Worn, badly marked, damaged, or unusable materials should be considered for withdrawal or repair. If a Selector would like to retain the content, they can make use of the Book Repair Workflow to either repair or replace the item.

For the purposes of withdrawal, obsolescence can refer to both the format of an item as well as its content. An item that is inaccessible due to its media format should be considered for withdrawal; replacement with an updated format; or, if possible within the boundaries of copyright and library workflows, reformatting to make the material accessible. In addition, materials that have been superseded by newer editions currently held by the library or materials that contain obsolete or inaccurate data or facts should be considered for withdrawal at the judgment of the Selector.

Where possible Selectors should seek to provide continuous and complete collections of materials. Incomplete sets of books, the continuity of which is not maintained, should be considered for withdrawal. Incomplete holdings of journals for which there is not adequate justification or demand should also be considered for withdrawal.

The following considerations may be taken into account but are rarely recommended to be the sole reason for withdrawing material. They are included here to assist Selectors in establishing metrics for making selection decisions:

• Whether or not an item has been chronically unused may factor into whether a Selector decides to withdraw it.
• A Selector may wish to consider the currency of the material beyond whether it has obsolescence or poor condition.
• Consideration of whether material is available in an electronic format may add weight to whether a physical copy is withdrawn.

In addition to the aforementioned guidelines, some withdrawal projects may have additional guidelines or criteria determined at the onset of the project.