What's in a Name? What Named Spaces Tell Us About Academic Libraries

Many academic library buildings are named after someone, whetheran inspirational thinker, a wealthy donor, or an influential professor orcollege president. These names are so commonplace that it can be easyto ignore where they came from and what their significance is. Thispaper takes a case study approach to uncovering the meanings of thesetypes of names. We will consider the purposes of named spaces, analyze the history and significance of named library spaces across severalinstitutions, and explore how to make our spaces more reflective ofour libraries’ aspirational values. By examining what academic biasesand societal oppressions the names of our buildings and spaces reflect,this paper will encourage thinking about race, gender, and class on ourcampuses in a new way.