What's New

Upcoming Talk: We’re here together! Toward meaningful digital access to BC’s historical collections with Arca

Leah Hopton — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 23:39:36 +0000

Upcoming Talk: We’re here together! Toward meaningful digital access to BC’s historical collections with Arca

September 2, 2026

Sometimes, the scanning is the easy part.

How do BC repositories move from digitizing collections to making them accessible and useful online? And how can researchers get meaningful value from those digital collections?

On Sunday September 20th, join Sasha Han from BC ELN alongside Paige Hohmann from BC Regional Digitized History at UBC Okanagan for an online conversation about the supports, resources, funding opportunities, and hosting options available to BC repositories, with a focus on Arca as a shared digital repository service.

BC ELN Orientation: Learn at Your Own Pace

Leah Hopton — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:21:41 +0000

BC ELN Orientation: Learn at Your Own Pace

August 21, 2026

If you’re new to BC ELN, or you’ve been around for a while but still aren’t quite sure what we do, we have a short, self-guided orientation module that can help!

There’s no registration required, and no scheduled session to try to fit into your calendar… just a short Canvas module you can work through whenever you have a quiet moment.

And if you’re looking for a few other things to explore, we have additional self-guided modules on AskAway and WriteAway. Perfect for a slow summer afternoon… or for bookmarking for later.

Stronger Together: BC ELN’s 2025 Innovation & Success

Leah Hopton — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:23:10 +0000

Stronger Together: BC ELN’s 2025 Innovation & Success

August 13, 2026

We’re excited to share the BC ELN Innovation & Success 2025 report!

Across our network, BC ELN partner libraries worked together in 2025 to strengthen shared services, improve sustainability, expand access to resources, and support students, faculty, researchers, and communities across B.C. and beyond.

A few highlights from the year:

Request for Proposals: Shared LSP Feasibility Study

Kyla McCallum — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:38:32 +0000

Request for Proposals: Shared LSP Feasibility Study

August 5, 2026

BC ELN is seeking a consultant or consultancy to conduct its shared library services platforms (LSP) feasibility study. View the full Request for Proposals.

AI in BC ELN Licensed Resources

Amber Gallant — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:00:05 +0000

AI in BC ELN Licensed Resources

July 8, 2026

BC ELN is pleased to release the initial results of the AI in BC ELN Licensed Resources project! This project surveyed vendors to clarify how generative AI is being used across products and services licensed through BC ELN/eHLbc direct or Consortia Canada deals. The survey asked:

what AI components are in development or have been rolled out in vendor platforms and services;

BC ELN-BCHDP Support Service: Early Notice 2027/28

Amber Gallant — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 18:58:20 +0000

BC ELN-BCHDP Support Service: Early Notice 2027/28

July 6, 2026

Does your library plan to partner with a community-based organization* on a digitization project in a supporting role? Grant application support is available!

The British Columbia History Digitization Program (BCHDP) is seeking early notice from prospective applicants for the 2027-2028 funding year. Early notice allows program staff to offer additional support during the grant application process to applicants that are eligible and interested.

Building a Sustainable Shared Service: Lessons from AskAway

Leah Hopton — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 19:12:41 +0000

Building a Sustainable Shared Service: Lessons from AskAway

July 2, 2026

When students use AskAway, they see a simple chat box. From their library's website, they type in a research question and within moments, a friendly library staff member is typing back, helping them find the information they need.

What students don't see behind the conversation is the collaborative network of over 300 library workers across 28 institutions staffing AskAway. Library staff from participating post-secondary institutions work together to provide seamless research support, regardless of which institution's website a question comes from.

The Invisible Infrastructure Behind 80,000 Interlibrary Loans

Leah Hopton — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:21:48 +0000

The Invisible Infrastructure Behind 80,000 Interlibrary Loans

June 25, 2026

Interlibrary loan appears simple on the surface. When a student in Prince George needs a book held in Abbotsford, or a researcher in Kelowna needs an article from Vancouver, they can request these items in just a few clicks through their local library website. Within moments, the request is complete… but the item’s journey across the province is only just beginning. What looks simple on the surface depends on a complex network of 104 public and post-secondary libraries working together across British Columbia and the Yukon.

Shared LSP Feasibility Update: Current Status, Next Steps, Communication Channels

Kyla McCallum — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:16:34 +0000

Shared LSP Feasibility Update: Current Status, Next Steps, Communication Channels

April 13, 2026

In July 2025, the BC ELN Steering Committee agreed to launch a feasibility study that will provide BC ELN members and key partners with the evidence and analysis needed to determine whether a coordinated approach to shared library service platforms (LSP) is a viable, beneficial, and sustainable option for BC post-secondary institutions.

Reflections from BC ELN’s 2025-2026 Student Librarians

Kyla McCallum — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:01:36 +0000

Reflections from BC ELN’s 2025-2026 Student Librarians

March 30, 2026

BC ELN Student Librarians Austin Miner (they/them/theirs) and Jiaqi Pei (he/him/his) recently concluded their 2025–2026 positions supporting the consortium across a wide range of services and projects. To commemorate their time with BC ELN, Project Librarian Kyla McCallum reached out to ask about their experience working with academic libraries at the system level.