriate.  Several criteria are being used to identify print titles for removal.  Circulation metrics of materials, condition of items, relevance to current academic programs, age of item, and availability of digital versions or alternatives are under consideration.  A comprehensive inventory of the library's print book collection will be conducted after a review of course syllabi across the college to identify core texts referenced in current curricula. Collaborating directly with department heads and teaching faculty will provide insight into the necessity of specific titles or resources to support their programs.  By fostering communication between the library and academic departments, this initiative will ensure that the health sciences library continues to meet the evolving educational needs of its users.  Lastly, in updating the library’s print collection, the removal of materials may create more space to repurpose for user learning and study.

Presented during the 2025 Medical Library Association conference in Pittsburgh, PA.