The Collection Name Review (CNR) committee is charged by the university librarian and tasked with reviewing proposals to consider whether the name of an existing collection of Library materials should be removed or changed. Removing or changing the name of a collection is an important decision that requires careful research and thoughtful consideration of different viewpoints from throughout the campus community.
The committee will be convened as part of the Library’s collection name review process, after the preliminary review team receives a proposal and moves it to the committee.
The committee is charged to:
- Consider and acknowledge the history of the name of the collection, including fact-finding through a review of key documentation and listening sessions with Library and campus constituents.
- Consider and weigh the harm, risks, and benefits of any proposed recommendations.
- Make recommendations to the university librarian. Actions might include exploring the possibility of unnaming, acknowledging the harm the name may cause with a contextualizing or educational component, updating associated collection metadata, and/or ongoing research and scholarship around the subject.
The committee will be formed after a proposal has been assessed by a preliminary review team and moved to the next stage of the process. The committee with comprise:
- A member of the Library Cabinet.
- A member of the Library Equity and Inclusion Committee.
- Two subject matter experts (such as a faculty member, subject division head, librarian, curator, archivist, or staff member), who will fill membership slots based on the subject area within the proposed collection.
In deciding whether to remove, revise, or rename a collection, the committee will be guided by the collection name review process principles for decision making.