The Ohio State University Libraries

Diversity Committee

Mission Statement

 "The Diversity Committee is committed to an environment that welcomes, cultivates, values and celebrates the differences and contributions of students, faculty and staff at the Ohio State University Libraries."

Current Members
Amanda Clark, June 30, 2011
Cheryl Mason-Middleton, June 30, 2011 
Curtis Hough, June 30, 2011 
Michael Martin, June 30, 2011 
Pam McClung, June 30, 2011 
Beverly McDonald, Recording Secretary, June 30,2013
Ali Hassan, Chair, June 30, 2013
Jose Diaz, Co-chair, June 30, 2013
Deidra Herring, ex officio
Dracine Hodges, ex officio

Annual Reports and Meeting Minutes

 Description

Email Address

OSU Diversity Resources

Library Diversity Resources

General Diversity Resources

Mary P. Key Diversity Residency Program

The Ohio State University Libraries, one of the nation's largest academic research library systems, has the resources and commitment to introduce and orient a recent graduate to the complexities of librarianship. The two year diversity residency, initiated in 1989, is designed to assist a recent library graduate in making a successful transition to academic research librarianship and provides the opportunity for hands-on experience in most areas of the University Libraries' operations, including the workings of both public and technical services as well as administration.

The Ohio State University has a strong commitment to diversity and is actively seeking to increase such diversity by encouraging all interested applicants to apply. The University Libraries' Mary P. Key Diversity Residency Program is one component of the Libraries' commitment to diversity and is intended to increase the diversity of librarians at Ohio State and to further the growth and development of librarians.


 Who is Mary P. Key?

Mary P. Key was an emerita Assistant Professor of the University Libraries. Before retiring from the Agriculture Library in 1998, she served as the first chair of the Diversity Committee, which oversaw the implementation of the Diversity Residency Program (from 1989-1998). She was the second African American Librarian to head a department at the Ohio State University Libraries.  She received her MLS from Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta University). Mrs. Key passed away January 4, 2010 at the age of 80.

 

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 Past Residents

2007/2009

Dracine Hodges is currently Assistant Professor and Interim Head of the Monographs Department at The Ohio State University. As a resident, she completed two stints as Acting Department Head; in this capacity, some of her responsibilities included: 1)overseeing administrative duties, 2)supervising staff, and 3) serving as liaison for subject specialists and vendors. Prior to the residency, she worked as a reference librarian and in acquisitions at colleges in Georgia. Dracine earned her MLIS from the College of Information at Florida State University in 2006.

 2005/2007

Deidra N. Herring worked in the Technical Services Division in the Monographs Department during her residency and served as the Acting Head for four months. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor and EducationSubject Specialist at The Ohio State University. Deidra received her MLIS at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2004.
Eboni A. Francis worked in the Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Library (FAES), and was the acting head during her residency. She also served as an Assistant Professor and Outreach Specialist at OSU. She is currently a Reference and Instruction Librarian at Oberlin College. Eboni received her BA from Oberlin College in 1997, and her MLIS from Kent State in 2003.
2001/2003
Leslie Hayden
Alysa Peterson
1999/2000
Angela Gooden is currently Head of the Geology/Physics Library at the University of Cincinnati. Previously she was the Chemistry Librarian for the Science & Engineering Library at the Ohio State University. She received her MLS from Kent State University in 1999 and her BS in Biology from Albany State College (now University) in 1992.
1997/1999
Courtney Young is currently the Head Librarian at Pennsylvania State University, Greater Allegheny. Prior to that assignment she served as the Assistant Instruction Librarian at Michigan State University. Courtney received her MS in Library and Information Science in August 1997 from Simmons College (MA) and her BA in English from the College of Wooster (OH) in May 1996.
1995/1997
Will Hires currently works at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. As a librarian in the Technical Information Services Group, Will has dual responsibilities in reference/information service and library systems management. He received his MLS from Louisiana State University in 1995. Also, in 1996, Will was invited to become a member of the Beta Phi Mu Honor Society, Beta Zeta Chapter.
1993/1995
Jon Cawthorne is currently the Associate University Librarian for Public Services at Boston College. Prior to that assignment he served as Interim Dean of Libraries at San Diego State University and Assistant Director for the Main Library at the Detroit Public Library. He was also the Coordinator for Outreach Services/Reference Librarian at the University of Oregon from 1995-1999. Jon graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1993. While in library school, he worked in the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress and National Public Radio Reference Library.
1991/1993
Debbie Hollis is currently Associate Professor, Special Collections at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Upon completion of the program, Debbie worked as the State and Foreign Documents Librarian there at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Debbie earned both her MLS and her undergraduate degree in Sociology (with a minor in German) from the University of Arizona.
José Ruiz-Alvarez is currently the Head of the Circulation Department at the Elizabeth Public Library in Elizabeth, NJ. He received his MLS from the University of Illinois (at Urbana-Champaign).
1989/1991
Leta Hendricks,  the first Mary P. Key resident, is currently Assistant Professor and Human Ecology Subject Specialist at The Ohio State University. She received her MS from the University of Illinois (at Urbana-Champaign). Leta received her MA from Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta University) and her B.A. from Western Illinois University.