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Membership

Value in Membership

BC ELN provides superior and equitable information access for all learners, educators, and researchers by extending the expertise and resources of BC post-secondary libraries. BC ELN members benefit from an expanded community of practice, cost-effective services and solutions, leveraged purchasing for eResources and information management tools, training, and professional development opportunities.

On behalf of its members, BC ELN participates in advocacy, lobbying, leadership, and collaborative efforts that ultimately improve library services for BC post-secondary learners. It promotes coordination and cooperation among the post-secondary libraries of BC, provides a communications infrastructure for library leaders, and maintains liaison efforts with other agencies and councils as appropriate.

Strength in Numbers - Recent Snapshot of BC ELN Accomplishments (2022)

  • 430,000+ learners, educators, and researchers benefit annually from BC ELN services and resources
  • 145 products, options, and services negotiated by BC ELN staff and made available to partner libraries for individual selection and subscription
  • Cost savings of $4.3 million achieved for BC post-secondary institutions through group purchase discounts for electronic resources and information management tools (an average of 30% discount for partner libraries)
  • 47,700 questions answered through the AskAway chat reference service
  • 6,000 student assignments received feedback through WriteAway online tutoring
  • 79,000 interlibrary loans facilitated through Illume interlibrary loan
  • 1,550 collections of previously unavailable content made accessible through Arca digital repository

Types of Partner Libraries

Two types of members exist within BC ELN:

Full Members

Full Members include the libraries of the public post-secondary institutions funded by the Province of British Columbia. New publicly funded post-secondary institutions are added to this list as necessary. Legacy members in this category include Trinity Western University and Yukon University.

Associate Members

Associate Members include the libraries of private institutions who have individually applied and been approved by the BC ELN Steering Committee as meeting the requirements for this category as outlined in Applying for Associate Membership.

Membership Benefits and Responsibilities

Membership in BC ELN includes a number of benefits and responsibilities. Please see the pages below for more information:

Libraries interested in Associate Membership should contact BC ELN at office@bceln.ca