August 2020
Welcome to the Arca newsletter
The Arc will keep all Arca partners and the BC ELN community at large informed about what’s new and on the horizon for Arca, BC's collaborative digital repository!

We'll be using this space to keep you up-to-date on changes, share the newest features, and provide operational updates and tips for Arca administrators. Now, more than ever, is a great time to celebrate our digital collections and build community. We'll be sharing the great work all of our partners do by highlighting a different featured collection each issue, with the goal of strengthening Arca community connections.

Know of a great collection worthy of being featured? Or excited about your own newest addition? Have your say and nominate our next featured collection by emailing the Arca office at arcaoffice@bceln.ca 
What's new for Arca?

The last few months has seen the world change in many different ways and we want to highlight how Arca continues to support a larger goal of making resources accessible and creating community outside physical boundaries.
Since March of this year and the implementation of physical distance mandates, Arca has had over 48,000 visits. This is an increase of nearly 4,000 from this same period last year which shows the importance of having digital resources accessible.
Notes from the Team

Many thanks to Sophie Armond, a BC ELN Co-op Librarian who worked with partnering GLAM sector organizations to bring in new BCHDP collections. Sadly her term with us is over - we wish her the best in her future endeavours!

We also want to thank Nicoletta Romano, a UBC iSchool student librarian who completed her professional experience with BC ELN this spring. Among many other things she wrangled BCHDP collections metadata and created this newsletter!
Did you know?
  • Arca currently holds 106,242 objects within 902 collections

  • Vancouver Public Library joined Arca in January bringing partnering sites up to 26

  • Emily Carr University of Art + Design and Camosun College have joined the WestVault Preservation Network

  • Arca continues to work with past BCHDP recipients. So far 6 GLAM organizations have been added and 4 more are in the works

  • Arca's newest collection is 12 episodes of the Skeena Journal TV show which aired in the 1970's in Terrace, BC

Introducing the New Arca Sandbox
The Arca Sandbox is up and running! This newly developed shared space was created for Arca administrators to test out changes to their collection in a safe environment. It has all of the look and feel of Arca without any of the risk. This is your chance to experiment with user design changes, collection aesthetics, and possible improvements to overall usability. Contact the Arca Office to set up an account today.

Arca Sandbox logo
Arca Administrators' Corner
Focusing on the technical side with operational tips & news
Image of an office desk. Photo by Michael Aleo on Unsplash
Arca's security got an upgrade!
We are excited to share that Cloudflare has been implemented Arca-wide! This security measure was put in place in June following a number of recent attacks. Cloudflare is a Web Application Firewall (WAF) that sits between the server and those trying to access it. It will filter requests and help to provide greater security. Additional information on Cloudflare and how it can better protect our collections was sent out to the Arca Administrator mailing list.

Arca Local Administrators should be subscribed to the Arca Admins mailing list. If you are a local administrator and not receiving these emails, please contact arcaoffice@bceln.ca.
Stay up-to-date on Arca's operational changes:
Arca Featured Collection
Still from Thirza Cuthand's 'Alice'. Performer reading a book

Now seems like a perfect time to get lost in some art! This collection from grunt gallery has a range of materials including photographs and videos of performance work by BC, Canadian, and international artists. Spend some time exploring this growing collection which highlights the story of the LIVE Biennial of Performance Art in Vancouver.

Looking for somewhere to start? We suggest exploring Thirza Cuthard's ‘Alice’. This powerful performance examines survival, visibility, and intersecting Queer and Indigenous identities, reframing Lewis Carroll's famous fairy tale.


Arca is a service of the BC Electronic Library Network (BC ELN).
Interested in hosting your collections in Arca? Have any questions or want to learn more? Contact the Arca Administrative Centre.