Resource Objection Policy
The University of Dallas is dedicated to the pursuit of wisdom, truth, and virtue
as the proper and primary ends of education. The University as a whole is shaped by
the long tradition of Catholic learning and acknowledges its commitment to the Catholic
Church and its teaching. It seeks to maintain the dialogue of faith and reason in
its curriculum and programs without violating the proper autonomy of each of the arts
and sciences.
The Cowan-Blakley Memorial Library is committed to selecting, acquiring, organizing,
maintaining, and making accessible a collection of printed and non-printed primary
and secondary materials that will support the educational, research, and public service
programs of the undergraduate and graduate schools of the University.
Periodically, a faculty or staff member or student may object to a resource in the
library’s collection. This policy explains the principles that guide the library’s
collection of resources and the procedures for objecting to a resource.
Selection Policy
The resources acquired by the Cowan-Blakley Memorial Library are selected to support
and enhance the educational, research, and outreach missions of the University of
Dallas and facilitate scholarly engagement by providing access to traditional and
innovative resources.
The Library is committed to developing a balanced collection that represents a diversity
of perspectives. Several key documents guide decisions about which items to select
and preserve in the library collections. As St. John Paul II states in Ex Corde Ecclesiae, “A Catholic University is a place of research, where scholars scrutinize reality with the methods proper to each academic discipline, and so contribute to the treasury
of human knowledge.” Materials are chosen according to the collection development
goals, general criteria, and subject-specific guidelines outlined in our Library Collection
Development Policy.
The Cowan-Blakley Memorial Library also subscribes to the principle expressed in the
American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights: “Books and other library resources
should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people
of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the
origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.”
The Library is also guided by the University of Dallas’s mission and commitment to the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of wisdom,
truth, and virtue as education's proper and primary ends. These govern the Library's
vital role in selecting and preserving materials that represent a diversity of thought
and opinion and contribute to the treasury of human knowledge as referenced by St.
John Paul II.
Resource Objection
Students, faculty, and staff of the University of Dallas may object to resources in
physical or electronic format, including monographs, journals, databases, electronic
books, or other items owned or subscribed to by the Cowan-Blakley Memorial Library.
However, ebooks and ejournals that are part of electronic collections cannot be modified
at the individual title level; therefore, they cannot be individually challenged.
An objection to a Library resource must be based on the failure of that resource to
conform to the Library’s Collection Development Policy or not to align with the University
of Dallas’s mission.
Challenged items will remain on the shelf or accessible online and available to Library
users during the duration of the challenge.
Procedure
Students, faculty, or staff wishing to challenge a resource in the Cowan-Blakley Memorial
Library must complete a Resource Objection Form.
Upon receipt of the Resource Objection Form, the Acquisitions Librarian and another
librarian will review the objection and report to the Dean of the Library. The Dean
will review the objection and the librarians' report and respond to the objector.
The decision of the Dean is final.