Exhibits Policy Statement

University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries
Approved March 2000, Updated November 2003

The primary mission of the University Libraries is to be central to the University community's discovery, communication, and use of knowledge by providing materials, information, and other services to support instruction, research and scholarship, and public service.

The goal of the Libraries Outreach Office is to keep the general public, University community, and Libraries personnel informed of Libraries materials, services, opportunities, and policies and to position the Libraries as an integral intellectual and cultural resource on the campus through its publications, exhibits, and events.

The University Libraries adheres to the Laws of the Regents, campus policies and procedures, and a number of documents published by the American Library Association (ALA), including the ALA Code of Ethics, Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read Statement, and Association of College and Research Libraries Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries.

In accordance with the Laws of the Regents, exhibit space in the University Libraries is provided as a forum for the free expression of ideas. The Outreach Office coordinates exhibits in the Norlin lobbies and other Libraries non-departmental spaces and maintains exhibits policies and procedures. The office accepts applications from Libraries staff; CU faculty, staff, and students; and the general public. Priorities are the Libraries, the campus, the community.

The subjects and materials of exhibits are considered the viewpoint of the exhibitor(s) and not a representation of the policies, recommendations, or views of the University Libraries. Exhibitors are placed "under no control or authority save the control and authority of rational methods by which truth is established." and may "communicate the results" of their research through their exhibits. In the spirit of the principles of academic freedom and free expression, the Outreach Office places no blanket restrictions upon the subject matter, display materials, or opinions expressed in Libraries exhibits. Nevertheless, "academic freedom does not give either faculty or students the right to disregard the standards of conduct" outlined in the Laws of the Regents. Exhibits will not be accepted if they are deemed by the Outreach Office to be willfully injurious to persons, disruptive of Libraries activities, or to interfere in any manner with the private rights of citizens. (Quotes are taken from the Laws of the Regents)

An objective of the Outreach Office is to provide an inclusive window on the changing human experience and sustain social memory through exhibits, art shows, and events. We seek to offer a full range of perspectives and materials relevant to any theme, even when audiences may find some contextual material challenging on its own.  As a forum for the free exchange of ideas, the Outreach Office welcomes comments and responses.

The Outreach librarian, Deborah Fink, may be reached at 303-492-8302, or deborah.fink@colorado.edu.

Deborah Fink
Outreach Librarian
University Libraries
184 UCB
University of Colorado at Boulder
Boulder, CO 80309-0184
voice: 303-492-8302
FAX: 303-492-1881
email: deborah.fink@colorado.edu