Fresno State Library seeks truth and understanding as it moves beyond name controversy
Every weekday, I, a Black librarian, walk through the doors of my workplace, which for the last 41 years has been named the Henry Madden Library, honoring someone we now know to be an antisemite and racist.
When Henry Miller Madden became dean, I would not have been hired as a librarian. That I am the library’s first dean of color is a daily reminder of my journey, and that I stand on some mighty shoulders. Being a “first” isn’t easy, but I am inspired by the difference we make. In the past five years as the library dean I have seen firsthand that Fresno State’s library is so much more than its name.
Now we begin removing Madden’s name from our identity. But libraries are more than names on buildings — they are the people, the culture and the services they provide. As such, they must be a reflection of the communities we serve.
The future of knowledge at Fresno State depends on the library. We are a space in the heart of campus where everyone can access information and where diverse voices are heard. Our library is where knowledge inspires, empowers and provides answers.
Our employees are essential in guiding students and helping shape the perspectives of an innovative society. We also ensure an authentic record of our past, such as the multiethnic archives in our Special Collections Research Center. And we look toward future knowledge through our growing services in extended reality and data science.
Libraries like ours are the intersection between the past and the future.
Fresno State’s library provides a central space for collaboration, gathering and cultural enrichment for all students, no matter their major. The library is where students come to explore the world and find themselves in it. Students study here and check out books, yes. But they also gather here to discuss ideas. To create social bonds. To develop new skills and to solve problems.
More than ever, we want to remain a welcoming space for everyone in our community without the specter of anti-semitism and racism looming over the entrance. For that reason alone, it is time for Henry Madden’s name to go.
In removing the name, we do not wish to erase its past, but rather to align its identity with our current values of diversity, integrity, accessibility and equality. This shift is not a call for anyone to stop using the collection Henry Madden helped build. The change, however, is an opportunity to prompt more discussions about Fresno State’s evolving legacy.
In a poetic twist, a library is among the finest places to explore those discussions. Archives and libraries help to preserve the knowledge accumulated by previous generations. Research in libraries like ours allows for a thoroughly documented reckoning with our history and its tensions.
In fact, evaluating Madden’s papers created opportunities for Fresno State students to gain experience in archival scholarship, exploring a broader sense of historical truth. “Although the name should change, we should not sweep under the rug the mistake of putting Madden’s name on the library,” says Fresno State history major Jovana Gutierrez Camacho, a student researcher for the Madden Task Force. “In fact, perhaps having his name was not a mistake but rather a lesson — a lesson that we need to be aware of representation, surroundings and historical significance.”
I walk through these halls daily, with a legacy behind me, and feel a tremendous sense of belonging and empowerment. The Fresno State Library’s commitment to truth, reconciliation and understanding has grown far beyond its name in the past several months. We’ve embraced research, knowledge and our values to guide our true identity. We are so much more than a name, and we are here to serve our community.
Del Hornbuckle is the dean of library services at Fresno State
