ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 308 / C&RL News ■ May 2003 Diversity initiatives vs. residency programs Agents of change? by Rebecca Hankins, Michele Saunders, and Ping Situ A c co rd in g to W ebster’s N e w C ollege D ictio­ n a ry (1995) rhetoric is d e fin e d as “th e art o f effective expression a n d th e persuasive use o f g u a g e .” A q u ick survey o f diversity statem ents o n m a n y o f o u r university c a m p u se s w ill s h o w that th e y h a v e m a s te r e d th is a rt fo rm . O n e fin d s a variety o f initiatives, com m ittees, statem ents, re ­ ports, a n d projects. Unfortunately, to o often these e ffo rts b e c o m e a s tu d y in a c a d e m ic e x e rc ise s. Im plem entation, follow -up, a n d results are w h e re m a n y o f th ese, adm ittedly, g o o d faith p ro p o sa ls fall short. Are w e c o n c e rn e d on ly a b o u t re porting statis­ tics that c o ntinue to perp etu ate th e revolving d o o r o f d iv e rs ity h irin g o r a re w e c o m m itte d to th e idea o f a n inclusive, pluralistic academ ic environ­ m e n t th a t v a lu e s th e c o n trib u tio n s a n d e x p e ri­ e n c e s o f all m e m b e rs w ith in th e larg e r c o m m u ­ nity? W h at is th e library ’s role in this endeavor? Libraries a re o ften th e largest staffed u nits o n aca d em ic cam p u se s, a n d unofficial stu d ies h a v e s h o w n th a t th o s e s tu d e n ts w h o visit th e library frequently during their e d u cation e xperience te n d to m a k e b e tte r g ra d e s a n d a re m o re successful. H a ving a m ulticultural a n d d iv erse staff e n c o u r­ ag es u se o f library reso u rces a n d p ro v id es a w el­ c o m in g e n v iro n m e n t fo r m inority students, w h o o fte n a re fe elin g a s e n s e o f isolation a n d lo neli­ ness. Seeing s o m e o n e w h o “lo o k s like y o u ” c a n la h e lp a re lu c ta n t m in o rity s tu d e n t a p p r o a c h a li­ b ra ria n for assistance. D iversity initiatives, diver­ n­sity programming, a n d minority residency programs th at p u rp o rt to “e v e n th e p laying field” o r “foster n e w leaders” are h e ld u p as exam ples o f w h a t can b e d o n e to e n s u re m o re d iversity b u t o fte n fall s h o rt in su s ta in in g th e m o m e n tu m . T h is article fo c u s e s o n th e in itia tiv e s /s ta te m e n ts o f th r e e u n iv e rs itie s in th e A s so c ia tio n o f R e se a rc h Li­ braries (Texas A&M, University o f D elaw are, a n d C ornell U niversity) a n d th e v ariety o f so lu tio n s th ey are u sing to a d d ress issues o f diversity. D iversity in itiative s W e m u st first e sta b lish th a t th e re is a d iffere n ce b e tw e e n diversity initiatives a n d re sid e n c y p r o ­ grams. Diversity initiatives address system ic p ro b ­ lem s w ith in th e u n iv ersity as a w h o le a n d o fte n e a c h d e p artm e n t o r sc hool is e n c o u ra g e d to draft individual sta te m en ts th at involve lo n g -te rm s o ­ lutions, including defining th e problem s, offering concrete steps to resolving barriers, devising a plan o f action, follow -up, a n d accountability. W h at w e n e e d are diversity initiatives th at are n o t a b o u t c o u n tin g th e n u m b e rs o r to k en ism b u t th a t a re c o n c e r n e d w ith b rin g in g p e o p le o f d i­ verse backgrounds into the academ ic com m unity a n d providing them inclusive space. Inclusive space th at involves n o t o n ly diversifying librarians, th e About the authors Sandra Rebecca Hankins, M ichele Saunders, a n d Ping Situ are SABIO Residents a n d assistant libra ria n s a t th e U niversity o f Arizona Library, e-mail: hankinsr@ulibrary.arizona.edu, saundersm@u.library.arizona.edu, a n d situp@u.library.arizona.edu NEW REALITIES, NEW RELATIONSHIPS mailto:hankinsr@ulibrary.arizona.edu mailto:saundersm@u.library.arizona.edu situpCyu.library.arizona.edu C&RL News ■ May 2003 / 309 library adm inistration, a n d staff, b u t also diversi­ fying th e collections, resources, a n d th e w ays in w h ic h w e p ro v id e services. W hat d istinguishes th ese initiatives from residency pro g ram s are the long-term , strategic fram ing a n d m ultilevel e le ­ m en ts o f these program s. M inority residency program s Minority residency program s, in contrast to diver­ sity initiatives, a re sh o rt-term a n d q u o ta -d riv e n to raise affirm ative a ction statistics a n d are o ften in r e s p o n s e to a c c re d ita tio n threats. T h e y ta k e n ew ly g ra d u ated students, insert th em into often hostile environm ents, a n d expect th em to address all th e p ro b lem s o f diversity that c o ntinue to sim ­ m er a n d stew a m o n g faculty. Far too often these kinds o f program s becom e exam ples o f w h a t n o t to do. T hey start off o n the w ro n g f o o t b y targ e tin g relativ ely fe w sc h o o ls ra th e r th a n p e rfo rm in g a n a tio n a l se a rc h , re in ­ forcing th e n o tio n that th e participants c o uld n ot com pete o n a national level a n d handicapping the candidates from the beginning. T he program s should b e structured with som e­ o n e d e sig n ated as a c o o rd in a to r o f activities a n d also charged w ith handling any problem s that m ay arise. O ften m an y o f these program s d o n o t have a system in p lace for evaluation. If y o u are adver­ tising a program , h a v e the m echanism s in p lace for a ch iev in g w h a t y o u p ro m is e o r it c a n leave y o u r participants frustrated a n d disillusioned. Is­ sues o f funding should b e in place a n d m ade clear to c andidates. R esidency p ro g ram s th at co n ta in m an y o f th e s e e le m e n ts c a n a n d are successful, b u t is it e n ough? As w e lo o k at w h a t universities are d o in g to diversify th eir staffs a n d th e library profession, w e will p rovide o u r take o n w h a t w e see as positive agents for change. T e x a s A & M U n i v e r s i t y (T A M U )— C o l l e g e S t a t i o n , T e x a s TAM U’s d iv e rs ity s t a te m e n t is l in k e d to its h o m ep a g e a n d reflects a cam pus-w ide initiative. T h e strategic p la c e m e n t o f this diversity link re ­ inforces its priority status. T h e statem ent specifi­ cally addresses a n e e d for diverse p e o p le a n d di­ v e rse v iew s a n d ties th is to e x ce lle n ce : “T exas A&M U niversity h a s b o th a n e x tra o rd in a ry o p ­ p o rtu n ity a n d a sp e c ia l re sp o n sib ility to c re a te a n d m a in ta in a clim ate th a t affirm s d iversity o f p e rs o n as w ell as diversity o f view s. D iversity is a n i n d is p e n s a b l e c o m p o n e n t o f a c a d e m ic e x ce lle n ce .” E ach university u nit is e n c o u ra g e d to m ak e the entire c am pus a w elcom ing environ­ m e n t. T a n g ib le p r o g re s s h a s to b e m a d e , a n d p e o p le are h e ld a c c o u n ta b le fo r th eir b e h a v io r a n d actions. T he university a n d th e library define diversity in term s o f p e o p le o f different racial, ethnic, a n d cultural backgrounds a n d differing points o f views. T he library has a diversity program s c oo rd in a to r w h o also serves as a facilitator for th e entire u ni­ versity com m unity a n d has a n aggressive outreach pro g ram that targets the hiring o f diverse people. Tire library d o e s n o t h a v e a re sid e n c y program , b u t it d o e s p ublish a cultural a w areness n ew slet­ te r a n d c rea te s ro tating exhibits o n th e m inority com m unities o n cam pus. U n i v e r s i t y o f D e l a w a r e — N e w a r k , D e l a ­ w a r e T h e c a m p u s diversity links o f th e U niversity o f D elaw are a re a little h id d en , c o m p a re d to Texas A&M U niversity. T h e d iv ersity s ta te m e n t from University P re sid e n t D avid P. R oselle a d d resses n o t o n ly th e n e e d fo r c re a tin g a d iv e rs e le a rn ­ in g a n d w o r k in g c o m m u n ity f o r p e o p le o f all r a c e s , b u t a ls o in v ite s p e o p l e t o j o in t h e u n iv e rs ity ’s c o m m itm e n t to m a k e th e ir in stitu­ t io n a p la c e w h e r e “d if f e r e n c e is a s o u r c e o f e d u c a tio n , e n lig h te n m e n t a n d frie n d s h ip .” T h e U niversity o f D e la w a re L ibrary h a s th e tw o -y e ar P au lin e A. Y oung R esidency program , w h o s e p u rp o se is to increase the diversity o f p ro ­ fessional staff at th e library a n d to en co u ra g e the involvem ent o f u n d e rre p re se n te d racial a n d e th­ nic minorities in academ ic librarianship. T he resi­ d ents will h o n e their leadership skills, d e velop an individualized plan, receive structured a n d infor­ m al m entoring, b e involved in library com m ittee service, h a v e a ccess a n d su p p o rt to spe c ia liz ed train in g /w o rk sh o p s, a tte n d professional confer­ e n c e s, a n d e x p e rie n c e th e latest in in form ation technologies. A p p lic a n ts m u s t b e r e c e n t g ra d u a te s fro m a n A L A -accredited p ro g ra m , a n d th e p ro g ra m is a n o n re n e w a b le tw o -y e ar a p p o in tm e n t at the le v e l o f a s s is ta n t lib ra ria n ra n k . T h e r e is n o in d ic a tio n o f a n y re te n tio n p ro c e ss for this resi­ d e n c y p ro g ra m . T h e d iversity s ta te m e n t o f th e re s id e n c y p ro g ra m is n o t v e ry c o n s is te n t w ith its re a l p ro c e s s . O n o n e h a n d it sa y s th a t th e p r o g r a m in te n d s to in c r e a s e th e d iv e rs ity o f th e p r o f e s s io n a l lib ra ry sta ff a n d e n c o u r a g e s th e in v o lv e m e n t o f th e u n d e r r e p r e s e n te d ra- c i a l / e t h n i c g r o u p , b u t o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , it says th at “m e m b e rs o f u n d e rre p re s e n te d racial a n d e th n ic g r o u p s a re e n c o u r a g e d to a p p ly ,” 3 1 0 / C&R L News ■ May 2003 … residents are often th ro w n into an en viron m en t under a m argin alized status as short-term em ployees and it is expected that th e ir presence w ill som eh ow alter the en viron m en t tow ard a more inclusive space. The mere presence o f residents can not achieve this goal. w h i c h is a s t a n d a r d j o b a d v e r t i s e m e n t ta g . H e n c e , t h e r e c r u i t m e n t o f p e o p l e f r o m u n d e r r e p r e s e n te d b a c k g r o u n d s is n o t g u a r a n ­ t e e d . C a n t h e d iv e r s ity o f t h e lib r a r y s ta f f b e i n c r e a s e d if t h e r e s i d e n t s o n ly s ta y fo r a tw o - y e a r p e r io d ( a n d h a p p e n to b e fro m o n e o f th e m in o rity g ro u p s)? C o r n e l l U n i v e r s i t y — I t h a c a , N e w Y o r k C o rn e ll U n iv e rsity ’s s ta te m e n t o n d iv ersity a n d inclusiveness “O p e n D oors, O p e n H earts, O p e n M in d s ” s p e a k s o f “in c lu s io n a n d o p p o r t u n it y r o o t e d i n d e m o c r a t i c v a l u e s . ” It s t a t e s t h a t “C o rn e ll s t a n d s fo r c ivil d i s c o u r s e , r e a s o n e d th o u g h t, s u s ta in e d d isc u ssio n a n d c o n stru c tiv e e n g a g e m e n t w i t h o u t d e g r a d in g , a b u s in g , h a ­ ra ssin g o r sile n c in g o t h e r s .” Cornell University Library h as c re a te d a “g ro w th e ir o w n ” p ro g ra m th a t a tte m p ts to p ro v id e in ­ c lusion a n d o p p o rtu n ity . T h e library h a s ta k e n a g rassroots a p p ro a c h to recruiting fo r diversity in th e a c a d e m ic library p ro fe s sio n as illu stra te d in th e d e sig n o f its S u m m er Jr. Library F ellow s P ro ­ gram, w h ic h targets hig h school sophom ores, jun­ iors, a n d seniors a n d provides th e m w ith a n intro­ d u c t i o n i n t o a c a d e m i c l i b r a r i a n s h i p . T h e m u ltip h a s e p ro g ra m c o n sists o f o u tre a c h to th e com m unity, th e in troduction o f students, p a re n ts a n d sc h o o l p e rs o n n e l to th e p rogram , a n d infor­ m atio n literacy a n d te c h n o lo g y train in g fo r p a r ­ ticipating students. T he student experience includes jo b s h a d o w in g , m e n to r in g , in s tru c tio n , a n d c o m p le tio n o f a project. T h is in itia tiv e i n t r o d u c e s s t u d e n t s t o t h e p ro fe s s io n e a rly in th e ir a c a d e m ic c a re e rs a n d s e r v e s to i n f l u e n c e t h e i r p e r c e p t i o n o f a c a ­ d e m ic lib ra ria n s h ip s o it w ill b e s e e n a s a n in ­ c lu siv e s p a c e in w h ic h th e y w ill b e w e lc o m e d a n d c h a lle n g e d . It a ls o c h a lle n g e s lib ra ry s ta ff a n d th e lib ra ry ’s p a r tn e r s in th e p ro je c t t o c re ­ a te a n in clu siv e sp a c e . It p r o v id e s t h e s tu d e n ts w i t h sk ills t h a t a r e v a l u a b l e in m a n y v e n u e s a n d t h a t w ill b e u s e f u l t h r o u g h o u t t h e i r a c a ­ d e m ic care ers. T h e o u tre a c h c o m p o n e n t o f th e in itia tiv e r a is e s a w a r e n e s s o f t h e p r o f e s s i o n n o t j u s t w i t h t h e s t u d e n t s b u t w i t h t h e p a r ­ ents, sc h o o l p e rso n n e l, a n d th e c o m m unity. T h e lib ra ry ’s p a r tn e r s in th e initiativ e in c lu d e c o m ­ m u n ity c en ters, h ig h sc h o o l officials, a n d a vice p r o v o s t ’s o ffic e . H e r e w e h a v e t h e lib ra ry , a c o m m u n ity o rg a n iz a tio n , h ig h s c h o o l a d m in is­ tr a tio n , a n d u n iv e r s ity a d m i n i s t r a t i o n a ll e n ­ g a g e d in c o n s tru c tiv e a c tio n to in c re a s e d iv e r­ sity in a c a d e m ic lib ra ria n sh ip . From o u r p e rs p e c tiv e C an e lem en ts o f C ornell’s grassroots a p p ro a c h b e a p p lie d to re sid e n c y p ro g ra m s to a llo w th e m to better address systemic issues? Residency program s as currently im p le m e n ted h a v e little ability to raise aw areness o f academ ic librarianship outside o f the profession. As sta te d previously, residents a re of­ t e n t h r o w n i n to a n e n v i r o n m e n t u n d e r a m arginalized status as short-term e m p lo y e e s a n d it is e x p e c te d th a t th e ir p re s e n c e w ill s o m e h o w a lte r th e e n v iro n m e n t t o w a r d a m o re in clu siv e sp a c e . T h e m e re p r e s e n c e o f re s id e n ts c a n n o t achieve this goal. T he constructive e n g ag e m e n t o f m ultiple partners, library staff, library adm inistra­ tio n , u n iv e rs ity a d m in is tra tio n , u n iv e rs ity a n d co m m u n ity org a n iz atio n s a n d library schools, as s e e n in th e Jr. Fellow s P rogram , c o u ld b o th raise a w are n e ss o utside o f aca d em ic librarianship a n d sp re ad o u t th e responsibility fo r creating a n inclu­ sive space. Introducing potential recruitees to aca­ d e m ic librarianship e arlier ra th e r th a n later is a n ­ o th e r e le m e n t o f th e g ra ssro o ts a p p ro a c h . W h y n o t have p ro g ram s th at b e g in w hile a n individual is still in library sc h o o l th at g u id e a n d m e n to r him o r h e r th ro u g h th e transition in to th e w orkplace? This is th e g oal o f th e University o f A rizona’s K n o w le d g e R iver p ro g ra m , a n o th e r g ra ssro o ts ap p ro ac h , w h ic h b rings H ispanics a n d A m erican Indians into its gra d u ate library program . It is suc­ ceeding by building coalitions b e tw e e n the library, library school, academ ic d e p artm e n ts o n c am p u s a n d th e su rro u n d in g com m unity, a n d se lv es as a m o d e l o f h o w it c a n b e d o n e . S tu d e n ts in K n o w le d g e R iver m u s t m e e t all qualifications for g ra d u a te w o rk , sim ilar to o th e r gra d u ate students, thus th e y a re n o t h a n d ic a p p e d b y a n assum ption o f preferential treatm ent o r sp e ­ cial c o n sid e ra tio n s. S tu d e n ts a re m e n to r e d a n d s u p p o rte d th ro u g h o u t th e p ro g ram a n d p ro v id ed ( c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 3 1 5 ) C&RL News ■ M a y 2003 / 311 Learning O pportunities from ARL & SPARC Events at the ALA Annual Conference in Toronto Creating Change in Scholarly Communication: B est Practices in Campus Advocacy Saturday, June 21, 4:30 p.m .-6 p.m. In this lively forum presented by SPARC and ACRL, librarians and faculty will discuss their experiences in deploying campus advo­ cacy initiatives to create change in scholarly communication. Join us and gather practical ideas on how to launch your own success­ ful program. Register at ‹h ttp :/ /www.arl.org/sp are/ ›. LibQUAL+™Process M anagem ent Workshop Two sessions on Friday, June 20: 9 a.m.-noon OR 1 p.m .-4 p.m. Thinking of participating in the 2004 ARL LibQUAL+™ survey? Interested in hearing more? This workshop is for those who want to learn about the LibQUAL+™ survey process. Register at ‹h ttp : / / www.libqual.org / events / › . Visit ARL & SPARC at booth 4435 in Toronto! A New Development Opportunity from ARL/OLMS The Library Leadership fo r N ew Managers (LLNM ) Program addresses the complex issue of succession planning in academic and research libraries. Demographic changes and organizational re-design efforts are forcing many library administrators to prepare the new wave of leaders who will shape the future of academic libraries, yet there is no venue devoted to developing this group of professionals for the challenges of quickly assuming leadership in their organizations. The LLNM Program fills this need. In this new program, emerging leaders who have little or no management experience can gain insight and skills for managing the diverse relationships of a leader in the academic library environment. The program creates a learning space in which newer professionals can network, exchange ideas, and gain competencies to help them throughout their careers. New or potential leaders are encouraged to apply by July 7, 2003. The program is limited to 30 participants. For more information, see ‹h ttp : / /www.arl.org/training/institutes/managers.html›. file:///www.arl.org/spare/%E2%80%BA http://www.libqual.org http://www.arl.org/training/institutes/managers.html%e2%80%ba C&RL News ■ May 2003 / 315 N e w C R O P p r o v i d e s e n tr i e s to le s s e r k n o w n p l a n t s p e c ie s o f p o t e n t i a l e c o n o m i c i m p o r ­ tance. C ounty- b y -c o u n ty statistics a re p ro v id e d fo r t h e U n ite d S ta te s, a n d f u ll-te x t m a te ria ls a r e a v a i l a b l e t h r o u g h o u t t h e site . A c c e s s: h t t p : / / w w w . h o r t . p u r d u e .e d u / n e w c r o p / . • M i s s o u r i B o t a n i c a l G a r d e n . L o c a te d in S aint L ouis, th e M isso u ri B o ta n ic a l G a r d e n is a d e lig h tfu l p la c e to visit o n th e W eb a n d in p e rso n . In G a rd e n in g H e lp , th e s e a re a s a re e s ­ p e c ia lly h e lp fu l, P la n t F in d e r w ith p ic tu re a n d in f o r m a tio n o n o v e r 270 0 p la n ts , V e g e ta b le s o f t h e W o r ld , N u r s e r y T r a c k e r , H o r t L in e w i t h a r t i c l e s o n o v e r 3 0 0 t o p i c s , a n d I n t e ­ g r a t e d P e s t M a n a g e m e n t . A c c e s s : h t t p : / / w w w . m o b o t . o r g / . • U n i v e r s i t y o f I l l i n o i s : H o r t i c u l t u r e a n d H o m e G a r d e n . V isually a p p e a lin g , th is site h a s a r e a s fo r t h e p r o fe s s io n a l h o rtic u ltu r­ ist a n d t h e h o m e g a r d e n e r . H o m e g a r d e n e r s w ill fin d u s e fu l “H o rt C o rn e r,” w h ic h lists e x ­ te n s io n W eb site s t h a t c o v e r la w n c a re , fru its a n d vegetables, insects, a n d se a so n al issues, a n d “H o r t i c u l t u r e S o l u t io n s S e r i e s ,” w h i c h p r o ­ v id e s fu ll-te x t in fo rm a tio n o n v a rie d to p ic s in h o rtic u ltu re . B o th h o m e g a rd e n e rs a n d p ro fe s­ s io n a ls w ill u s e t h e “H o m e Y ard a n d G a r d e n P e s t ” w e e k l y n e w s l e tt e r a n d t h e “I n t e g r a te d P e s t M a n a g e m e n t” se c tio n to id entify h o rtic u l­ tu ra l p e s ts a n d c o n tr o l th e m . “I PLANT” is in ­ te n d e d for the u se o f landscape contractors, c o m ­ mercial nursery a n d greenhouse operators, a nd avid p la n t e n th u s ia sts in th e M idw est. Also available for professionals is a section o n Pesticide Applica­ to r T raining a n d P esticide Safety E ducation. A c ­ cess: h t t p :// w w w .e x te n s io n .u i u c . e d u / h o m e / hom elaw n.htm l. East • N e w Y o r k B o t a n i c a l G a r d e n . T w o a re a s o n th is site p r o v id e in fo rm a tio n o n h o r ­ tic u ltu re : “S c ie n c e ” p r o v id e s s e a rc h a b le d a ta ­ b a s e s s u c h as th e V irtu al H e rb a riu m , a n d th e “I n d e x t o A m e r ic a n B o t a n i c a l L it e r a t u r e .” “P la n t I n fo rm a tio n ” p ro v id e s a g a r d e n in g c a l­ e n d a r, a n s w e rs to g ro w in g p la n t a n d p la n t in ­ f o r m a tio n s h e e ts . A cc ess: h t t p : / / w w w . n y b g . o r g /in d e x .h tm l. C an a d ia n • I C a n G a r d e n . C a n a d ia n g a rd e n in g is th e focus o f this site. T he articles link p rovides access to m a n y full-text articles b y w e ll-k n o w n g a rd e n authors. Access: h ttp ://ic a n g a rd e n .c o m /. Other • T r e e C a r e I n f o r m a t i o n B r o c h u r e s . F ro m th e In tern a tio n a l Society o f A rboriculture, b ro c h u re s a re a v a ila b le for c a rin g fo r th e m o st v a lu a b le p a rt o f th e la n d s c a p e — trees. In fo rm a ­ tion ranging from selecting n e w trees to caring for th em pro p erly th ro u g h o u t their long lives is avail­ a b le h e re . A ccess: h t tp ://w w w .is a - a r b o r .c o m / consum er/consum er.htm l. • F l o w e r w e b . T h is is a D u tc h s ite th a t is i n te n d e d f o r th e c o m m e rc ia l florist. T h e d a ta ­ b a s e , F lo w e rB a se , is th e m o s t u se fu l, p r o v i d ­ in g p h o to g r a p h s o f m a n y ty p e s o f flo w e rs a n d th e ir sc ien tific n a m e s , a n d c o m m o n n a m e s in E nglish, D utch, S panish, Italian, F rench, S w e d ­ is h , G e r m a n , a n d D a n i s h . A c c e s s : h t t p : / / w w w . f lo w e rw e b . n e t / . • O ig a n ic G a r d e n in g .c o m . T he archives a nd O G Basics p rovide m a n y articles o n h o w to gro w plants w ithout using synthetic fertilizers a n d pesti­ cides. Accie s: http://w w w .organicgardening.com /. ■ ( “Diversity initiatives.. .”continued f rom p a g e 3 1 0 ) w ith in te rn sh ip e x p erien c e , intro d u c in g th e m to th e a c a d e m ic a n d p ro fe s sio n a l life o f librarians a n d librarianship. Tire success o f any particular library residency program in building a diverse staff is debatable, but as a n initiative that looks to create diversity w ithin th e profession, it has definite m erit. It h e lp s th o se re c e n t grad u ates w h o h a v e th e academ ic k n o w l­ e d g e, b u t o ften h a v e n o t h a d m u c h library w o rk experiences a n d are apprehensive a bout their prac­ tical skills, a n d provides th em w ith a n opportunity to w o rk in a m o re co n tro lled e n vironm ent. T hey have a chance to h o n e their skills gradually a n d are u n d e r less pressure to perform as p e rm a n e n t e m ­ ployees. R esidency p ro g ram s also p ro v id e n e w librar­ ians w ith w o rk experience that m an y tenure-track jobs fo r a c a d e m ic library p o sitio n s re q u ire . T he residency p ro g ram d o e s increase diversity, n o t at the staff level necessarily, b u t by allow ing p e o p le w ith d iffe re n t c u ltu ral, e d u c a tio n a l, a n d w o r k exp erien c e s to start their professional c a re er right after gra d u ate school. Rather th an seeing diversity initiatives a n d resi­ d e n c y p ro g ra m s as c o m p e tin g entities, w e m u st s e e th e m a n d p ro m o te th e m as integral to e a c h o th e r. T h e c o m b in a tio n o f d iv e rs ity in itiativ es a n d residency pro g ram s com m its th e entire cam ­ p u s a n d its s u rro u n d in g c o m m u n ity to w o r k to ­ w a r d a c o m m o n g o a l th a t c a n c e m e n t ties a n d b rid g e cultural differences. ■ http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ http://www.mobot uiuc.edu/home/ http://www.nybg http://icangarden.com/ http://www.isa-arbor.com/ OiganicGardening.com Accisshttp://www.oiganicgaidening.com/