Selejtezconnotes

Selejtezconnotes is a term used in library and archival practice to describe the constellation of contextual signals that accompany a deselection or discard decision. The concept focuses on the metadata, notes, and linked records that surround a deselection, capturing why an item was withdrawn, how it was disposed of, and how it relates to still-held materials. The word is a portmanteau drawing on the Hungarian selejtezés, meaning to deselect or discard, combined with the English connotes to emphasize perceived meaning beyond the item’s existence.

In practice, selejtezconnotes encompasses elements such as the stated rationale for selection or rejection, the chosen disposition (for example, destruction, transfer to another repository, or sale), provenance notes, and cross-references to related items or series. It also includes preservation and access implications, policy references, and the metadata tags that enable future discovery or audit. The concept is used to improve accountability during culling, support risk management, and guide future deselection decisions by revealing patterns and justifications.

While not yet universal, selejtezconnotes has gained attention in professional discussions and digital preservation communities as a way to document the decision context behind collection changes. Critics caution that without standardized definitions it may become ambiguous or inconsistently applied, underscoring the need for clear guidance on scope, terminology, and metadata schemas. See also deaccession, deselection, provenance, and retention scheduling.