|
Connect at a Glance
We've been busy bees! In this issue of Connect, we share annual reports and a fresh new website, hear an archives perspective on the Provincial Digital Library, celebrate 10 years of AskAway, catch up on conferences, and more.
The BC ELN Office welcomes your comments on this and any issue of BC ELN Connect:
|
|
|
|
|
2016/17 Funding Approved & Annual Reports Released
We're happy to announce that the Ministry of Advanced Education confirmed BC ELN's budget allocation for 2016/17. Many thanks to the Ministry and BC ELN partner libraries for your ongoing support, funding, time, and input. We look forward to a productive year ahead!
"Without the work done for us by BC ELN, we would experience a severe hit to the delivery of information services to academia in BC." (Library Staff Survey 2015)
Looking back to the previous year, we released a record number of annual reports that reflect the success of BC ELN services in 2015:
|
Launching the New BC ELN Website
On June 21st, BC ELN launched a new website at http://bceln.ca/.
"Looks lovely, the icons are pleasing to the eye, easy to navigate." (Kathy Plett, CNC)
|
|
|
BC ELN homepage |
On the new website, you can still...
And you can now...
- Enjoy smooth navigation and responsive design
- Search licensed resources at your institution by keyword. For example, a search for media and Douglas College
- Keep up with Offers & Renewals and Latest News on each page
"It looks good on my phone! Nice responsive design!!" (Caroline Daniels, KPU)
We continue to migrate content from our old website and welcome your feedback and suggestions for improvement at any time.
|
Provincial Digital Library (PDL) May 10th Symposium: A Perspective from the Archives Community
by Cristen Polley
On May 10th, 115 attendees from the academic, archives, education, library, and museum sectors gathered to discuss shared aspirations for a Provincial Digital Library (PDL) in British Columbia. The
PDL Symposium Report reflects the day's enthusiastic and fruitful discussions.
|
|
|
PDL May 10th Symposium Report |
To hear the perspective of an attendee from outside the post-secondary library community, I interviewed Cindy McLellan, Archivist at the BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) and President of the Archives Association of BC (AABC), who shared thoughts on the day and the development of the PDL.
Why did you want to be at the PDL Symposium?
I wanted to find out more about the PDL and add my voice to the discussion in the early visioning stages. It would be fantastic if the PDL turned out to be not only a well-used and valued digital portal for BC but also a project that brings libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs) in BC closer, naturally creating new opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
Before the Symposium, did you have any ideas or preconceptions about the PDL?
I really did not know what to expect of the day. The Symposium was high energy, and I appreciated the structure that encouraged participants to meet and talk with new people representing different institutions.
After the Symposium, how did you view the PDL and what were some of your takeaways from the day?
LAM institutions in BC have so much to offer the public. The archival community has been operating union sites for a long time. For example, when BCAUL (BC Archival Union List, now MemoryBC) launched in 1993, it was the first web-based database of archival descriptions in Canada. We now have the opportunity to share our experiences developing these sites with the broader PDL community.
A centralized digital platform will be an exciting space for us to try new things and reach greater audiences.
How do you hope to be involved in the future of the PDL?
I hope the AABC remains involved in the PDL as a constructive voice for the approximately 200 BC archives we represent. I hope that the BCIT Archives will contribute digital assets. And, in the future, I plan to volunteer and contribute to the continued success of the PDL.
|
Celebrating 10 Years of AskAway!
This year, AskAway celebrates its tenth anniversary! AskAway was launched on October 17th, 2006 with 19 post-secondary libraries on board and 10,000 questions answered in the first year.
|
|
|
College of the Rockies AskAway cake |
In the December 2006 issue of Connect, BC ELN reflected on
the success of the new chat reference service:
"AskAway, BC's post-secondary virtual reference service, has had an amazingly successful first term. Between September 25th and December 1st, over 120 post-secondary librarians from 20 partner libraries answered 3,700 questions from patrons around the province... [At the official media launch], both Ministers successfully demonstrated the service for the media, with Gordon [Coleman] as the (rather anxious) AskAway librarian on the other end. The launch generated lots of media attention, with spots in the provincial newspapers, on TV and CBC radio."
Ten years later, AskAway is a core service at 30 post-secondary libraries throughout BC, providing over 230 staff hours per week of reference and serving around 20,000 people each year.
To honour the contributions of partner libraries and service providers over the decade, the AskAway Advisory Committee hosted a celebration at the 2016 BC Library Conference. From new AskAwayers to dedicated service providers who have been with AskAway since its inception, people came together to toast ten years of AskAway.
To include more remote sites in the celebrations, colourful party packs were mailed out. As AskAway parties unfold across BC over the coming months, AskAwayers are encouraged to share AskAway haikus and party photos, adding to those from the in-person celebration.
|
|
Northern Lights College AskAway celebration |
|
Hours pass, no response
Found the perfect article
Do you still need help?
Anonymous
Have questions? Need help?
AskAway librarians...
Real people! Real help!
OCLC
Away, you ask
Close, we respond
Another bridge crossed.
Yukon College
|
|
BC ELN at the BC Library Conference
At this year's BC Library Conference, BC ELN's Sunni Nishimura presented to a packed room in the session
Islandora done three ways: Reflections on migrating digital content and building a provincial-wide network of digital repositories. Speaking from the perspective of Arca Coordinator, Sunni shared the challenges and successes of implementing Islandora, the software solution chosen for Arca, at seven early adopter sites.
Anita Cocchia presented together with Tim Atkinson and Ben Hyman in the session
The Provincial Digital Library: Ideas and current status. The presenters shared the outcomes of the May 10th PDL Symposium, engaged in a lively discussion about the potential for a PDL in BC, and encouraged libraries to become involved in the project.
|
|
Anita Cocchia with the 2016 BCLA President's Award
|
|
Anita Cocchia was honoured to receive the 2016 BCLA President's Award. Caroline Daniels, then BCLA President, presented the award and reflected on Anita's contributions to BCLA over the past decades, including Anita's strong leadership on the Continuing Education Committee, her work on the BCLA Board, and multiple roles on conference planning committees. Caroline noted that Anita's impeccable attention to detail, her warm hospitality, and her advocacy for ice cream at events add flare and make everyone feel welcome and valued!
|
Arca at Home & Abroad
|
|
|
Gallarus Oratory in County Kerry, Ireland by Sunni Nishimura
|
Open Repositories
Sunni Nishimura, Arca Coordinator, attended the Open Repositories Conference in Dublin, Ireland June 13th-16th to learn from an international community and bring back new knowledge to inform the continuing development of Arca. Sunni learned that Arca's provincial-scale collaborative model is unique in the repository community, which speaks to the impressive level of trust and collaboration among BC post-secondary libraries! Also fascinating was learning about the Portland Common Data Model, site of the burgeoning cross-communication and development between the Hydra and Islandora communities, which can only be good for future interoperability between BC digital repositories.
Northwest Institutional Repository User Group Meeting
On July 12th, Brandon Weigel, Arca Technical Lead, attended the inaugural Northwest Institutional Repository User Group meeting in Portland, Oregon, where he presented on Arca's consortial approach. At the meeting, repository administrators from across the United States and BC shared useful tips and resources. Brandon looks forward to bringing new ideas and tools to Arca members.
iCampBC
BC ELN hosted this year's Islandora Camp (iCampBC) July 18th-20th at SFU's Harbour Centre. iCampBC offered opportunities for hands-on experience as well as information sessions from local and international Islandora users. Of the 42 attendees from as far away as Toronto, California, and Massachusetts, 18 were from Arca sites. iCampBC was an exceptional opportunity to affirm, train, and strengthen the blossoming Islandora community in BC.
"Thank you again for hosting iCampBC and doing so much to make it a success. It was great working with you and I'm thrilled to have you in the Islandora Foundation as well!"
(Melissa Anez, Islandora Foundation)
"What a great experience and again thanks so much for hosting iCamp. I'm on the research desk today but can hardly wait to play in the virtual machine to test things."
(Gretchen Goertz, Douglas College)
|
|
Staffing Updates
Leigh Anne Palmer, BC ELN Manager and e-HLbc Manager, returned to the office from parental leave in January 2016 and is shaking things up with BC ELN strategic planning for 2016-21 and the soon-to-be launched eBook Bonanza.
Jennifer Bancroft, BC ELN Coordinator and e-HLbc Librarian, will be on leave from August to December 2016 when she will be enjoying Chandigarh, India while her husband teaches for a semester.
Cristen Polley, BC ELN Coordinator, will continue in her role focusing on communications and catching any other work tossed her way.
For a detailed view of which staff member is working on which projects, see
Initiatives at a Glance. As always, feel free to
contact
any member of the BC ELN team with questions.
|
British Columbia Electronic Library Network | office@eln.bc.ca |
W.A.C. Bennett Library, Room 7600
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, V5A 1S6
phone: 778.782.7003
fax: 778.782.3023
|
|
|
|