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Secure Platform Now Available to Indigitization Program Participants
Communities participating in the Indigitization Program now have a robust, shared platform to preserve, manage, and share their digitized materials
Vancouver BC, December 17, 2021: A new partnership between the Indigitization Program, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at the University of British Columbia and the British Columbia Electronic Library Network (BC ELN) will enable Indigitization Program participants to store their digitized materials securely online. This is a progression in the suite of resources offered by the Program to build capacity among community-led digitization initiatives. In addition to digitization tools, support, and training the Indigitization Program currently provides, participants will now also be able to preserve and manage their digitized materials in the Arca collaborative digital repository.
Supported by BC ELN, Arca is a robust, secure, provincial platform currently in use by 33 galleries, libraries, museums, and archives across BC and beyond. Arca’s responsive access controls and Traditional Knowledge Label functionality empowers communities to determine if and how their content is accessible once preserved on the platform. Providing space on the Arca platform alleviates pressure for Program participants that might not otherwise have a storage solution in place, and supports Program goals in addressing issues around conservation and management of Indigenous community knowledge.
“We at Indigitization are very excited to have the opportunity to partner with BC ELN to provide the hosting of digital collections with Arca,” said Kayla Lar-Son, Program Manager Librarian for the Indigitization Program. “This partnership has allowed for Indigitization to expand our program, and allows for us to work with our community partners to further their digitization goals and projects. We also hope that we can use this opportunity to teach our community partners to build new skills when it comes to working with content management systems (CMS). Additionally, we are grateful that this partnership will further our goals at Indigitization of working with Indigenous communities in BC so that they can remain the owners and stewards of their own cultural heritage.”
“BC ELN’s strength is in developing and extending infrastructure that meets the expanding information needs of our many partners. We are pleased to deepen our relationship with the Indigitization Program team, and to further support their goal of developing community-led management of digital heritage,” said BC ELN Executive Director Anita Cocchia.
“This is an excellent expansion of the support and tools that Indigitization Program offers,” said Erica Hernández-Read, Head, Archives & Special Collections, Northern BC Archives. “Arca bridges the gap for groups that lack storage options, bolsters digital preservation of community knowledge, and supports participants’ decisions around how their materials are shared and/or accessed. It’s a positive development for the Program.”
About Indigitization Program
Indigitization Program is a BC based collaborative initiative between Indigenous communities and organizations, the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at the University of British Columbia, the Museum of Anthropology, Northern BC Archives (University of Northern British Columbia), X̱wi7x̱wa Library, and the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) to facilitate capacity building in Indigenous information management. The Program is committed to clarifying community needs regarding the conservation, digitization, and management of Indigenous knowledge. It does so by providing resources like the Indigitization toolkit, and enabling community-led digitization projects through grant funding and training. Indigitization seeks to develop a network of practitioners who support community-led management of digital heritage.
About the British Columbia Electronic Library Network
The British Columbia Electronic Library Network (BC ELN) is a partnership between the Province of British Columbia and its post-secondary libraries. BC ELN's purpose is to develop, promote and maintain system-wide mechanisms that allow post-secondary libraries to provide equitable access to resources that meet the expanding information needs of the province's learners, educators, and researchers at the best cost. Arca collaborative digital repository, made possible by a partnership between BC ELN and its partner libraries, is a collaborative initiative that puts the development and implementation of a digital repository within reach for every organization, at a reasonable cost, and in a supported environment. Expanding this approach across sectors and jurisdictions enhances Arca's sustainability, increases the value of the tool for BC learners and researchers, and advances the community of practice that nurtures the service.
Contacts:
Anita Cocchia
Executive Director
BC Electronic Library Network
778.782.7004
Kayla Lar-Son
Program Manager Librarian for the Indigitization Program
X̱wi7x̱wa Library, First Nations House of Learning
604.827.3049
Julie Mitchell
Associate University Librarian & Director, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
604.827.4307
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