Staring Into the Whale’s Mouth: Large-Scale Journal Deaccession at a Small University

Large‐scale journal deaccession is an all‐consuming project requiring considerable planning and staff time. The Library team at Siena Heights University, a small, Catholic, liberal arts university in rural Southeast Michigan, recently completed such a project. Project is a keyword—a large project like this is not business as usual, and must be managed as a project with appropriate staff from throughout the organization. Further, journal deaccession on this scale is not simple—it involves a change in what libraries have always done. Staff need time to absorb the changes, and to understand all of the ramifications on their future work. Perspectives from both librarians and paraprofessional staff are essential for a multifaceted view of the organizational, historical, operational, and emotional concerns involved in a large‐scale journal deaccession project. This paper outlines how one small institution’s journal deaccession project was managed, from initial conception to getting it done, including which staff should be involved, steps necessary to complete the project, how to talk about the project internally and with stakeholders, potential pitfalls, and how to deal with problems as they arise.