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About eHLbc

Purpose

The Electronic Health Library of British Columbia (eHLbc) is a consortium of 50 members, made up of private and public post-secondary institutions, government ministries, regulatory colleges, health authorities, and professional health associations.

The consortium's primary goal is to provide BC's and Yukon's health care and post-secondary communities with equitable access to essential online health resources. eHLbc's centralized approach to licensing resources leverages consortial buying power to achieve steep discounts for members. eHLbc benefits over 600,000 health students, researchers, and practitioners, as well as 5.1 million residents of BC and Yukon who have the assurance that their health care providers have access to current evidence-based health research.

Value

Our multi-sector collaborative services and coordinated approach to licensing ensures that all health students and practitioners across BC and Yukon - whether they are working in urban or rural centres, in public or private practice - have access to the same core health resources that support and improve practice, education, and research.

History

The consortium was formed in 2006 under the leadership of the BC Academic Health Council (BCAHC), a federation of independent and publicly-funded health care and post-secondary institutions, with a significant financial contribution from the BC Ministry of Health Services. When officially launched on April 1, 2006, eHLbc was comprised of 24 publicly-funded post-secondary institutions, six health authorities, three provincial ministries, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC.

Following the dissolution of the BCAHC in 2013, eHLbc was transferred to Simon Fraser University (SFU). Now the BC Electronic Library Network (BC ELN) serves as Administrative Centre, providing the consortium with essential services, such as project management, license negotiations, and technical support.

Organization

eHLbc is governed by a Management Committee and All Member Group. All member organizations select a representative to sit on the All Member Group. The Management Committee is comprised of elected representatives from All Members and provides leadership to the consortium.

Fueled by the principle of transparency, major financial decisions must receive initial approval from the Management Committee and final approval from All Members. The eHLbc Administrative Centre, staffed by BC ELN's Executive Director, Project Managers, and Coordinators, work closely with the Management Committee to carry out the operations of the consortium.

Key Relationships

Simon Fraser University Library currently serves as eHLbc's host, providing administrative, financial, and organizational infrastructure to the consortium.

The BC Electronic Library Network (BC ELN), a unit in the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Library, is contracted by eHLbc members to act as the consortium’s Administrative Centre.

The Administrative Centre functioning out of the BC ELN Office exists as a unit in the SFU Library and is subject to SFU policies in areas such as human resources, salaries, and financial management.

Staff of the eHLbc Administrative Centre are employed by Simon Fraser University. Administrative Centre staff report to the BC ELN Executive Director who acts as the department head within the SFU Library, and oversees and evaluates the work of staff in accordance with appropriate human resources policies.