Wikibooks:Outdated books

Sometimes, there will be a book that has a lot of information that was very useful at the time, but has become out of date over time. There are generally two procedures that can be followed here.

For books that aren't up to date, but can be reasonably updated

This category applies to books that, for instance, have not been updated with new information in a few years, but where the subject still exists and new information can be found about it. In this scenario, you should add the {{Outdated}} tag to the top of the book, and post on its discussion page explaining what should be updated. Or, you can always just be bold and update it yourself!

For books that cannot be reasonably updated

This category includes books that are so outdated that their subject either no longer exists, or has changed so much since the book was written that it is virtually unrecognizable, and it would be nearly impossible to update it satisfactorily. These books should generally not be deleted, as they do provide valuable information, but should not be easily accessible to readers looking for recent information. Here, the following instructions should be followed.

If the case is unambiguous

1. Add {{Archived}} to the top of the book. Doing this will also remove it from search engine indexes, unless you override this by using {{Archived|noindex=false}}.
2. Move the book to a subpage of Wikibooks:Outdated books/Archive.
3. Replace the content of the redirect left behind after the move with {{Soft redirect|Wikibooks:Outdated books/Archive/<book title>}}.
4. (optional) Inform the author(s) of the book of your decision.

If the case is ambiguous

Follow these steps if there is any reasonable doubt about if the book can be updated.

1. Follow the instructions at Wikibooks:Requests for deletion § Deletion to file a request. Make sure to note that the request is for archiving, not deletion.
2. The proposal for archiving will be discussed.
3. If consensus has been reached to archive the book, any uninvolved user may close the discussion and follow the instructions in § If the case is unambiguous. Otherwise, the book will remain as is.