If you took a map of British Columbia and drew a circle around the land from Haida Gwaii to Houston, you'd see how widely spread the communities served by Northwest Community College (NWCC) are. While physical NWCC libraries can be found at the Prince Rupert, Terrace, and Smithers campuses, library services extend far and wide to learners and faculty at other northern communities. This extension is achieved through the provision of electronic resources, virtual assistance, phone calls, emails, and librarian site visits.

A focus on community is at the heart of the NWCC library. The Terrace campus library for example, has just completed renovations to create a warm, welcoming environment for learners and to make library staff more accessible. The library space has been set up with a recognition that "different students have different needs", says Melanie Wilke, Library Coordinator. Moving through the library, you will see comfortable sofas and tables near the entrance for bustling group study, with study carrels towards the far end for quiet work.

Bandwidth can be an issue for the remote communities of BC's northwest. "The whole idea that VHS/DVD is dead or dying is not the reality for us," says Wilke, "there are a lot of pieces that have to fall into place before a complete transition [to electronic formats]." The library supports distributed learning by making streaming videos and digital content available - some through BC ELN licenses - but also supports a vast interlibrary loan system to meet the needs of learners that prefer or rely on physical items.

Partnerships go a long way to link NWCC learners with the resources they need. Wilke explains: "When you know everyone by name, it's really easy to say 'I have a student who needs this from your library and I think you could help them.'" Acting on student feedback, Wilke recently collaborated with the public library to make a collection of video games and DVDs available for students living in dorms to borrow on campus. Working together results in library barriers being removed - a distinct goal in Wilke's opinion.

BC ELN's Licensing Program does much more than negotiate the best price for electronic resources for your institution. The BC ELN Office is your go-to source for troubleshooting access issues, answering questions about the terms and conditions of using BC ELN licensed resources, and more. The following list of FAQs outlines just a few more services BC ELN's Licensing Program provides to members.

What do I do if I have a question about what's permitted under BC ELN's license?

If you have a question about permitted uses, first thing's first: check the Terms and Conditions summary list on the BC ELN website for the resource in question. This list gives the basic information on what libraries tend to want to know:

• Whether interlibrary loans are permitted;
• If the resource can be included in electronic reserves or course packs; and
• Whether archival access rights have been secured.

If your question still hasn't been answered, you may either look at the full terms and conditions document that is posted on the website or contact the BC ELN Office. We'll we be happy to help you with your question.

Licenses are inscrutable, and there are often no right or wrong answers ... only interpretations. If a license doesn't directly address your issue please contact BC ELN Office with your questions before you contact the vendor or publisher. 9 times out of 10, the vendor's interpretation of a license will be far more restrictive than any interpretation provided by your library or the BC ELN Office.

What is a model license? Why is it important?

A model license is a standard licensing agreement developed by an organization, which reflects best practices on the basic terms of contracts to license digital resources between libraries and vendors.

When developing the BC ELN model license, we work with consortia across the country. In the end, the terms included in our model license reflect the consensus of consortia around Canada for licensing of electronic resources, and provide a common set of expectations that facilitate compliance and minimize the legal risk.

When the BC ELN Office negotiates usage rights, we start off the negotiation requesting that vendors sign the BC ELN Model License. By beginning the negotiations with the model license, we are starting from a position of strength; it is far more difficult to make a very restrictive license offered by a vendor acceptable to institutions than to make an open and permissive license restrictive enough to satisfy vendors and publishers.

How can BC ELN help when there is a problem affecting my institutions access to a database we subscribe to through BC ELN?

We can help in so many ways.

Are you not seeing results, even after you've contacted the vendor? You can escalate troubleshooting by calling us. BC ELN often has access to a vendor's dedicated IT staff who are eager to keep a large organization like ours happy.

Do you suspect that this is a problem that plagues other subscribers across the provincial system? Instead of ten post-secondary institutions individually contacting the vendor, BC ELN can speak on everyone's behalf. Communicating with one unified voice can often get the job done faster than if each institution were to speak to a vendor on their own.

Have you run into problems troubleshooting? Sometimes it is helpful to test technical problems with individuals using another network. BC ELN is able to help from within the BC ELN office or from a remote site. BC ELN staff then may be able to provide further assistance to solve the issue, or be able to work with your IT department.

When in doubt, contact us. We're here to help!

Can BC ELN help with my unusual problem or question related to BC ELN resources or services?

No matter the question, we will always try to help. Do you want to subscribe to a resource after the deadline has passed? Do you need to find out how to gather statistics? Do you want to know if images from a database can be used in a student presentation? Please don't hesitate to ask us. We are here for you. 

Student interest in online writing support is certainly growing. After a Spring pilot phase of WriteAway, five institutions - Camosun College, College of the Rockies, Douglas College, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and Simon Fraser University - joined together for a very successful WriteAway pilot term this summer. Participating institutions opened the WriteAway doors to targeted groups of students during the sunny summer months, and the students arrived - virtually at least!

The term ran for eleven weeks from May 27th to August 9th. In that time, tutors responded with feedback to an impressive 268 papers that were submitted online. Students who completed post-usage surveys had largely positive feedback to share about the service. Some example comments:

• "I appreciate how [the tutor] embedded comments in my essay and also sent me links to useful website to improve my essay" - Douglas College Learner
• "I found my tutor helpful because she gave suggestions as to how I could improve, or she asked questions to get me to think of rearranging my thoughts so that I was conveying a more clear message. Thanks" - Simon Fraser University Learner

The summer months were also spent preparing for the fall WriteAway term, which began on September 16th with the University of British Columbia re-joining the fold. The WriteAway Administrative Centre has spent time working on a number of areas, including:

• Coordination for the Fall Semester: With collaboration from institutional coordinators, the WriteAway Administrative Centre has trained 7 new tutors to staff the service this fall. In addition, the fall schedule has been developed, and support has been provided to new and returning institutions.

• Governance Support: The Administrative Centre provides support for the BC eTutoring Concept Committee. This committee exists to guide the development of collaborative online tutoring services within British Columbia's post-secondary sector. The soon-to-be-formed WriteAway Advisory Committee will report to this umbrella group.

• Marketing: A marketing strategy was developed to provide institutions with guidance as they roll out the service to student groups in the fall. Marketing materials were refreshed for the fall term; snazzy new bookmarks are now available for participating institutions to order for distribution to students.

e-HLbc is pleased to welcome our new librarian Jennifer Bancroft to the team. Jennifer has worked as a public services librarian in several academic libraries in the Lower Mainland and is excited to enter the world of health library consortia. She will be providing members with database licensing and assessment support, and can be reached anytime at 778-782-7002 or at [email protected].

More changes at e-HLbc are currently underway. After a review of its organizational structure and functions, e-HLbc members voted on revising the Consortium Terms of Reference and adopting a new executive structure. The e-HLbc Management Committee now consists of a Chair, Vice-Chair, three representatives from both the Post-Secondary and Health Care sectors, and a newly elected Affiliate Member representative. e-HLbc welcomes its new representatives Todd Mundle and Debbie Schachter (Post-Secondary sector representatives) and Deb Monkman (Affliliate Member representative) to the Management Committee, and looks forward to working closely with the committee in the coming year.

After several months of transitions and transformations, e-HLbc is gearing up for another round of product selection, a new member recruitment project, and expanded health information training and education for members. The e-HLbc Administrative Centre looks forward to a busy year and we welcome your continued engagement and feedback!

This summer, three new capable and passionate librarians joined BC ELN and e-HLbc. We invited each to tell us a bit more about themselves and their work.   

Jennifer Bancroft (e-HLbc Librarian)

Before coming to e-HLbc I worked as an academic librarian at several university and college libraries.  I was drawn to work in a consortium because I am interested in learning more about database licensing, and because I believe in ensuring that libraries have access to the best resources at the best cost.  I am currently working on a new members' recruitment project for e-HLbc.  Future projects will include extending e-HLbc's training and educational opportunities and supporting in the coordination of a new round of health resource selection.  

Outside of work, I enjoy reading, hiking, wine tasting, and traveling.  My most memorable and life changing experience was spending eight months teaching English in Japan. As I librarian I find teaching very rewarding - I love observing that moment when patrons understand and can make use of what I am teaching.     

Brandon Weigel (BC ELN Librarian)

Before moving to BC I'd done library work in academia, industry, public, and consortia. Most recently I was a consultant for another consortium, Ontario Colleges Library Services (OCLS), doing everything from web development to licensing. I really value the work done by consortia, and I love being behind the scenes in a role that has an impact on so many people's learning. I thrive on the new challenges and constant change that characterize this environment. I'm currently working on AskAway support, doing lots of statistical analysis, coding, and Web work. Future projects include institutional repositories and licensing.

I spend my time exploring Vancouver and its environs, and pursuing my many hobbies, including cooking, crabbing, writing, and (especially) brewing beer. I love new experiences, particularly those involving food. I'll try anything once - a risk when travelling. Fun: Still-squirming octopus tentacles that fight back as you eat. Less fun: Getting stalked by angry street dogs after eating boshintang in Korea.

Erin Ziegenfuss (BC ELN Librarian)

Prior to joining the BC ELN team, I was spending time at the iconic information desk at SFU's Fraser Library on the Surrey campus as a Limited-Term Reference Librarian, and I am particularly proud of the contributions I made to their online learning endeavours. My strong interest in electronic resources and sharing is what led me to BC ELN, and now I am diving into supporting licensing and resource sharing projects.

While my heart (always) wants to be in the mountains, life with a 4-year old stick collector has enlightened me to all area parks as well. Otherwise I am veggie-based recipe collecting/cooking, walking to nowhere in particular, and adding books to my Goodreads to-read list faster than I can get things read.  Of note, I might also be on the road to becoming a tea snob. I apologize in advance.

British Columbia Electronic Library Network | [email protected] |

W.A.C. Bennett Library, Room 7600

Simon Fraser University

8888 University Drive

Burnaby, V5A 1S6

phone: 778.782.7003

fax: 778.782.3023