October 2015
Volume 13.3
VanDusen, VanDusen Garden British Columbia. Photo by Chris CC-BY 2.0 (cropped)
In This Issue
Connect at a Glance

In this issue of BC ELN Connect, we plan for the future with the Environmental Scan, get friendly with JIBC, catch up on BC ELN initiatives, and more.

The BC ELN Office welcomes your comments on this and any issue of BC ELN Connect:
office@eln.bc.ca

BC ELN is now on Twitter!
Join us: twitter.com/bceln 
BC ELN staff with April Haddad, Institute Librarian at JIBC. From left, Brandon Weigel, Leah Hopton, April Haddad, Anita Cocchia, Myfanwy Postgate, and Sunni Nishimura. Photo by Richard Chu, JIBC.
BC ELN Wins Friend/Associate of JIBC Award

The Justice Institute of BC (JIBC) recently honoured BC ELN by awarding it the Friend/Associate of JIBC Award. In September, BC ELN staff traveled to the New Westminster campus to accept the award at the 15th annual Awards of Excellence ceremony. JIBC President and CEO Dr. Michel Tarko presented the award.

BC ELN has worked with JIBC's Library for 25 years to provide student and staff with cost-effective access to essential electronic resources including journal and newspaper articles, e-books, and streaming videos, and to valuable research support via AskAway. JIBC describes BC ELN as a "truly stellar consortium with a long and positive history. Through the BC ELN, JIBC can provide students with the resources they need to achieve academic success, and employees with key resources in support of high quality programming."

Thank you to the JIBC for recognizing BC ELN's work, and we look forward to ongoing collaboration in the future!
BC ELN Launches Arca

British Columbians now have anytime, anywhere public access to research created at BC post-secondary institutions via Arca, a province-wide network of digital repositories. Arca is the outcome of a partnership between the British Columbia Electronic Library Network (BC ELN) and Charlottetown, PEI-based software firm discoverygarden, supported by a grant from the Ministry of Advanced Education. The name Arca, Latin for "treasure chest," and the project tagline "Discover BC's Digital Treasures" invites the public to discover digital gems at BC's post-secondary institutions. Explore Arca at
Read the full announcement at: http://www.eln.bc.ca/docs/view.php?id=1729 
BC ELN Environmental Scan: An Informed View of the Future

BC ELN is preparing to develop its next five-year Strategic Plan for 2016-21. To assist with future planning, the BC ELN Office conducted an environmental scan. The environmental scan surveys BC ELN's external environment to identify and assess trends that may affect BC ELN's future development.

Read the Environmental Scan Report at: http://www.eln.bc.ca/docs/view.php?id=1732

We identifed five environments that influence BC ELN:
  • Libraries (Support and Services)
  • Libraries (e-Resources)
  • Education
  • Technology
  • Provincial Priorities
For each of these areas, we outline present and future trends as identified in current writings and through conversations with partners and stakeholders. Based on these trends, we describe opportunities for BC ELN to explore as it moves forward on its mission.

This environmental scan, along with additional background information (e.g. partner library staff survey results, consultation interviews with external partners), will inform the strategic planning process to take place on December 4th.
Photo by Cristen Polley
Keep Calm and Chat On: How AskAwayers Weather the Busy Season

by Cristen Polley, BC ELN Librarian

It's that time of year again when AskAway is at its busiest as students enter the second half of the term. AskAway service providers work on the front lines to help students with their research, sometimes juggling four or five calls at a time. The work is rewarding but can be intense. As a service provider for over two years, I've developed my own work style to help me relax and stay focused during my shift. I open the window, listen to soft music, and coax my cat into my lap. 

Since we work remotely, I was curious to hear how other AskAwayers prepare for the steady stream of students during the busy season. To find out, I interviewed three fellow AskAwayers: Emma Lawson (Langara College / BC ELN), Angela Ryan (Kwantlen Polytechnic University), and Myfanwy Postgate (BC ELN).

Angela and Myfanwy have both been dedicated to AskAway for an impressive nine years each, since 2006. Emma started staffing AskAway in 2011. 

On AskAway, Angela enjoys connecting with librarians from across the province and especially likes working with Myfanwy and the Sunday night crew. In an ideal world, Angela would turn on jazz or classical music and settle into her shift with a cup of tea. But in reality, she says, "there is nothing peaceful about my shifts on AskAway. And yet, I manage to help four or more students at a time and deal with the chaos that surrounds me in my house." For efficiency, Angela keeps one tab open for each student. Angela thrives when AskAway is at its busiest: "the busier it is, the more focused I become."
 
Myfanwy most enjoys the students' enthusiasm and creative research topics. "Almost every week, I see a new-to-me interesting question," she says. Myfanwy's workspace is quite different from Angela's, and she prefers complete silence and no visual distractions during a busy shift. To stay relaxed, Myfanwy works on each question in a separate browser window and keeps a refreshing drink within reach.
 
Emma finds it interesting to answer questions from different institutions and interact with colleagues from across BC. She prefers a quiet environment, and to keep warm she says, "I usually wrap a quilt around myself and have a big cup of tea on the table." During a busy shift, the constant ring of new patrons keeps her energized.

Thank you to Angela, Myfanwy, and Emma for sharing what they enjoy about working for AskAway, their strategies to remain calm amid the chaos, and how they are each able to find something positive and invigorating about the fast pace.
  Collaborative Updates
AskAway Logo Transparent
AskAway Releases Best Practices for Visibility and Makes Music

AskAway had a smooth start this fall term, with institutions settling back into a fuller schedule designed to handle the higher volumes of calls AskAway sees in the cooler months. September 2015 was as busy as ever, with an average of 109 calls a day for the first ten days of service. With an aim of encouraging AskAway usage, the AskAway Administrative Centre has recently released a set of best practices for visibility, which are now available on the website. The guide provides detailed suggestions on AskAway promotion via institutional webpages and is the first in a proposed series of best practices providing guidance on various aspects of the AskAway service.

Have you ever wondered what AskAway sounds like? Wonder no more! BC ELN's AskAway coordinator Brandon Weigel recently attended the Access 2015 conference where he learned how to use Sonic Pi, a tool that transforms data into sound. You can read more about the process on the AskAway  blog  or just sit back and listen on Soundcloud.
e-HLbc Logo
E-HLbc Welcomes its Newest Member

When the Electronic Health Library of British Columbia (e-HLbc) was first launched in 2006, membership consisted of six health authorities, 24 post-secondary institutions, and three provincial ministries. Ten years later, e-HLbc's membership has grown from 33 to 46 institutions! In June of this year, e-HLbc acquired its newest member: The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA). 
 
The FNHA is a partnership between the BC First Nations, the Province of BC, and the Government of Canada.  Since 2013, the FNHA has taken over the programs and services formerly handled by Health Canada's First Nations Inuit Health Branch - Pacific Region.  The FNHA carries out research and policy development in the area of First Nations health and wellness, and also plans, designs, manages, and funds the delivery of community-based programs including primary care services, children, youth, and maternal health, and mental health and addictions programming.  e-HLbc is pleased to welcome our latest member to the consortial community!
 
This summer, e-HLbc also released the Year in Review 2014 , the consortium's annual report. The Year in Review highlights e-HLbc's main achievements in the past year, including its successful renewal of the Core Suite for the next three years, and its acquisition of two new boutique resources, EBSCO's Discovery Service and the American Psychiatric Association's PsychiatryOnline, which includes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.).
WriteAway is as Busy as Ever
WriteAway Logo
 
After the busiest summer yet for the online collaborative writing service, WriteAway is on track for record shattering usage this September-December with over 100 submissions in the first week of service! With Langara College, North Island College, University of the Fraser Valley, and Vancouver Community College joining the service this fall, undergraduate students at 15 institutions can now receive formative feedback on their writing from experienced tutors.
 
Currently, WriteAway governance is being streamlined to fold together existing committees and promote dialogue between stakeholders through the creation of the new BC eTutoring Steering Committee. This new committee will provide oversight for WriteAway and include constituent representation and members with specific experience in key writing and learning roles to support the ongoing success of the service.
 
More information about WriteAway is available on our website. If your institution is interested in joining WriteAway, please contact the WriteAway Administrative Office at waoffice@eln.bc.ca
  Staff News
SFU Library staff play Consortial Bingo. Photo by Tony Lu
Opening our Doors to SFU Library Staff

On October 13th, the BC ELN office was pleased to extend a warm welcome and cool treats to SFU Library staff at Treats at 3, a regular event where SFU Library staff are invited to meet and learn about different library departments.
 
Anita Cocchia, BC ELN Executive Director, opened the event by sharing a brief history of BC ELN. SFU Library has been home to BC ELN since January 2004. The Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL) joined the offices in 2012, and in 2013, the Electronic Health Library of BC (e-HLbc) moved in. The BC ELN offices are now shared by these three consortia, and staff from all three were at the event.
 
With ice cream and frozen fruit bars in hand, library staff played a little game called Consortial Bingo by walking around and talking to BC ELN staff, with a goal of discovering our job responsibilities and some fun facts about each of us. Check out the complete game and answers  here .

BC ELN Babies!

Leigh Anne Palmer (e-HLbc Coordinator and BC ELN Coordinator) is currently on parental leave to care for her daughter Merit Kathryn who was born December 10th. It's hard to imagine a whole year has almost passed since then. We look forward to welcoming Leigh Anne back to the office in December.
 
Brandon Weigel (BC ELN Librarian) and his wife Darrell welcomed their first child on January 3rd of this year. Brandon is currently on leave to care for little Amelia Yuen, and is due to return in January.
 
Leah Hopton (BC ELN Project Coordinator) is expecting a baby boy on January 6th and will be on leave starting in the New Year. We wish her all the best!
 
The BC ELN Contact page is updated to regularly to reflect these changes. As always, feel free to contact any member of the BC ELN staff if you have a question.
New Staff: Cristen Polley (BC ELN Librarian)

I first learned of BC ELN when I worked as a Student Librarian for AskAway at UBC. I have continued to work for AskAway, as an Auxiliary Librarian for BC ELN this past summer and as a Reference Librarian at SFU currently. Prior to joining BC ELN, I digitized archival material at UBC's Digitization Centre and at the Jewish Museum and Archives of BC. 

Outside of work, I love to walk and wander the city, write, cuddle my two cats, and cook. My specialties are leek and potato soup and banana bread. I've recently started reading about the history of photography and am especially keen to learn more about women photographers. 

I believe in making electronic learning resources and research support widely accessible, and I am excited to be working behind the scenes in a consortium. One of my first projects was to create this issue of Connect!

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