Penniman, Sarah; McColl, Lisa (2008). "Green Weeding: Promoting ecofriendly options for library discards." Library Journal, 133(15), 32-33.
Gone are the days of tiptoeing to the dumpsters with boxes of weeded books in tow. Lots of libraries are now taking advantage of the many low-cost services and solutions that promise to help extend the lives of collection discards. Some of these options can be very profitable. Some create goodwill within the local community. Some may seem more labor-intensive, while others require only a computer, a printer, and a few free shipping labels. Thanks to the ever-growing number of possibilities, libraries can select the solutions that best match their own staffing levels and space issues. Above all, every single library--no matter the size, budget, type, or location--can actively participate in "green weeding," another form of library resource sharing. The act of weeding itself obviously ensures that collections, like gardens, stay green and healthy, but libraries can also strive to reduce their footprint by making conscious and collective efforts to pursue only environmentally friendly discard options. This article discusses some ecofriendly options for library discards.