Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Skelos, and Assembly Speaker Silver announced final agreement on a 2012 state budget.  Formal adoption will begin shortly.  This soon-to-be state fiscal plan contains significant changes to the state procurement law that will positively affect the ability of academic and research libraries to save money, improve collaboration, and gain needed [...]

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Governor Cuomo’s August 17th veto of the Academic Research Information Access (ARIA) act, the most prominent object of NYSHEI advocacy, was unexpected.  Though disappointing, our near-miss has opened a door on new paths to continued progress. **How Did We Get Here? In its short history, ARIA gained the support of Governor Spitzer, the Commission on [...]

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The Academic Research Information Access (ARIA) act now has the full approval of both houses of the State Legislature.  Shortly, ARIA will be transmitted to the Governor.  With his signature ARIA will be law. On Monday, June 6, 2011 the State Assembly held a vote on ARIA.  With unanimous, bipartisan support ARIA was approved.  Three [...]

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Under the leadership of Senator James Alesi (R,C,I – Perinton) the State Senate on May 17, 2011 approved ARIA by a vote of 61-0. To call attention to the passage Senator Alesi issued the following press release and offered this video testimonial. In a strong display of bi-partisanship, the New York State Senate today unanimously [...]

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NYSHEI Executive Director Jason Kramer has an article in the recent edition of the Journal of Collaborative Librarianship.  Titled, “Nontraditional Partnerships in Pursuit of the Information Infrastructure,” the article describes NYSHEI’s evolvution as an advocacy organization. The Journal is sponsored by the Colorado Academic Library Consortium, the Colorado Library Consortium, the Colorado Alliance of Research [...]

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Four weeks to election day, it is time to consider how the next Governor of New York may treat the Academic Research Information Access (ARIA) act that has been at the heart of NYSHEI advocacy. The underdog Carl Paladino has produced an agenda that keeps with the major themes of his “outsider” campaign.  The Paladino [...]

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Under the leadership of sponsor and committee chair Senator William Stachowski the Academic Research Information Access (ARIA) act won the unanimous bipartisan support of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business. With his staff working diligently to ameliorate concerns left by the 2009 Governor Paterson veto of ARIA, Senator Stachowski (D-Buffalo) again [...]

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It is unusual for a state lobbying effort to gain a passing reference in a book that garnered national attention – especially if that effort is hardly the stuff of political debate and breathless editorials.  But ARIA did it. In his book on the abbreviated administration of Eliot Spitzer, longtime friend and Spitzer confidante Lloyd [...]

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The continuum of higher education that begins at two-years colleges is more important than ever.  Not only is there a need for the library to play a vital role in supporting workforce development, but it must also strive to support learners who move from two-year, to four-year, to graduate programs. All of this points to [...]

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Leaders of NYSHEI member institutions in Western New York recently visited the offices of ARIA sponsors.  The delegation specifically applauded the efforts of Assemblyman Robin Schimminger and Senator William Stachowski, the lead sponsors of ARIA. Pictured, from left to right, are David Schoen, Library Director of Niagara University, H. Austin Booth, Collections Director of the [...]

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