NOVELNY STEERING COMMITTEE CONCLUDES ITS DECADE OF OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP

Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Education and Acting State Librarian, Jeffrey W. Cannell, extends his warm appreciation to Chairperson Sarah Conrad Weisman and all current and former members of the NOVELNY Steering Committee as the work of the committee comes to a close effective May 15, 2012.

“The New York State Library is committed to building on the outstanding work of the Steering Committee going forward and will seek to continuously improve and expand the e-resources available to New Yorkers through this high value/high impact statewide program in the coming years,” said Cannell.

Announcement of New York Online Virtual Electronic Library (NOVELNY) electronic resource offerings for 2012-2013 will be made in the near future.

On April 24, the Board of Regents enthusiastically accepted a new statewide policy document for library services: Creating the Future: A 2020 Vision and Plan for Library Service in New York State; Recommendations of the New York State Regents Advisory Council on Libraries to the New York State Board of Regents.

“With the adoption of a new statewide vision and plan for library services, this seems like a good time to bring the work of the NOVELNY Steering Committee to conclusion,” said Weisman. “The Board of Regents has directed the State Librarian to work with the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries and others to develop implementation strategies and an action plan,” said Weisman, “and I anticipate that there will be numerous opportunities for the library community to contribute ideas, time and talent going forward.”

Leaders from all types of libraries have participated in the Steering Committee’s work since then State Librarian Janet Martin Welch appointed the first NOVELNY Steering Committee in 2002. The Steering Committee played a key role in assisting the State Library with implementation of NOVEL New York Online Virtual Electronic Library: Libraries Expanding Information Access for New Yorkers in the New Century. The creation of NOVEL was the first recommendation in the 2000 Regents Commission on Libraries report "Meeting the Needs of All New Yorkers."

The Steering Committee worked tirelessly to evaluate database products, survey users for feedback and represent the interests of New York’s diverse library community. Several notable efforts were conducted with the advice and assistance of the Committee, including, but not limited to:
o development of a statewide communications plan and publicity toolkit materials for the database program;
o driver license access and fashioning of the NOVELNY portal;
o testing of federated search; and
o the creation and revision of the NOVELNY Ready Levels Table.