BC ELN will receive $110,000 in one-time funding from the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills to investigate information needs of Indigenous students and potential barriers to BC ELN membership for Indigenous post-secondary institutions, with a goal of developing recommendations for removing these barriers. A portion of the funding will be dedicated to bolstering AskAway and WriteAway services over the next two years (2024/25 and 2025/26), focusing on enhancing service models and addressing barriers to participation, particularly for Indigenous post-secondary institutions.

BC ELN exists to equitably meet the expanding information needs of the province’s students, educators, and researchers. “To support BC ELN’s goal of equity, it’s essential that we examine our systems and structures to identify any barriers that may hinder inclusive engagement,” says Sunni Nishimura, BC ELN Executive Director. “This funding will facilitate this examination, while we strive to build connections with Indigenous post-secondary institutions. Through relationship-building, we are committed to listening and learning about the goals, needs, and obstacles faced by Indigenous students, educators, and researchers, and exploring how BC ELN can effectively partner and support where desired.”

This exploratory work supports the following BC ELN strategic goals [1]:

• Review services to ensure they are steeped in a culture of continuous improvement and inclusion.
• Reach out to Indigenous communities to build respectful relationships in support of Indigenous information needs.

BC ELN expresses gratitude for the Ministry’s support of this important work.