Relax, Be Earnest: Marketing a Serials Deselection Project

Many libraries use the fear of public outcry as a reason to limit interaction with their communities while in the process of deselecting materials. This paper proposes that well‐written policies, process transparency, and a properly managed promotional plan are the best approaches to building goodwill and support among concerned constituents. “Throwing away books” does not have to be done in secret. A process for transforming internal goals into external communications and marketing events is provided along with a discussion of the partnerships and resources needed to accomplish that transformation. Outcomes of the project, including reutilization of space, updated library policies, and reactions from the community are also presented.