DIVERSE BY DESIGN: DEVELOPING THE Diversity Committee Web Site

ARE YOU STYMIED WHEN LOOKING FOR DISTRIBUTORS OF BOOKS IN RUSSIAN, KOREAN OR HINDI? DO YOU NEED TO RESEARCH THE AVAILABILITY OF ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR LIBRARY PATRONS WHO ARE WHEELCHAIR-BOUND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED? DO YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT GRANT OPPORTUNITIES TO ASSIST YOUR LIBRARY IN REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITIES IT SERVES?

YOU HAVE READY ACCESS TO A WEALTH OF TOOLS TO MEET THESE AND OTHER CHALLENGES, THROUGH THE OHIO LIBRARY COUNCIL'S DIVERSITY AWARENESS AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE WEB PAGE AT WWW.OLC.ORG/DIVERSITY/.

This site was created as a resource for libraries serving Ohio's diverse population. It links you to bibliographies, publishers of non-English-language materials, services and materials for people with disabilities, programming ideas, sample job descriptions, multicultural bookmarks and calendars, bilingual PR materials, language resources, and many other tools, as well as information about upcoming events and the best diversity practices of Ohio libraries.

Members of the Diversity Awareness and Resources Committee began work on a Diversity Toolkit in late 2002. The committee intended to gather a wide variety of accessible resources on all aspects of diversity in libraries, and to package them in a way that emphasized ease of use and support for the Ohio library community. Maggie Bollar of the New Carlisle Public Library took the lead in collecting and compiling resources. As Bollar fielded a barrage of e-mail messages with links and suggestions, a Web site gradually took shape. By January 2003, she had created a draft site to share with the committee by e-mail.

Through then-committee Chair Carol Verny, the committee was able to partner with Scott Debney, Graphic and Web site Designer at OHIONET, to restructure the site. Debney added a consistent, professional look to each page with sophisticated graphics that effectively branded the site, and a clean, predictable and easy-to-navigate organization of the pages. We are grateful for his hard work and creativity and to OHIONET for its continuing commitment to keep the site fresh and relevant.

The Web site made its debut at the 2003 Annual Conference, and in January 2004, the committee began a grassroots campaign to promote the site beyond the Ohio library committee. We believe that the resources, though targeted to Ohio libraries, are of substantial relevance for libraries everywhere. Announcements have been sent to every State Library, professional mailing lists, current-awareness tools such as Gary Price's Resource Shelf and the Scout Report, gateway sites, including the Librarians' Index to the Internet (www.lii.org), Internet Library for Librarians (www.itcompany.com/inforetriever/), the Internet Public Library (www.ipl.org), and to our personal contacts.

We received feedback almost immediately. Committee member Jan Haines of the State Library of Ohio reported that the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners planned to use the site in a presentation on diversity. Several state libraries have sent thanks and comments that they are passing the link along to public libraries. The response is gratifying, but more importantly, it confirms the keen importance of this work to support libraries in addressing diversity.

WE ARE TRULY EXCITED AND ENERGIZED BY OUR EFFORTS TO ASSIST AND ENCOURAGE LIBRARIES IN REACHING OUT TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS THROUGH THE WEB SITE. THIS IS ESSENTIAL WORK, AND WE WELCOME YOUR PARTICIPATION AS WELL. THE DIVERSITY SITE INCLUDES AN E-MAIL LINK FOR YOU TO CONTACT US WITH SUGGESTIONS OR QUESTIONS, AND WE ARE HAPPY TO SHARE OUR EXPERIENCES AS YOU CONSIDER SHARING RESOURCES THROUGH A DIVISION, CHAPTER OR COMMITTEE WEB SITE.

BY JANET INGRAHAM DWYER

REFERENCE LIBRARIAN, WORTHINGTON LIBRARIES

Janet lngraham Dwyer is a Reference Librarian for Worthington Libraries. She can be contacted at (614) 645-2656 or [email protected].

Copyright Ohio Library Association Spring 2004
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