New York Knowledge Initiative
Memorandum in Support
A.7272 (Paulin)S.2125 (Farley)
May 5, 2007
NYSHEI, the advocacy voice of the public and private academic and research libraries of New York State, supports A.7272/S.2125 establishing the New York Knowledge Initiative.
NYSHEI has particular interest in §4, establishing state aid for the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library (NOVELNY).
NYSHEI strongly supports NOVELNY and encourages robust annual appropriations for its development and maintenance. In addition, NYSHEI further supports statewide access to library resources needed for research and development conducted by faculty, graduate students, and research fellows in academic institutions. As currently written, A.7272/S.2125 does not address the high-level academic content needs of NOVELNY.
As the sponsors note, recognized competitors of New York have take significant leaps beyond the Empire State in providing broad access to library resources. Therefore, while state support for NOVELNY is long over-due, this legislation does not fully address the gap opened by other states, nor does it recognize the considerable costs of providing access to resources necessary for science, technology and medical research. In short, $7 million is not enough to meet the state’s research and development needs.
It will require a substantial financial commitment from the state to address the critical need for expensive, cutting edge, peer-reviewed journals that drive research. In fact, NYSHEI is concerned that the language of the bill does not directly address the need for information resources above the undergraduate level and may therefore fail to provide any such resources.
Annually, New York’s college and universities produce hundreds of patents and licenses, many that have the potential to lead to new products, new employers, and new fields. While NYSHEI encourages the provision of access and knowledge to broad audiences, we must caution that this approach alone will not achieve the bill’s stated aim of promoting a “high tech” economy without consideration of these higher-end library resources.
NYSHEI supports A.7272, appeals for enhanced support of academic libraries, and urges immediate passage.