Project Updates
September 22, 2008
ARC-BC has been launched! On September 8th, the eight school districts involved in the ARC-BC Pilot Project met online for their first look at the repository. The development of the repository took longer than expected but it did go “live” just in time for that meeting. Project teams were shown the various areas of the repository and were able to offer initial comments and observations. They were also able to submit an ARC-BC Community Application during the past two weeks so that teams and users in their districts could begin accessing the repository and downloading alternate format materials. The pilot project school districts will be testing and providing feedback on ARC-BC until December 2008.
ARC-BC is located at www.arc-bc.org and regular online informational meetings have been scheduled for anyone interested in more information or would like to see how to access and search the collection (see Online Sessions). All other BC school districts are invited to join the ARC-BC Community beginning in January 2009. ARC-BC Community Applications for school districts will be available beginning September 30, 2008.
In addition to the exciting September launch, we have added two new members to the ARC-BC Provincial Team. In the summer, Lu Liu joined Victoria Baker and Nancy Zhang to help out with alternate format production, and, at the beginning of September, Debbie Sitar joined PRCVI and will be helping oversee the development of the project in the coming year. Welcome to both!
February 14, 2008
The ARC-BC Pilot Project held an interactive online meeting and teleconference Wednesday, February 13th to make final decisions regarding the design of the digital repository. Representatives from all eight participating districts attended the meeting from their locations all around the province. The status of the project was shared - information on the specific blueprint for the repository was described and an updated timeline for repository construction was highlighted. Team members also discussed three main areas of the project that required final decisions - the process for district access to the repository, methods for acquiring existing district resources, and initial training plans for their district staff. As with the first, face-to-face meeting, district teams provided excellent suggestions and guidance which were immediately incorporated into the digital repository plans.
The updated timeline will see the following activities over the next few months...
- the respository, with plans now complete, will be constructed
- existing sources of alternate format materials, including PRCVI's list of electronic text and those resources currently existing in BC school districts, will be obtained and form the foundation for populating the repository
- ARC-BC production assistants will begin the process of gathering, creating and cataloging alternate format materials
- Packages of training materials will be created to meet the diverse training needs of districts
The ARC-BC Pilot Project group will meet again on September 8th when the trial will begin and team members trained on accessing, searching, and downloading materials from the repository. The trial is expected to run September - December 2008 with the projected opening of ARC-BC to all BC school districts being January 2009.
December 7, 2007
Representatives from eight school districts met for two days at the SET-BC Provincial Centre as part of the ARC-BC Pilot Project. The two day meeting was a terrific opportunity for teams to discuss the many issues associated with the design and access of the alternate format repository. Teams participated in a number of activities designed to gather specific information on district activities creating alternate format materials as well as suggestions for repository design to ensure secure access and high quality, appropriate materials. The information and discussions were invaluable for the ARC-BC team as the project is moving quickly through the design phase.
The next activity planned for the Pilot Project group is an online meeting and teleconference scheduled for February 13th, 2008. The tentative repository design and user interface will be shared at that time and specific plans to ensure secure district access will be finalized.
Click here for more information on the ARC-BC Pilot Project meeting.
November 28, 2007
The ARC-BC team was pleased to receive and review many excellent applications for the upcoming pilot project. We'd like to extend our sincere appreciation to all districts who took the time to compile and submit an application. The review process was a difficult one since most school districts are already actively involved in acquiring, creating and using alternate format materials with their students. Many districts are also well on their way to coordinating their own alternate format repositories. Unfortunately, the ARC-BC pilot project can only involve representatives from eight districts. Selection of these districts was based on the criteria outlined in the pilot project application.
The following school districts will be participating in the ARC-BC pilot project...
- SD 69 - Parksville-Qualicum
- SD 71 - Comox Valley
- SD 36 - Surrey
- SD 35 - Langley
- SD 67 - Okanagan-Skaha
- SD 5 - SE Kootenays
- SD 51 - Boundary
- SD 28 - Quesnel
Teams from these districts will be meeting for the first time on December 5th and 6th, 2007 at the SET-BC Provincial Centre. Meeting discussions will focus on identification of repository access procedures, design of the repository user interface, and prioritizing initial alternate format materials. If you have any questions about the pilot project, please contact us at arc@setbc.org.