Weeding New Media - the MUSTY Evaluation

MUSTY - Coined in 1976 by the ALA in coordination with the Texas State Library this acronym stands for 5 negative evaluation factors to help determine a book's worth in the collection.  However, these factors are still a good initial benchmark for digital media.

• Misleading - has the information become dated or obsolete?
• Digital information changes rapidly, but it is still possible to have older websites worth retaining. As long as the links are still live, you can move worthy connections to an online archive. 
• The MUSTY method suggests taking books that haven't been circulated in 5 years out of the collection. This works with CDs, DVDs and videogames and other media. With webpages, if the site hasn't been updated in a year it may be worth removing from your library's online presence. 

• Ugly - is the information visually unappealing and beyond repair?
• Fun fact:  you can still access the original website for the 1996 movie Space Jam.  Go ahead and get a look at what a cutting-edge website for a blockbuster movie looked like way back then.  While this rule is generally applied to objects with a physical presence [books, CDs, videogames] it can also be applied to a library webpage and resource.  Does the homepage still look like it did in the 90s (even if the info is current)?  Is a linked resource functional, but not elegant? Then maybe it should be modified (if possible) or discarded.

• Superseded - is there a newer, better resource for the information?
• If Warner Bros were to create an updated site for Space Jam, there would be little point in keeping a link to the old site from an information perspective (it makes for a wonderful web time capsule though). Sometimes sites will create a different address to update, especially if modifying the current site and working around its limitations would be especially arduous.  
• Likewise, digital formats can change. Sure, you can have a collection of 8-track tapes and vinyl records, but it might be better to update to CDs.  There may be people who still VHS tapes, but more will have a DVD player.  Hard copies of videogames can become obsolete within  2 generations of new consoles, but there will still be some who don't upgrade to the next platform.  Be aware of current trends in hardware and the increase or decrease in media circulation.

• Trivial - does the information have permanent merit?
• This criteria may seem a bit subjective, common sense can prevail. Back to the Space Jam example: was it still a relevant resource in 2000? Or even in 1998?  Or think about the glut of Teen Paranormal Romance novels published in the wake of the Twilight Series? 



So many strange paramours, so little time

• If users are still checking out 'trivial' DVDs, CDs, and games, the triviality may be subjective.  But items of little "literary value" should be cleared out  when customer circulation eases off to make space for items that received less attention.

• Your collection has no use for the information.  If the material you have meet one or several of these criteria, the media should be discarded.  

For fine examples of the MUSTY principles in action, check out http://awfullibrarybooks.net/.