NYSHEI News

Inger Curth, Library Director at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, this week hosted a North Country regional meeting of NYSHEI. Recognizing the need to project the voices of the library beyond the stacks, Ms. Curth invited a wide array of guest to the meeting. The result was an exciting example of the collaborative partnerships NYSHEI has sought.

Attending the meeting on behalf of NYSHEI were Ms. Curth and Jason Kramer, NYSHEI Executive Director, as well as Connie Holberg, incoming Library Director at JCC, Rebecca Thompson, Library Director at SUNY Potsdam, and Mary Beth Bell, Library Director at SUNY Oswego.

Attending the meeting from the Jefferson Community College administration and faculty were, Jill Bettinger, Dean for Continuing Education, A. Pope Vickers, Business Professor, Ed Knapp, Dean for Curriculum and Instruction, Linda Dittrich, Dean for Mathematics and Science, and Betsy Penrose, Vice President for Students.

Attending the meeting were three individuals with a workforce and economic development charge, Eric Constance, Director of the Small Business Development Center, Karen Delmonico, President and CEO of the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, and Michelle Gefell, Director of Career Planning and Placement.

As well as educating more people about the importance of academic and research libraries, and their need for ARIA, one tangible result of the meeting were a few ideas to improve NYSHEI outreach to the small business community.

On January 3, 2008, NYSHEI Executive Director Jason Kramer visited Columbia University to meet with James Neal, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian, and Patricia Renfro, Deputy University Librarian, Associate Vice President for Digital Programs and Technology Services and former member of the NYSHEI Governing Board.

The three discussed the NYSHEI advocacy successes of 2007, plans for the coming year, and began to brainstorm future projects for NYSHEI.

Following the meeting, Ms. Renfro facilitated meetings with Columbia collection development leaders and an off-campus luncheon that included Robert Wolven, Jane Winland and Barbara List.

On Wednesday, November 12, NYSHEI Executive Director Jason Kramer visited the United State Military Academy at West Point, Library Director Joseph Barth, and members of the staff.

Though unique among NYSHEI members institutions, the USMA library faces the same challenges as all academic and research libraries in New York. The recent visit provided a welcome opportunity for Kramer to learn how NYSHEI can better serve this federal institution, while USMA learning more about NYSHEI advocacy efforts in New York.

“By standing with NYSHEI, West Point lends a level of prestige and credibility to our advocacy efforts. The mention of West Point usually grabs the attention of our state decision-makers, thereby improving our chances for successful advocacy,” said Kramer.

NYSHEI members meet at the Begley Library of Schenectady County Community College on November 5, 2007.

Representatives from SCCC, Hudson Valley Community College, University at Albany, the New York State Library, Siena College, and the Dickerson Library of the Wadsworth Center met with NYSHEI Executive Director Jason Kramer to learn more about the current status of NYSHEI advocacy. The conversation centered on NYSHEI’s promotion of ARIA before Governor Spitzer’s Commission on Higher Education and among members of the State Senate and Assembly.

Of particular interest to attendees was the blossoming, and productive, collaboration occurring between NYSHEI, the State Library, and the SUNY Council of Library Directors. Meshing NYSHEI’s ARIA proposal with the SCLD proposal for a SUNY digital library and NOVELny was seen as a way of strengthening all three.

Special thanks are owed to Lynne King, Director of the Library at SCCC for arranging and promoting this meeting.

Maryruth Glogowski hosted a NYSHEI regional meeting in her Buffalo State College office on August 8, 2007.

Attended by Randy Gadikian of SUNY Fredonia, Sheryl Knab of the Western New York LRC, Frank Wojcik of SUNY Brockport, Andy Yeager of Medaille College, and Jason Kramer of NYSHEI, the regional meeting provided a forum for members and non-members to learn about current actions at NYSHEI.

The primary activity discusses were NYSHEI advocacy efforts focused on the recent White Paper on academic libraries role in economic and workforce development, the ARIA proposal, and how these initiatives support NYS objectives.

Importantly, the discussion turned toward exploring ways to include a broader range of the academic library community in steering NYSHEI.

The event was productive and the attendees provided many ideas for advancing NYSHEI in the months ahead.