New York
State Library News

For the People, the Government and the Libraries of New York State
Spring 1998

• See the Emancipation Proclamation
• State Librarian Shares Vision of the Future
• Legislators: Know What's New
• OCLC Salutes State Library
• News Briefs
• Tell Us
• OCLC Salutes State Library
• Visit the State Library's Web Site
• Solve It @ the Library
• Win a Grant
• Be a Friend
• Naturally, it's at the New York State Library
• Do You Know
• Have a Voice in the Future

See the Emancipation Proclamation

"We must free the slaves or ourselves be subdued..."

Abraham Lincoln, to a member of his Cabinet, Summer, 1862

Lincoln's Cabinet agreed with his position on slavery but like modern-day spin-masters, advised him to wait for a propitious moment to issue the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. That moment came September 22, 1862, when the limited victory of the Battle of Antietam added impact to the message. On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation which freed slaves in Confederate states. Although its legal force was indefinite, it "redefined the nature of the war and was of great symbolic significance," according to William E. Gienapp, History Professor, Harvard University.

The Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, one of the State Library's greatest treasures, will be exhibited Friday and Saturday, May 15-16, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the State Museum, first floor of the Cultural Education Center. The State Library purchased the four-page document from the U.S. Sanitary Commission in 1865. Abolitionist Gerrit Smith had donated the Proclamation to the Commission after winning it at a fundraising lottery held by the Albany Army Relief Bazaar.

Don't miss this rare opportunity to see the real thing. It is the only surviving version in Lincoln's own handwriting with annotations by Secretary of State William H. Seward.

Janet M. Welch was appointed State Librarian on April 29, 1997. She was previously Director of the Rochester (NY) Regional Library Council.

State Librarian Shares Vision of the Future

by Janet Martin Welch

Anniversaries are a good time to take stock of the current situation and to look toward the future. As I approach my first anniversary as New York State Librarian, I'd like to tell New York State Library News readers what I hope to accomplish.

The mission of the New York State Librarian is to put New York's libraries to greater use. We're working to increase services and to make libraries easier to use.

Here at the State Library, we're adding to our strong retrospective research collections while also making information available to offsite users over the Internet. Our online catalog is accessible 24 hours a day, and we are working toward making full texts of New York State documents available electronically.

Across the State, libraries are flourishing. They are becoming libraries that thrive in a mixed digital and print environment, creating a one-step seamless gateway to information resources.

Of course, we need resources to be able to maintain the excellence of our libraries. We're glad to see that Governor Pataki's budget for Fiscal 1998/99 included an additional $233,000 of acquisitions money for the State Library, an 11 percent increase. And we're also seeking $200,000 to replace lost Federal funds for the New York State Talking Book and Braille Library.

Statewide, the 1998 executive budget proposal provides full funding for State aid to libraries for the first time since the law was passed in 1990. That's an increase of nearly $6 million dollars for a total of $88.5 million. And we're trying to get an $11.4 million Electronic Doorway Library law enacted which would help libraries use technology even more effectively.

And, looking beyond the immediate future, the Regents have authorized a Commission on Library Services to develop and recommend to the Regents a vision for library services to the people of New York and a plan for ensuring equity of access to information by all New Yorkers.

I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues at the State Library and throughout New York on these exciting improvements in library services for the people, the government, and the libraries of the State.

Legislators: Know What's New

Survey some of our newest acquisitions at a display of book jackets near the Library Access Point in the Legislative Office Building (Room 105). For more information about these books and the thousands of other materials in our collections, call (518) 474-5355.

Liz Lane

A smiling Liz Lane, Director of the State Library, presides over a colorful two-page spread about our Library in the recently released annual report of The Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC). The State Library is one of only eight highlighted in the report. We were selected from 25,000 participating institutions located in 60 countries. OCLC, a nonprofit, computer library service and research organization, is dedicated to furthering access to the world's information and to reducing information costs. Its WorldCat is the largest and most comprehensive database of bibliographic information anywhere.

News Briefs

• Celebration
  The history of the State Library and related events will be the focus of the annual ReadAloud on April 22 at 2 p.m. in the Librarians Room on the seventh floor of the Cultural Education Center in Albany. The ReadAloud is one of a year-long series of free programs commemorating the State Library's 180th anniversary.
• State Library Gives More Than it Gets
  The people's esteem for the State Library's collections is underscored by statistics recently released by OCLC. Our Interlibrary Loan Unit lent 10,203 items and borrowed 638 during the 1996/97 fiscal year.
• Joseph Shubert Honored
  In recognition of Joseph Shubert's "outstanding professional achievement and public service," when he was Assistant Commissioner for the State Library, the State University of New York recently elected him to their Alumni Honor Roll.
• Library Techies Cite Newspaper Project
  Library Hi Tech, a journal for librarians, designated the New York State Newspaper Project's Web Site as one of the "best library-related web sites" in the country. The Newspaper Project preserves newspapers published since 1725 in communities throughout New York State, and makes them available to researchers.

Tell Us

Send comments and questions about the State Library and its newsletter to Mary Redmond, New York State Library, Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY 12230.

Fundraisers: Sharpen Your Skills

Design a fundraising plan for your agency with guidance from experts at a workshop May 4-8 at the Cultural Education Center in Albany. You can explore the full range of fundraising techniques and review direct mail, special events, membership programs, annual fund drives, capital campaigns, and major gift solicitations in terms of what works best for your agency. Limited to 25 participants, the workshop combines analysis, discussion and small- group exercises.

This workshop is hosted by the New York State Library and sponsored by the Grantsmanship Center. Cost is $525.

For further information, contact Linda Braun, (518) 474-2274.

Search Excelsior, our online catalog of holdings, and access national and regional databases. Click in and:

• Save time when you apply for a new driver's license. Get the address and phone number of your local Department of Motor Vehicles Office; find out the documentation and fees required before you visit this agency.
• Review 1998 School Report Cards. Learn how your child's school is performing.
• Ask a Librarian. Obtain brief answers to factual questions from State Library Reference Services. You can also request names of relevant publications, and referrals to other sources of help.
• Make a difficult transition easier. Investigate how to select a nursing home. Identify locations, standards, costs, and other relevant considerations.
• And Much More

If you don't have Web access from your computer, dial into our catalog at (518) 474-9851 or telnet <nysl.nysed.gov>. For more information. . .

You can also access our Web Site from many public libraries.

Sherlock Holmes on a skateboard, one of the graphics offered by the Statewide Summer Reading Program, can be easily reproduced by local libraries.

Solve it @ the Library

This year's Statewide Summer Reading Program features a kit of exciting items built around the theme Solve it @ the Library. Containing a manual, clip art, bookmarks and other materials, the kit helps local public libraries organize their summer reading programs for children.

The Statewide Summer Reading Program, a joint project of the State Library and public library systems, is supported by Federal funds. Gaylord, Inc. is generously funding printing of the manual and distribution of the kits to the 23 library systems for delivery to local libraries.

Win a Grant

If you're interested in research about New York State, apply for a State Library Research Residency. In addition to last year's offer of direct access to the State Library's many services, this year's awards include a stipend for each winner. Financial assistance has been made possible by the Anna K. Cunningham and Mary E. Cunningham Trust Fund.

Application forms will be available in late spring. For further information call James Corsaro, (518) 474-6282.

Be a Friend

Join the Friends of the New York State Library. In addition to the deep satisfactions of preserving your heritage and sustaining a world renowned public research library, you can obtain special discounts at local book stores.

The Common Lilac from, William Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 1792.">

The Common Lilac, from William Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 1792.

Naturally, it's at the New York State Library

Like lilacs? Fascinated by fruit trees? Or perhaps you are interested in plants for their medicinal properties. If you want to know more about it, come to the New York State Library. "We have an outstanding collection of hundreds of rare and important botanical books filled with colorful illustrations," says Jim Corsaro, Head of Manuscripts and Special Collections.

"Our holdings go all the way back to Johannes De Laet's 1633 work about New Netherland. De Laet was the first person to describe the botanical wonders of New York State."

"Altogether, the collection spans continents and centuries of significant botanical study. We have, for example, the nineteenth century, 8-volume Les Liliacees by French botanist P.J. Redoute. It's probably the greatest work about lilacs every printed. Our holdings also include volumes by early nineteenth century English botanists such as James Sowerby and Sydenham Edwards.

"You can consult C.S. Rafinesque's Medical Flora or Manual of Medical Botany of the United States, published in 1828, among many other volumes about the medicinal properties of plants. And for those who are interested in the plant life closer to home, there are the fruit books, such as Grapes of New York, or Pears of New York, a series published by U.P. Hedrick in the early twentieth century," says Corsaro.

Abounding in the rare and the resplendent, this collection is a source of satisfaction to botanists in search of scientific data and a wellspring of pleasure to any individual who just loves to look at beautiful books.

Do You Know

The State Library blazed a trail in 1896 when it created the Talking Book and Braille Library. One of the first libraries in the nation to serve individuals who are blind or have other handicapping conditions, we now circulate books and tapes to 38,000 people in 55 upstate New York counties.

Have a Voice in the Future

How do you envision the State Library in the coming years? Help us plan for the next century by answering these questions:

1. The last time you used the State Library, what kind of information did you seek? Describe your experience.
2. Did you expect or hope for services or resources you didn't find? If yes, what were they?
3. What kinds of help do you need when you use the State Library? Is help available when you need it?
4. Do you get information from the State Library by visiting the Library, by telephone, or electronically? Do you see this changing soon?

Please send your answers and any other ideas to Mary Redmond, (518) 474-5946.

New York State Library News
New York State Library
N.Y.S. Education Department
Albany, NY 12230