NYSHEI News

Below is the job posting for the next State Librarian. Applications, as well as nominations, are encouraged.

State Librarian

Salary: $133,506 – $146,927
Location: Albany, New York

The New York State Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education are seeking an experienced and innovative individual to serve as Assistant Commissioner for Libraries and State Librarian. The incumbent will lead the operations of the New York State (NYS) Library, a component of the Office of Cultural Education (www.oce.nysed.gov) within the New York State Education Department (www.nysed.gov). The successful candidate will have proven leadership qualities; demonstrate vision and the capacity to execute policy for library services in a rapidly changing information management, electronic, and digital environment; be able to operate within a complex and dynamic atmosphere and work collaboratively with diverse, often divergent, interest groups.

The NYS Library provides information and library services through its Research Library and the Division of Library Development. Supervising the Director of the Research Library and the Director of the Division of Library Development, the State Librarian will have oversight responsibility for a $13.4 million operating budget, 180 employees, over 20 million collections items, and nearly $100 million in state and federal aid to libraries. The incumbent will recommend legislation for the Board of Regents to present to the State Legislature, regulations to govern the operation of State-aided library programs, and policies to move library services to higher levels.

One of the largest research libraries in North America, the NYS Research Library is the only state library which is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). The Library’s holdings include a significant manuscript and rare book collection, as well as holdings in a wide variety of formats, including paper, microform, digital and electronic records. It is also a Federal Depository and Patent Library; has the responsibility for the acquisition, distribution, and maintenance of New York State documents; and is a regional library for the blind and visually impaired in New York’s 55 upstate counties.

The Division of Library Development provides leadership and technical assistance to New York’s 73 library systems through a comprehensive program of State aid for public, school, academic and special library services. Staff experts work with librarians, trustees, school administrators, public officials, and local leaders to solve problems and find new ways of making library services and resources available to their community. Library Development administers more than $100 million in state and federal aid to New York’s libraries and helps New York’s libraries take full advantage of federal and private funding programs like E-rate telecommunications discounts and Gates Library Foundation grants.

Preferred Qualifications: Candidates must possess a Master’s in Library or Information Science from an American Library Association-accredited library school and at least 10 years of post-degree professional experience such as a director of a major library system; director of a comprehensive university or research library; or in a management position in a state library agency or large public library. Candidates must have been active nationally, have and be able to communicate a vision for library services for the future, and have a collaborative leadership style.

Conditions of Employment: This position is in the exempt class and the incumbent will serve at the pleasure of the Commissioner of Education.

Application: Qualified candidates should send a resume and letter of interest to:
Ms. Gayle Bowden
Director, Human Resources Management
NYS Education Department
89 Washington Avenue, Room 528 EB
Albany, NY 12234
Fax: (518) 486-5631
Email: cgraves2@mail.nysed.gov

Resume review will continue until the position is filled.

Louis Gordon Crovitz, a true leader in the movement of information in the digital age, speculates on the future of books in the Wall Street Journal.

The NYSHEI Annual Meeting is pleased to have a program of expert voices on the concerns surrounding academic libraries as the states information infrastructure. In order of appearance on the program we are pleased to welcome,

E. J. McMahon
Mr. McMahon is the Director of the Empire Center for New York State Policy and the Manhattan Institute’s senior fellow for tax and budgetary studies.

Since joining the Manhattan Institute in 2000, Mr. McMahon has studied the tax and spending policies of New York City and New York State and issues recommendations on how these policies can be reformed to increase economic growth. His recent work has included studies focused on public pension reform, competitive contracting of public services, and the fiscal record of the Pataki administration. His articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, the Public Interest, the New York Post, the New York Daily News, Newsday and the New York Sun, among other publications.

McMahon’s professional background includes more than 25 years as a senior policy maker and analyst of New York government. He has served as Deputy Commissioner for Tax Policy Analysis and Counselor to the Commissioner in the state Department of Taxation and Finance; Director of Minority Staff for the state Assembly Ways and Means Committee; vice chancellor for external relations at the State University of New York; and Director of Research for The Business Council’s research arm, the Public Policy Institute. Earlier in his career, he was a reporter and columnist for the Albany Times Union, The Knickerbocker News and the White Plains Reporter Dispatch.

A New York native, Mr. McMahon is a graduate of Villanova University.

Bruce Kingma
Bruce Kingma is the Associate Provost for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Syracuse University. He is a Professor in the Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises Program in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and in the School of Information Studies.

As Associate Provost, Professor Kingma leads the Syracuse Campus-Community Entrepreneurship Initiative (Enitiative) — a collaborative partnership of six institutions–Syracuse University (SU), Le Moyne College, Onondaga Community College (OCC), SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF), Morrisville State College, and Cayuga Community College (CCC)and five community partners–Central New York Community Foundation, Gifford Foundation, Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, National Grid, and Messenger Associates, Inc. Made possible by a $3 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Enitiative builds on the key tenets of Scholarship in Action by encouraging faculty and students throughout Central New York to work with communities of experts across disciplines and geographic boundaries to foster entrepreneurial education and innovation

Professor Kingma’s research is on the economics of information. His research interests include the economics of online education, digital libraries, scholarly publishing, and library and nonprofit management. He has published five books, numerous articles, and frequently presents at national and international conferences in economics, distance education, and information and library science.

Karen DeJarnette
Karen DeJarnette recently joined Empire State Development Corporation as the Director of Workforce Development Initiatives for Upstate. Using her ability to create strong collaborative relationships she works closely with NYS DOL, education, and businesses to develop partnerships and strategies to address the talent gap facing today’s organizations.

Previously, Ms. DeJarnette worked at the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY) serving as the Vice President of Training and Corporate Development. She played a key role in developing Central New York’s Regional Workforce Action Agenda, a result of the Journey to Jobs initiative that brought together leaders from across Central New York. Prior to joining MACNY, she worked at Carrier Corporation for 21 years in varied roles, providing her a broad perspective on the diversity of both national and global markets and customers.

Ms. DeJarnette won the 2006 International Citation Award from the International Association of Workforce Professionals as a result of her commitment to bring together education, workforce development, economic development and business to resolve the workforce dilemma. Her goal is to create and reinforce strategic partnerships and alliances that enhance the responsiveness of the workforce system enabling businesses to grow and remain competitive in today’s global marketplace.

Chuck Caples
Charles Caples is a program director in the Office of Workforce Development at Monroe Community College (MCC), in Rochester, NY. He has over 22 years of experience in developing and coordinating professional development programs for the workforce in Monroe County. During this time he has created many different partnerships that allow MCC to bring to the community a wide range of educational opportunities.

Caples is currently the President-Elect of the Continuing Education Association of New York (CEANY). Mr. Caples holds an undergraduate degree in education from Johnson State College in Johnson, VT, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at SUNY Brockport.

Jack Quinn
Jack Quinn represents the 146th New York State Assembly District which includes parts of Erie County.
Assemblyman Quinn is a former prosecutor with the Erie County District Attorney’s office and has worked at various law firms in the Buffalo and Washington, DC area, researching and writing on a variety of issues including labor, the environment, crime and the military. Prior to his employment in the District Attorney’s office, Assemblyman Quinn also served with the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR).

Assemblyman Quinn has a J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law and a B.A. from Siena College.

The Ranking Member of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, Quinn was recently named to a conference task force charged with proposing solutions to New York’s “brain drain” problem that results in many college graduates and promising scholars to leave the state.

David Shaffer
David Shaffer concentrates on education accountability, higher education and workforce development for the Rockefeller Institute of Government.

He has written about state government and public policy since 1973 – first as a reporter for The Associated Press, and, since 1980, on the staff of The Business Council of New York State, Inc. From 1993 through 2007 he was president of the Public Policy Institute, the Council’s research affiliate. He served as a member of Governor George Pataki’s budget transition task force in 1994-95; worked with the Rockefeller Institute on the Commissioner’s Review of the New York State Education Department in 1996; and served as a member of the Governor’s Commission on Education Reform in 2004.

He is a graduate of Duke University (B.A., 1970) and of Rockefeller College at the University at Albany (M.A., 1972).

For SUNY, and perhaps most of the higher education sector of New York, the transition in the Governor’s Mansion from Eliot Spitzer to David Paterson has been nothing short of dramatic. The ripple started a few months back threatens to grow into a wave sweeping across the Legislature and Executive.

Today’s Albany Times Union takes a look at those changing tides of fortune – and finance.

For NYSHEI, this “re-focusing” of the executive poses a serious challenge to our advocacy. Compounded by the financial woes of the state, success for initiatives like ARIA will have to be pitch-perfect, well supported (in the legislature and on campus) and a little bit lucky.

Thomson Reuters has again stepped forward to sponsor the NYSHEI Annual Meeting at the platinum level. This marks the sixth consecutive year that Thomson supported NYSHEI at the highest level.

“Thomson Reuters is a proud sponsor of the NYSHEI Annual Meeting. We share their vision for providing access to quality information for academic and research libraries in New York State. Thomson Reuters supports their efforts to foster innovation and encourage collaboration among the academic libraries throughout the state”.

“By any name, this company has time and again demonstrated its strong support for the institutions and mission of NYSHEI. I can not thank them enough for their stalwart partnership,” said Jason Kramer of NYSHEI.

In addition to platinum level sponsorship, Thomson Reuters is sponsoring a pre-annual meeting cocktail reception on June 1 at the Syracuse Sheraton. This special event is open to NYSHEI members and invited guests only.

“I hope all NYSHEI members in attendance will take a moment to thank Thomson for their commitment to NYSHEI,” concluded Kramer.