Over the past few months, BC ELN has heard from partner libraries who feel the time is right to revisit interlibrary loan (ILL) system processes and tools, a feeling driven by evolving technologies and user expectations. Serendipitously, 2014 will begin with a system-wide migration to a beautiful new interface for OutLook OnLine, BC's search portal of library resources. Here's what you need to know about the OutLook OnLine migration and anticipated changes to BC ELN's Resource Sharing system.

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More new and exciting changes are happening at AskAway! During the fall term scheduling software was explored to assist in offering more flexibility and options to participating institutions. Software would allow scheduling further in advance, give institutions the ability to trade shifts across terms, and improve overall efficiency and effectiveness of the collaborative.

Over the fall term software options were explored, and a substantial discount for ShiftPlanning was negotiated. ShiftPlanning is a web-based product with many useful features, including:

• Automatic population of a schedule based on each institution's availability preferences
• Automatic updates to the schedule when trades are confirmed
• Optional notifications for upcoming shifts

There are a lot of benefits to making this transition, but there would also be accompanying changes at the local level. The Scheduling Software Pilot Team, which includes volunteers from five participating institutions, will be managing a one-year trial to work out how software-assisted scheduling would be implemented, what the benefits and drawbacks are, and how best to manage the changes for participating institutions.

It was a busy fall for WriteAway both on the front lines of online tutoring and behind the scenes with committee work. From September 16th to December 6th, six institutions (Camosun College, College of the Rockies, Douglas College, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Simon Fraser University and University of British Columbia) invited selected groups on campus to use the WriteAway service. Over the 12-week term, tutors were extremely busy responding to the 802 papers and 18 eQuestions (brief writing and grammar-related questions) that were submitted.

Students that used WriteAway shared their thoughts on the difference that receiving feedback from a tutor has made in their writing or coursework:

"It has helped a great deal. I am more aware of my writing and am already seeing improvements"

"I am much more confident handing in my paper now that I am aware of my mistakes"

"I am able to review my paper again and better understand how my writing could be better"

The WriteAway Advisory Committee assembled in November for its first meeting since being formed. The Advisory Committee focuses on policy and planning, and operations. It was an engaging meeting with members showing great enthusiasm for the WriteAway initiative. The BC eTutoring Concept Committee also met this fall to converse about the future directions of online tutoring in the province. The Concept Committee assembled an exploratory group which is tasked with investigating how online Math/Statistics support might be offered collaboratively in BC, with a focus on how other consortia using the eTutoring platform successfully offer this type of service.

After a summer of transitions and transformations, e-HLbc is settling down to business. e-HLbc held its Management Committee and Steering Committee meetings this fall. e-HLbc's Financial Framework Policy and Travel Policy were revised so that they are now in line with e-HLbc's new host institution SFU. In preparation for the 2015 Core Suite renewal, the e-HLbc Administrative Centre is harvesting consortial statistics for Core Suite resources and is gathering FTEs and head counts to submit to vendors.

The e-HLbc Administrative Centre has been busy negotiating pricing for renewals of the boutique licenses Ageline, Alexander Street Press, Canadian Health and Research Collection, Dynamed, and Health Source & Alt Health Watch. e-HLbc is managing the transition of the Dynamed license from the Canadian Virtual Health Library (CVHL) licensing portfolio to e-HLbc and, in collaboration with Consortia Canada, has taken the lead negotiating the licensing of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.).

For this year's new product selection process, Drupal was used to develop a new Electronic Suggestion Box (e-Box) on the e-HLbc website. e-HLbc member librarians have submitted new product suggestions to the e-Box, and the e-HLbc Administrative Centre staff is preparing a ranking survey of suggested products to send to members in the New Year.

Staff is busy working with the local developer, Raised Eyebrow, to migrate the e-HLbc website to the Drupal 7 platform. Keep your eyes open for a new website in 2014! Happy holidays from the e-HLbc Administrative Centre!

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