March 2015
Volume 13.1
Purple flowers in the sunlight
"Reaching for the Sun" CC BY-SA 2.0 photo by Susanne Nilsson
In This Issue
Connect at a Glance

In this issue of BC ELN Connect, we release our annual reports, look at how the US exchange rate affects consortia, get updates on the BC IR Network and OutLook OnLine, and more!

The BC ELN Office welcomes your comments on this and any issue of BC ELN Connect: [email protected]
Innovation & Success
2015
Release the Annual Reports!

The first few months of every year are what we at the BC ELN Office affectionately refer to as "Report Writing Season". This is our opportunity to share in concrete terms the impact that BC ELN and its services have on the post-secondary sector.  

 

This year you'll notice an emphasis in our annual reports on outcomes. Outcomes answer the question What is the difference   BC ELN makes in the sector as a result of its interventions and actions? To answer that question in three words: "A big difference!" In a few more words... you'll have to read our reports:
photo of American dollars
"Money!" CC BY-SA 2.0 Photo by Tracy O
Gambling on the US Exchange Rate

 

Cross-border shoppers aren't the only ones groaning at the strong US dollar these days, library consortium managers and coordinators are letting out some sighs and grumbles too.

 

With a portion of licensed content - sometimes up to 90% of a consortium's offerings - being negotiated and settled in USD, many Canadian and international consortia are using a variety of approaches to alleviate the pain of depreciating currencies.

 

Some consortia, like BC ELN, use a strategy of forward purchasing. In anticipation of a rising US dollar, BC ELN purchases sums of USD when the rate is more favorable. This allows the consortium to pay for US subscriptions at a reduced rate, passing the savings onto its partner libraries.

 

The Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) uses a forward contract approach. With these contracts, USD-CDN exchange rates are fixed in advance of paying the vendor, giving members a known exchange rate to plan for.

 

One European consortium works with a publisher that guarantees the last year's exchange rate (or will use the current rate if it is more advantageous), though such generous arrangements are likely not common. Others work to negotiate contracts and pay for products in their own currencies.

 

While all consortia search for strategies that will benefit their members the most (or harm them the least), to paraphrase a colleague at a European consortium: working with the US exchange rate is like gambling... sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
BC IR Network: Up and Away with Islandora

Who...

The BC IR Network Advisory Committee announces IR network software chosen; early adopters College of the Rockies, Douglas College, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Justice Institute of BC, Thompson Rivers University, University of the Fraser Valley, and the University of Northern BC are ready to go!

What...

BC IR Network will be built on Islandora, a Canadian-developed open-source platform; discoverygarden will support implementation and manage Canadian hosting, with BC ELN providing coordination.

Where...

All post-secondary institutions in British Columbia are welcome to join the network. 

Why...  

A shared platform will enable post-secondary institutions to provide access to scholarly materials and digital assets that they wish to make available to the wider community. All British Columbians and researchers around the world will have access to these resources, showcasing BC as a hub for knowledge creation.

How...

Participating libraries will share a single repository, with individual customized website interfaces providing portals to their own content.  

 

The project is possible thanks to a $50,000 grant awarded in 2014 from the Ministry of Advanced Education and the ASDT Steering Committee. Funding will go towards development of the Network, with a portion to support early adopters.

When...

Work is already underway! The plan calls for an accessible repository by September 2015.

 

To read more about the BC IR Network software selection: download the communiqué.
Photo of Rachel Sim
Rachel Sim
OutLook OnLine Canadian Hosting on the Way

Interlibrary loaning in BC is getting a major shake up this Spring! Fortunately a brand new OutLook OnLine (OLOL) Administrative Centre is now open to help usher in the changes.

 

OutLook OnLine (OLOL) includes an integrated interlibrary loans management system for 21 post-secondary and over 70 public libraries. It will be transitioning to Canadian hosting at the end of this month. The transition will involve some downtime, but when the curtains open again on OLOL, new possibilities for patron-initiated ILL will be available in BC.

 

Staff at the recently opened OLOL Administrative Centre will provide support throughout the transition process for both post-secondary and public libraries. Hosted at BC ELN, the Admin Centre is available thanks to a partnership between BC ELN, Libraries Branch (Ministry of Education), and InterLINK public libraries.

 

In addition to BC ELN "familiar faces" Anita Cocchia, Sunni Nishimura, and Vaughn Postgate, Rachel Sim has joined the OLOL Admin Centre. Rachel is a recent graduate from the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies at UBC. With six weeks under her belt already, Rachel says she "has really enjoyed working with libraries both large and small across the province."

 

Need Help with OutLook OnLine? Visit the OLOL Support Pages or email [email protected].
A New Opportunity for BC ELN Libraries: Streaming Library Video Assets 

BC ELN partner libraries now have the ability to host and stream their own libraries' video assets on the IRIS Education platform.

 

The seed of this unique opportunity was planted last year when BC ELN was approached to manage the shared collection of perpetual-access streaming videos powered by IRIS and formerly managed by AEMAC. The same IRIS platform is available to host and stream libraries' own video collections.

 

In October of 2014 BC ELN surveyed partner libraries to gauge interest. One survey comment in particular stands out: "[This] will resolve the hosting problem for lots of smaller institutions like us."

 

BC ELN saw enough interest from partner libraries on the survey to not only take on the coordination of the existing collection of perpetual-access titles, but also to negotiate consortial licenses for individual institution-specific video streaming accounts.

 

A trial for the video streaming accounts is now underway (read more at: http://www.eln.bc.ca/trialrenewal/view.php?id=726). BC ELN is delighted to expand the ways it supports libraries and students in British Columbia.

British Columbia Electronic Library Network | [email protected] |

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