NYSHEI News

NYSHEI Executive Director Jason Kramer was recently interviewed by Amber Toland of Elsevier for a “Library Connect” podcast.

Listen here.  Mr. Kramer discusses what NYSHEI is and talks about the main rule of advocacy and lobbying.

Through a cooperative arrangement between Nylink and NYSHEI, Thomson Reuters is offering a trial for NYSHEI members to a suite of resources on the Web of Knowledge platform, including Web of Science, Biosis, Journal Citation Reports, Conference Proceedings and Endnote Web.

Thanks are owed to Donna Dixon of Nylink for making all arrangements.

If you have questions about any of these resources, trial access, and for pricing and further information, please contact Lauren Seltzer at Thomson Reuters.

Assemblyman Robin Schimminger (D-Kenmore) today received testimony on the critical role academic and research libraries will play in the economic resurgence of New York.

Mr. Schimminger, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry, and lead Assembly sponsor of ARIA, held two public hearing to determine future directions for economic development in New York State.  The looming expiration of the Empire Zone program is spurring this thoughtful exploration of the next generation of economic initiatives for New York.

Jason Kramer, Executive Director of NYSHEI, testified that ARIA must be part of the developing picture.  Echoing the pitch made to Upstate President of the Empire State Development Corporation, Mr. Kramer said, “Under the Empire Zone program New York sought to encourage job growth in very specific geographic locations.  ARIA would encourage job growth in specific industry sectors – the innovation sectors – statewide.  ARIA would substantively lower the cost of business for entrepreneurs in the innovation economy – including those housed here at the local Center of Excellence – for a fraction of the cost associated with the Empire Zone program.”

NYSHEI Executive Director Jason Kramer recently testified before Governor Paterson’s Task Force on Diversifying The New York State Economy Through Industry-Higher Education Partnerships.   Meeting at the City College of New York, CUNY, the Task Force heard from twenty experts on the economic advantages of enhanced cooperation between the academic and commercial sectors.

During his testimony Mr. Kramer stressed the importance of an information infrastructure to the “innovation economy” sought by Governor Paterson and other policy makers.  To this end, Mr. Kramer urged the Task Force to support ARIA.  A sample of Mr. Kramer’s testimony is below.

In 2006, the director of NYSTAR said “universities are situated in the crossroads of research, education and innovation.  It is vital that knowledge flows from universities into business and society.”

In 2007, the A.T. Kearney report commissioned by Empire State Development stated that New York needs a “unified statewide economic growth engine fueled by the development of a high-technology infrastructure.  Such an infrastructure can be created through the combined efforts of the state, ESD, businesses, investors and the academic and research communities.”

In 2008, the National Governor’s Association, in association with the Pew Center on the States, issued a report on innovation that declared that successful states must “develop a statewide research and innovation strategy” that makes wise investments (as opposed to massive investments) and develops the states pre-existing strengths.

This month the Center for an Urban Future released a report on “Building New York City’s Innovation Economy.”  This report states that while academic research institutions are important “economic anchors” they have “never served as a major source of growth,” and that it is “unrealistic” to expect big rewards from these institutions “under status quo conditions.”  However, as the report states, “the moment is perfect for such an effort.”

I urge this Task Force to lend further credibility to this movement and endorse the underlying concept behind ARIA, that is, to strengthen our academic and research libraries in a coordinated fashion thereby expanding resources, lowering budgets, and providing access to scores of researchers and small businesses.

The full testimony is available here.

The Business Incubator Association of New York State is throwing its support behind the Academic Research Information Access (ARIA) Act.

BIA/NYS Executive Director David Hochman said, ““We urge the Governor to sign the bill, and we will keep working with the New York State Higher Education Initiative to expand access to  all incubator tenants. Our board thinks this idea represents the best shot at assuring continued access for technical entrepreneurs.”

NYSHEI Executive Director Jason Kramer said, “We are grateful to BIANYS for their support.  As New York looks to revitalize our economy and empower innovation the partnership between research libraries and entrepreneurs must be fostered.  NYSHEI’s ARIA plan is the way to create the information infrastructure needed so that BIA/NYS researchers can compete globally and thrive locally.”

ARIA has passed both houses of the state legislature with unanimous support.  If signed by Governor Paterson ARIA will become law.