The think tank quietly influencing New York’s top officials

Two years ago, newly pregnant and fleeing a violent partner, Briana Drummer left her life behind and checked into a family shelter. There, feeling overwhelmed, she spotted “a big, bright poster” advertising CUNY Reconnect, a program that allows adults with partial college credit to finish their degrees at the City University of New York.“I took that as a sign from God, and soon after, I stepped onto campus to begin my new life,” Drummer told a rapturous audience at Manhattan’s Jazz at Lincoln Center in March, where she spoke ahead of Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’ State of the City speech. Drummer will graduate this year from CUNY’s Brooklyn College, she said, and plans to pursue her dream of attending medical school.Drummer’s story traces its origins to a specific source: the Center for an Urban Future, a Manhattan-based think tank that has quietly emerged as a force in New York politics. CUF proposed CUNY Reconnect in a 2022 policy paper, and within months saw the idea enacted and funded with $4 million after being championed by the council speaker. Through last year, it had received another $5 million and re-enrolled more than 42,000 people in college, with 6,000 earning degrees — a pathway, supporters hope, to new lives and better-paying jobs.The council speaker drew heavily from Urban Future’s ideas in her March address, where she embraced the group’s other recent proposals to create an accelerator for minority-owned businesses and to forgive student debt so that... Continue reading at 'Crains New York'

[ Crains New York | 2025-04-03 09:48:13 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "The think tank quietly influencing New York’s top officials"


Library Database Providers Clash Over Subscription Models

Data and analytics resource ProQuest will “phase out one-time perpetual purchases of digital collections” and require libraries to lease content rather than make permanent acquisitions, shocking the library and university press community. Competitor EBSCO responded by assuring customers that it... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How presidential libraries mirror the legacy-building of emperors

Presidential libraries in the United States today follow the same principle: They become monuments to the former presidents, while giving back to their local communities. Here in Atlanta, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum has been part of my daily life for years. Parks and trails... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2025-02-22 09:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


American Library Association Establishes Public Supporter Program

Using its I Love Libraries website as a platform, the ALA has launched a public supporter program intended to generate donations and keep library patrons apprised of the organization’s advocacy work and grants. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Sending Scholarly Works to Far-Flung Seminaries

The Theological Book Network ships millions of religious studies texts to scholars whose libraries can't afford costly-but-essential books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


ChatGPT, can you write my new novel for me? Och aye, ye preenin’ Sassenach | Gareth Rubin

Let’s see if AI can take the faff – the actual writing bit – out of penning a Shakespearean thriller with a Scottish villainThe monsters of artificial intelligence are coming for you. They will cast you out on the street like a Dickensian mill owner and laugh as they do it – at least they will... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2025-02-08 17:55:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this


In Portugal: De Marque’s BiblioLED Project Is Activated

The Portuguese network of libraries has launched a new program for digital book access, provided by Québec City's De Marque. The post In Portugal: De Marque’s BiblioLED Project Is Activated appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-02-04 16:05:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Your Library’s Hoopla Digital Collections Are Breaking Their Budget

If you've noticed changes to the digital materials you can borrow from your library, that's because that access is costing libraries way more than ever before. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-02-04 14:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Libraries are Good in Ways You Might Not Expect

Libraries are good for you in ways you might not have thought of, an overdue translation comes to English, dystopian novels pop (again). All in today's book news. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-02-03 17:25:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


US Authors Guild to certify books from ‘human intellect’ rather than AI

The Human Authored online portal allows members to register their book and use a specially designed logo on covers and promotional materialsThe US body representing writers, the Authors Guild, has launched an online portal for members to confirm that their work “emanated from the human... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2025-01-30 19:26:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Lit Hub Daily: January 30, 2025

How Trump’s unconstitutional federal funding freeze put libraries (and everything else) at risk: “They are not afraid to threaten vast swathes of vulnerable Americans—the point is to be cruel and to punish.” | Lit Hub Politics “When I think about it, tucking the label / back into my husband’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-01-30 11:30:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Authors Guild sets up 'Human Author' portal to certify books come from 'human intellect'

The Authors Guild has set up an online portal for members to certify that their books “emanated from the human intellect” and not from artificial intelligence Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2025-01-30 00:38:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this


It’s official: Research has found that libraries make everything better.

Science has backed up what many of us have long been saying: the library rocks. A study from the New York Public Library surveyed 1,974 users on how the library makes them feel and how it affects their lives, and the results are overwhelmingly positive. The researchers’ analysis (which used... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-01-28 16:23:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Digital Checkouts Rose 17% at OverDrive

Digital borrowing of e-books, audiobooks, and digital magazines rose to more than 739 million checkouts at the libraries and schools who use OverDrive's Libby and Sora apps. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-28 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Pediatrician in Harlem emphasizes reading to help kids stay healthy

Pediatrician Dr. Genna Ableman juggles the usual clinical tasks at every wellness visit: measuring a child’s vitals, administering vaccines and talking about nutrition. But she also makes time for what she says is one of the most critical ways to improve a child’s health: reading.Ableman,... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2025-01-24 11:03:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How the Librarian of the Year is helping his beloved Los Angeles

Librarian of Year John Szabo, of the Los Angeles Public Library, talks about the fires and why libraries are so important in these political times.  Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2025-01-23 16:45:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this


“Adults Only” Room, 140 Banned Books, & New Restrictions on Children’s Access Come to an Idaho Public Library System

Kootenai County libraries will create an "adults only" room, revoke library access to minors, and seek to ban purchases of a wide swath of book topics for anyone under 18. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-01-20 14:25:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Axios, OpenAI partner will start local news product in Alabama city

The move, part of a partnership between the online publisher and OpenAI, comes at a time when news outlets are working to take advantage of artificial intelligence without being wiped out by the technology. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2025-01-19 21:37:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Adams proposes $115B budget with slimmer spending on migrants

Mayor Eric Adams proposed a $114.5 billion budget for the coming year that dials back migrant spending while ramping up allocations for shelter beds, tax cuts and infrastructure. But he acknowledged uncertainties posed by a sluggish commercial office market and the policies of the incoming Trump... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2025-01-16 18:11:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this


New Research on Audiobook Circulation in US Libraries

The newly released 'Audiobooks and Public Libraries' report shows US libraries' community sizes playing a role in audio circulation. The post New Research on Audiobook Circulation in US Libraries appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-01-14 22:10:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this