NYSHEI News

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan (ARRP), commonly known as the federal stimulus package, is making it’s way to the states.

So what?

That is the big question.

Governor Paterson’s office has put together a useful website illustrating the various parts of New York’s share ($24.6 billion) of the stimulus package.  While the web site appears organized, media accounts paint a different picture.

What any of this means for your library is still unclear.  Paterson administration officials inform me that most of the stimulus money will go towards restoring cuts proposed in the executive budget and otherwise closing portions of the budget deficit.  This could result in the restoration of Coordinated Collection Development Aid (CCDA), currently slated for a 10.86 percent cut.  $2.5 billion is slated to restore education cuts, so restoration of the $250,000 that was to be cut specifically from CCDA seems probable.

For ARIA the results are more opaque.  Administration officials have indicated that ARIA funding for academic and research libraries is on the list of suitable projects for ARRP funding.  Potential funding lines under ARRP would be “enhanced education technology,” “science facilities, research, instrumentation,” or other pots of discretionary spending.

NYSHEI will continue to work with the Paterson administration to restore funding for proposed cuts (CCDA) and establish a line of ARIA funding through FY2010-11.

You can help – and many already have.   Last week, a number of you send emails urging state leaders to fund ARIA.  There is still time to tell the Governor that the job and research supporting information infrastructure we call ARIA deserves funding.

The Governing Board of NYSHEI has joined the chorus of opposition to H.R. 801, the “Fair Copyright in Research Works” act introduced in the House of Representatives by John Conyers (D-MI).

Joining groups like the Alliance for Taxpayer Access, Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) and the Association of Research Libraries, NYSHEI unequivocally opposes this legislation that would prohibit American taxpayers from accessing the results of the crucial biomedical research funded by their taxpayer dollars, and stifle critical advancements in life-saving research and scientific discovery.

“This is a very bad bill,” said NYSHEI Executive Director Jason Kramer.  “Knowledge and information should be widely available to the public – particularly when the public paid for it.”

“As exemplified by ARIA (Academic Research Information Access), NYSHEI strives to broaden access to all manner of information.  We therefore must strongly object to Mr. Conyers proposal,” said Kramer.

NYSHEI is asking the entire New York Congressional delegation to oppose this legislation and asks all NYSHEI member librarians to similarly voice their opposition.

More information about HR801 is available.

In a statement jointly released on 12 Februrary 2009, the Association of Research Libraries, the Asscoation of American Universities, the Coalition for Networked Information and the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges state that universities need to do more to disseminate the knowledge generated by campus research.

The statement broadly acknowledges the economic role of knowledge dissemination and the public responsibilities of universities that recieve all manner of support from state and federal governments, among other entities.

Read the full statement.

NYSHEI joins the internation library community in signing a statement drafted by the International Coalition of Library Consortia on the impact of the current economic climate on consortial licenses.

The statement (icolc-economic-crisis-statement-final-11908) is an attempt to send a message to publishes and other information vendors about the serious challenges facing our libraries and our ability to provide collections and services to our constituencies.

Other New York signatories include SUNY, CUNY, Nylink and the 3R’s.

Nancy Zimpher will today be named Chancellor of the State University of New York.  Get the news here and here.

Her official biography is here.