October 2017
Volume 15.3
BC ELN Connect at a Glance

In this issue of BC ELN Connect we link up with the Common Suite Web, pass on exciting news gathered at the Auto-Graphics SHAREit conference, share the latest BC Digital Library developments, and of course check in with eHLbc and BC ELN Service areas Arca, AskAway, OutLook OnLine, and WriteAway. We welcome all thoughts on the Connect; email us at office@eln.bc.ca.
In This Issue
BC ELN Progress Report
 
BC ELN reports biannually on progress made on strategic goals. Check out the latest progress report, covering October 2016 to June 2017 at: http://bceln.ca/about/bceln-reports/progress-reports.
Tap into Common Suite News

The BC ELN Office is rolling out information about the recommended Common Suite. Called the "Common Suite Web", a series of webpages has been released at http://bcelnapps.ca/common-suite. the Common Suite Web contains background information on the Common Suite approach, FAQs, and trial and pricing information. Partner libraries now have an opportunity to schedule one-on-one consultations with the Office to ask institutional questions.
 
The consortium is on track to gauge partner library support for the Common Suite via survey in late-October, with the aim of providing the Steering Committee with responses prior to the November 4 special teleconference.
BC ELN Staff Attend the 2017 Auto-Graphics SHAREit Conference

Auto-Graphics SHAREit, the software which powers OutLook OnLine (OLOL) BC's provincial resource sharing service, recently held a User Group conference. Along with consortial library staff from across North America, OutLook OnLine Administrative Centre staff virtually attended the 2-week conference to learn more about current and upcoming features of the software. Sunni Nishimura, Resource Sharing Manager & Auto-Graphics User Group Chair, and OLOL Support Librarian Myfanwy (Vaughn) Postgate attended over a dozen sessions from the comfort of their own desks on topics ranging from customer support tools to a glimpse at how the software is engineered.

Exciting news was shared: Auto-Graphics announced their planned launch of Version 6 (V6) of the SHAREit software. V6 is expected to launch at the end of 2018 and should include many improvements to usability and speed. Modifications to the user interface are expected to be minimal, but just as with changes that occurred in 2014, the Administrative Centre will be standing by to fully support OLOL libraries through the 2018/19 transition. 
Connecting with SHAREit users across North America has inspired new knowledge and support solutions applicable to our consortia. The OLOL Admin Centre is looking forward to sharing new insights with OLOL libraries!
Developments of the BC Digital Library

Fall brings change and there have been a few notable changes with the BCDL, including a new website at http://bcdigilib.ca/. The website tracks the progress of the initiative, including conference and poster presentations, steering committee minutes, and technology updates. It also provides access to background reports, press releases, and communiques.

After agreeing that Fall 2017 was an opportune time to enter a new phase and engage in a business analysis of the BCDL initiative, the Steering Committee will soon begin the process. A business analysis is expected to provide specificity on the hub and spoke design within the BC context. It will lay the foundation for the work of future subcommittees regarding metadata and sustainability. Developments are underway to secure funding and a scope of work definition for this next phase. Watch the website and communiques for updates.

The Admin team remains engaged with other digital initiatives in Canada and beyond. Regular meetings between OurDigitalWorld (OurOntario) and the National Historic Digitization Secretariat are ongoing where discussions continue to uncover synergies from platforms to process. Some of these synergies will be presented at the Ontario Library Association Superconference where members of the Admin team will co-present with OurDigitalWorld employees. Something to watch for if you are attending OLA this year!

Service Area Updates
West Coast Hosting Brings Big Benefits to Arca
Screenshot of Arca Home Page
The Arca Administrative Centre, platform service provider discoverygarden, and Simon Fraser University (SFU) IT Services have
been working together to move the hosting of Arca from its current east coast site to SFU's state-of-the-art data centre in British Columbia. The move ensures Arca's sustainability and scalability, and maximizes administrative efficiencies by bringing service coordination and infrastructure under one roof. discoverygarden will continue to support the Arca installation of Islandora at its new SFU host, with the Administrative Centre providing front-line support to libraries. The Arca service will benefit from SFU's competitive hosting rates, and Arca participating libraries will be able to access affordable additional storage. Stay tuned for more Arca growth... the repository currently holds over 60,000 items in over 200 collections - tremendous! Visit Arca at http://arcabc.ca/
AskAway Welcomes Columbia College

The AskAway community has grown! Columbia College Library is AskAway's newest member, joining the service this September. An Associate Member of BC ELN, Columbia College is a private international college located in Vancouver. By joining AskAway, Columbia College Library broadens the course and research help provided to students. In the words of Columbia College library staff: "We're excited to extend our reference services by joining AskAway! Because of high demand, we are not always able to help every student who drops in the library to get research help. AskAway will not only provide our students an excellent alternative when we are out of our office or busy helping other students, but it will also allow us to reach students who may feel too timid to ask for help in person." With Columbia College on board, 31 institutions are now working together to bring collaborative chat reference to learners across the province.
 
Over the past few weeks new and returning service providers prepared for AskAway's Fall term by taking advantage of training offered by the Administrative Centre. In total, 25 library staff from across the province participated in online and in-person training. "I completed my first AskAway shift today," a freshly-trained University of British Columbia AskAwayer exclaimed, "It was a cool experience!"
eHLbc Core Suite and Website in the Works
 
With a licensing budget of over $4 million and clear directive from members, eHLbc's top priority is providing access to vital health resources to its fifty constituents.
At the December 2016 strategic planning meeting, member institutions emphasized that maintaining the Core Suite should be the primary focus of eHLbc's work. Following this direction, the Administrative Centre is hard at work to make sure its members and their users continue to have access to the best health journals at affordable costs. Expert negotiators Leigh Anne Palmer and Anita Cocchia are deep into pricing discussions with EBSCO and Ovid to renew eHLbc's Core Suite of resources.
Also on the horizon: Prepare for a refreshed eHLbc website and logo! The Administrative Centre encourages all members to join the November 7th virtual Steering Committee meeting to find out more about the Core Suite negotiations and website.
OutLook OnLine Focuses on Training

Over the summer the OutLook OnLine (OLOL) Administrative Support Centre has improved website organization and gathered information to better meet training needs. The Centre has also helped a number of OLOL libraries implement workflow enhancements such as Patron-Initiated Interlibrary Loan requesting, Live Shelf Status activation, and Lending Policies.

The recently published Training Requirements Survey results are available from the Administrative Centre Reports page https://ill.bceln.ca/reports. In the survey results 75% of respondents indicated they would appreciate pre-recorded screencast tutorials on various topics.The BC ELN Office is in the process of selecting training software that will enable its provincial services, including OLOL, to create online tutorials. Soon the OLOL Admin Centre will be developing training videos to assist your library with popular OutLook OnLine features - from basic workflow advice to assistance with complex statistics.
WriteAway Expands Again 

This September, WriteAway welcomed two new institutions: Trinity Western University (TWU) and Alberta's Northern Lakes College. WriteAway's consortial approach to online writing tutoring means that undergraduate students enrolled in classes at any of the participating institutions can connect with a tutor, even if they are off-campus or half-way around the world!
WriteAway is a great complement to the suite of services offered by TWU's new Learning Commons that brings together academic coaching, advising, career development, disability services, and the writing centre. TWU Writing Centre Coordinator, Emily Keery notes that WriteAway is a great fit with their existing programs because "WriteAway's tutoring philosophy is grounded in academic research in rhetoric and composition and the feedback that tutors receive from WriteAway reinforces their institutional training." When WriteAway opened to student submissions this Fall, a TWU student was first in line to receive help from a tutor and to date, more than 97 students have created accounts with the service.
Alberta's Northern Lakes College serves a broad area comprised of over 50 communities including fifteen First Nations and four Métis Settlements from its main campus in Slave Lake and its 25 satellite campuses and learning centres. With the dissolution of eTutor Alberta, Northern Lakes College was keen to continue consortial online tutoring and it was a natural fit for the institution to join WriteAway. Thanks to eTutor Alberta and WriteAway's similar approaches to tutoring and making use of the same tutoring software, students at Northern Lakes College will still have access to trained tutors where they need them - online!
BC ELN Staff News
Staff Profile: Get to Know Jennifer Bancroft
Need help with a licensing question or support with eHLbc? If so, Jennifer is your go-to gal! Jennifer has been with BC ELN and the eHLbc Administrative Centre since the summer of 2013. Over the years Jennifer has honed her knowledge of licensing by working on countless renewals. This is truly eHLbc and BC ELN's "bread and butter" work, and the consortium relies on staff like Jennifer to get pricing from vendors, communicate quickly and clearly to members, and help anyone who has questions.
 
In addition to her work with licensing, Jennifer provides support for governance committees by preparing agenda packages and producing meeting minutes. Communication is a key component of her work; Jennifer creates and updates webpages and compiles information for the Year in Review, eHLbc's annual report.
 
When asked what she enjoys about working at BC ELN/eHLbc, Jennifer says "I love working with health librarians - they are a great group of people - very dedicated, hands on, and passionate about helping users and researchers. I find eHLbc is such a unique consortium. I like that it's a collaboration between different sectors, and having different types of librarians brings a lot of diversity to the questions I get asked. I love problem solving so I like working through challenges and helping our members!"