NY State Library Extends Access.

The article reports that the collections of the New York State Library in Albany will be available to all New York residents. In a six-month pilot project, all residents of New York State will now have access to the collections of the New York State Library in Albany. Previously, access was available only to state officials and employees, legislators, members of the state bar, state licensed physicians, and local government historians. With the project, announced by New York education commissioner Richard Mills, all New Yorkers 18 and older can borrow directly from the library's circulating collection, as well as getting remote access to the library's NOVEL online databases, New York's statewide virtual library. NOVEL includes a range of resources, including full-text electronic-collections of national and international newspapers and magazines. The policy addresses a 2000 New York State Regents Commission on Library Services report that outlined ten recommendations to improve library services in New York State, which included improving access to the collections of the state library.