Welcome to code4lib Code4Lib BC! Begun in Summer 2013, this chapter aims to create connections and professional development opportunities for folks from British Columbia and surrounding areas.
Begun You can find the public discussion channel on the Code4lib Slack in Summer 2013, this chapter aims to create connections and professional development opportunities for folks from British Columbia and surrounding areas#c4lbc.
If you're interested in hosting, please [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mh8haGBziQHiBkG_0byNgIEPxWIsBjKAXOss0cE9fJs/edit?usp== sharing take a read over our Planner'''First Annual Code4lib BC Event''' ==s Guide].
== '''WhenTenth Code4Lib BC Unconference 2025''': November 28 and 29, 2013==
'''Where''': SFU Harbour Centre* Thursday, Vancouver16 October and Friday, BC 17 October* [httphttps://goowww.gleventbrite.ca/e/maps2025-code4lib-bc-unconference-registration-1677528636309/iyC0j mapRegister now]
This year'''Cost''': $20s C4LBC will be held in Vancouver, BC, and hosted by Emily Carr.
'''Accommodations'''Location: Info coming soonEmily Carr University of Art and Design, 520 E 1st Ave. [https://maps.app.goo.gl/wDsSfdrZwAJyEYLb6 Map to get there], Rennie Hall (inside the front entrance). For more information on transit and parking, please check the [https://www.ecuad.ca/about/visit/parking-transit Emily Carr Campus Location, Parking, Transit, Contact page].
=== What'''Register here''': https://code4libbc2013.eventbrite.ca/s it all about? ===
It'''What''': It’s s a 2 -day unconference! A - a participant-driven meeting featuring lightning talks in the mornings, hackfest in the afternoons, with coffee, tea bringing together a diverse and snacks provided. Lightning talks are brief presentations which are typically 5-10 minutes in length (15 minutes is the maximum) on topics related to open community of library technologies: current projects, tips developers and tricks, or hacks non-developers engaging in the works. Hackfest is an opportunity to bring participants together in an ad hoc fashion for a shorteffective, yet sustained period of collaborative problem -solving, software development and fun. In advance of the event, we will gather project ideas in a form available through our wiki and registration pages. Each afternoon the code4libBC participants will review and discuss the proposals, break into groups, and work on some technology regardless of the projectstheir department or background.
'''Who''': A diverse This year’s event will feature lightning talks and open community of library developers and non-developers engaging in effectivebreakout sessions. Lightning talks are brief, collaborative problem10-solving through technology.Anyone from the library community who is interested in minute presentations on topics related to library technologies . Breakout sessions are welcome an opportunity to join and participatebring participants together in an ad hoc fashion for a short, regardless yet sustained period of their department or background: systems and ITproblem solving, public services, circulation, cataloguing software development and technical services, archives, digitization and preservationfun. All are welcome to help set the agenda, define the outcomes and develop the deliverables!
* '''WhyWhat's included''': Why not? code4libBC is a group of dynamic library technology practitioners throughout the province who want to build new relationships as much as develop new software solutions to problems.room, coffee/tea, wifi, power
* '''Tag d'hashWhat to bring''': #c4lbcyour ideas and enthusiasm.
If you’re ready to get your hands dirty with library technology practitioners, register here* '''Socials Hashtag''': https://code4libbc2013.eventbrite.ca/`#c4lbc`
Our first annual code4libBC * '''Code of Conduct''': As a Code4Lib event could not have been made possible without , we adhere to the generous financial support of[http://bit.ly/coc4lib Code4Lib Code of Conduct], which seeks to provide a welcoming, harassment-free environment.
* BCCATS (British Columbia Cataloguing and Technical Services Interest Group)* BC Electronic Library Network* BC Libraries Cooperative* Kwantlen Polytechnic University* Simon Fraser University* University of VictoriaIf you need help with funding your attendance, you can [https://forms.gle/Y6ZcWyXihBowrdndA request a bursary] by October 3, 2025.
And special thanks to the BC Libraries Cooperative for assisting the organizing group with administrative duties.===Lightning Talk and Breakout Session Ideas===
Feel free If there’s a neat project you've been working on, a cool new tool you want to email Paul Joseph (code4libBC Chair) at paul.joseph@ubc.ca with questions show off, or commentsan interesting development in the world of library technology that you want to discuss, Code4Lib BC is a great opportunity to share that with the community.
'''Lightning Talk Proposals and Hackfest/Breakout Suggestions''': Submit them [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NVEGsJZvqNLyqxATdYvNonGuPmlDAFOJn-R2vGpIvWg/viewform here]. View submissions [https:gle//docs.google.com/forms/d/1NVEGsJZvqNLyqxATdYvNonGuPmlDAFOJn-R2vGpIvWg/viewanalytics hereDEkDVn1rT35bdRj87 Submit a lightning talk or breakout session idea].
== ''Breakout Session Ideas'Lightning Talk Proposals''' ==* Struggling Through Burnout (esp in IT); Getting Our DIY Ethic Back (Daniel Lerch)* GenAI Critical Literacy workshop demo + discussion (Michelle Ng) (20 person limit)* Knowledge management and M365/SP migration headaches (Michelle Ng)* Protecting website content created by libraries and server resources from Gen AI (Desy Wahyuni)
John Durno, University of Victoria* Filling up the Internet Archive using their S3-like API. UVic recently uploaded 750G of old newspapers and metadata (over 15,000 issues) to the IA via their API, based on Amazon's S3, by way of a simple python script making use of the boto library and a wrapper supplied by one of the IA developers. The API proved surprisingly robust, and I'd like to spread the word.===Food===
Coffee/tea and light snacks (think: pastries, granola bars, fruit) will be available at the venue.
Peter Tyrrell, Andornot* Setting up Apache Solr Attendees are encouraged to index explore the wide range of food and search over multiple source types: database and fielded data, Excel/CSV, scanned mags and newspapers, PDFs, word processor documents, websites, geolocations, etcbeverage options nearby. Focus will be on schema and DataImportHandler considerations, plus amusing anecdotes as time allowsLocal organizers have provided a few recommendations below.* Another option would be: scripts that parse a PDF into a TIFIf you have dietary restrictions/preferences, JPG, TXT, and positional XML per page via djvulibre and imagemagick libraries. Make 'em ready feel free to ask for indexing and flexible display.* I could maybe go over how to (and how NOT to) represent and display hierarchical (cough, archival) data in an Apache Solr index. Mostly this would be a juicy rant about how just how ruddy difficult I found it.specific suggestions!
====Coffee & baked goods====
* ECU's Caf - on campus
* Nemesis coffee - [https://maps.app.goo.gl/MLD3mahZS29Z6bYMA 555 Great Northern Wy]
* Kafka’s Coffee Roasting and Bakery - [https://maps.app.goo.gl/y5KRY7wp8nHVHqpG8 577 Great Northern Wy]
* Kranky Cafe in Mount Pleasant - [https://maps.app.goo.gl/c5zutNWHf9XiESsx7 228 E 4th Ave]
* Tim Hortons - [https://maps.app.goo.gl/k78BjheVVKBFtxCR6 889 Great Northern Wy]
* L'Atelier Patisserie - [https://maps.app.goo.gl/K79rrCYwFWdJx2rz9 599 E Broadway] (15 min. walk)
Stefan Khan====Meals====* Steve's Poké Bar -Kernahan, The University of British Columbia[https://maps.app.goo.gl/DBDWoY4T5xZCTV656 891 Great Northern Wy]* UBC is launching an inRotating Food Trucks -house product for managing course reserves that helps streamline workflows between faculty & library[https://maps.app.goo.gl/FDeCRQk9R3wEyKcdA 577 Carolina St.]* ECU Ramen bar - on campus, within library staff (elevel 1 near the east exit* Chai Wagon - [https://maps.g copyright control etcapp.goo.gl/FXfday9yK4aCMgyE6 196 E 2nd Ave] (12 min. walk)* ECU Caf, and library & studentNemesis, which IKafka'd like to present ons, the content of which would be on completed modules to date and learning lessons for othersKranky cafe also have lunch food* [https://vancouversoupcompany.com/ Vancouver Soup Company] - [https://maps.app.goo.gl/8ehwmwD1NoogsMR47 292 E 1st Ave] (9 min. walk)
=== Schedule ===
Marcus Emmanuel Barnes, Simon Fraser University* Normalizing existing digitized content into standardized packages for robust long-term management. A report on SFU Library's METS-Bagger tool''''Please note that all times are PT (Vancouver, with a discussion of the benefits, design principles used for the packaging specification, and potential next stepsCanada).'''''
==== Day 1 : Thursday, October 16 ====
Colleen Bell{| class="wikitable"| 8:30 || Venue opens|-| 9:00 || Welcome and announcements|-| 9:15 || Icebreaker activity|-| 9:30 || Lightning talks* Remember When We Were Excited About Virtual Worlds? Let’s Try That Again - James Fournie* Sustainable Local Development; or, University Two PHP Scripts in a Trench Coat - John Durno* User Experience: Case study plus discussion of the Fraser Valleya planned BCLA interest group - Janis McKenzie & Mark Goodwin* I've been using PHP, JSON, and Libguides widgets [https://cynthiang.ca/2025/10/16/presentation-how-to integrate Libguides content into our ERM -stay-web-accessible-applying-wcag-2-1-2-2/ Making the Web Accessible: Putting WCAG 2.1 and ERM content into our Libguides2. This is particularly useful for libraries using SFU's researcher suite2 into Practice] - Cynthia Ng|-| 10:30 || Break|-| 10:45 || Lightning talks (continued)* Challenges of Identity and Access Management Policies and Documentation - Caitlin Lindsay * Manipulating MARC: Indigenous Cataloguing Beyond the Standards - Taya Jardine & Christina Needham* Developing introductory, but could provide ideas for anyoneinteractive workshop modules on GenAI Critical Literacy - Michelle Ng|-| 11:45 || ECU campus tour / Lunch!|-| 1:15 || Breakout sessions * Manipulating MARC (redux) - facilitators: Taya Jardine & Christina Needham* Digital sovereignty, since the code generated by the PHP can be displayed in any web page.surveillance state, & protection of privacy - facilitator: John Durno* Cookin' with VR - facilitator: James Fournie
|-
| 2:30 || Break
|-
| 2:45 || Breakout sessions (continued)
* UX breakout! - facilitators: Janis McKenzie & Mark Goodwin
* Are all the ULs hanging out without us? Consortial LSP planning and rumours - facilitator: Tamarack Hockin
|-
| 4:00 || Breakout reports
|-
| 5:00 || Social event at Red Truck Beer Company [https://maps.app.goo.gl/VH93xQZ1nJzvziBZ8 295 E 1st Ave]
|}
Mark Jordan==== Day 2 : Friday, Simon Fraser UniversityOctober 17 ===={| class="wikitable"| 9:00 || Welcome and announcements|-| 9:15 || Lightning talks* Libraries are realizing the potential for exposing their locally managed content as Linked Transforming Unstructured Data. One of the types of local data that offers in a lot of potential for leveraging Linked Data's capabilities is Knowledge Base: Exploring the controlled subject terms applied to local digital collections. I would like to demonstrate how I've enriched Potential of RAG and LLMs at SFU's Editorial Cartoons Collection's descriptive metadata Library - Ian Song* Consent Not Required: (AI) Technology as Connection - Coco Chen & Rebecca Ardron* Building AI Literacy in the Public Library - Jaclyn Fong* Defending Library Services Against AI Scrapers - Scott Leslie|-| 10:30 || Break|-| 11:00 || Lightning talks (continued)* Working with URIs from httpAPIs: Flows and Runner in Postman - Olga Kalachinskaya* [https://idgithub.loccom/telezoic/SuperDuperPDF/blob/main/superduperPDF.gov, paying particular attention to those from pdf Bulk DOI generation in DSpace with the Thesaurus for Graphic MaterialSuper-Duper-App!] - Daniel Sifton* Building an assignment planner on Playlab - Joyce Wong|-| 11:45 || Lunch|-| 1:00 || Breakout sessions* Finalized day-of based on attendee interests.See list of proposals above or [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeP7AZMzRzI_sLUnaLJ9mu0gvayJ0gU2mnScjMPvlQ9DFfCZw/viewform?usp=header submit your own].|-| 2:30 || Break|-| 2:45 || Breakout sessions (continued)* Explanation and demo Finalized day-of docrbased on attendee interests. See list of proposals above or [https:/smd, a distributed Optical Character Recognition platform designed to use smartphones and tablets to do the OCR/docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeP7AZMzRzI_sLUnaLJ9mu0gvayJ0gU2mnScjMPvlQ9DFfCZw/viewform?usp=header submit your own].|-| 4:00 || Breakout session reports / Who wants to host Code4Lib BC 2026?|}
=== Sponsors ===
May Chan, Burnaby Public Library* Hackfests for We want to acknowledge the Uninitiated. For all sorts of reasons, hackfests can be intimidating to first-timers continued administrative and especially to those who have little or no programming ability. To encourage those new to this form of collaborative learning, my LT will relate key a-ha! moments fiscal support from my first hackfest experience, especially some difficult truths learnedthe [https://bc.* The Code4Lib Conference Gender and Minority Scholarshipslibraries. One of the ways Code4Lib supports gender and cultural diversity is to offer conference scholarships to women, transgendered persons and persons of ethnic or aboriginal descent. As a way to encourage potential coop/ BC applicants, this LT will give some nuanced background on the scholarship program and application processLibraries Cooperative].
=== 2025 Organizers ===
Calvin Mah, SFU Library* Cynthia Ng* Dan Lerch* Daniel Sifton* George Villavicencio * Hillary Webb* James Fournie* Janis McKenzie* Michel Castagné* Michelle Ng* Rebecca Dickson* Scott Leslie* Tamarack Hockin* SFU Library - Hours DatabaseTrevor Smith
Sarah Sutherland, Canadian Legal Information Institute* I would like to discuss the process involved in evaluating the responses to requests for proposals for technology projects. There are often several very good submissions once the basic requirements are met, and at that point it becomes more about the style of the vendor and what kind of project it is. We recently went through this process, so I will use some anonymized examples from our process to illustrate my talk.= '''Past Events''' =
== '''Hackfest/Breakout Suggestions''' == John Durno, University of Victoria* Develop an Omeka module that uses the Internet Archive to host video and audio content, essentially using Omeka as the front end user interface while taking advantage of the IA's media delivery/streaming capabilitiesSee our [[BC_Past_Events|past events]] page. I envision two components: content and metadata would be uploaded via Omeka's admin interface. The IA's media player would be embedded in the public interface for content delivery. Stefan Khan-Kernahan, The University of British Columbia* Building a more engaging digital asset viewer than what is provided by ContentDM/competitors. Details: current digital asset presentation (e.g Content DM), whilst providing all the ""necessary"" information for the user (image + metadata etc.) simply lack in user engagement. If universities are expecting to build interest in these collections among current/future students, they need to cater for a more involved experience. I am proposing an image viewer for digital assets that allows tagging/hotspot that trigger supplementary information beyond metadata (e.g. video explanations of areas on maps, how they came to be etc) Karen J. Nelson, Capilano Unversity Library* Could we have a quickie: 1. FRBR explanation. 2. ditto data exchange. 3. ditto linked data. 4. bibframe. 5. WEMI language Jonathan Jacobsen, Andornot* I'm working on a virtual exhibit project using Omeka right now, so I second the idea of an Omeka breakout session. Would love to connect with some other Omeka users/developers. In particular, to discuss the Solr plug-in. May Chan, Burnaby Public Library and Mark Jordan, Simon Fraser University* New bibliographic standards and Linked Data. This breakout session will provide opportunities for participants to explore and experiment with new and emerging models for bibliographic data, such as FRBR, the DCMI Abstract Model, and BIBFRAME within the context of Resource Description Framework (RDF) and Linked Data. Practical outcomes of the session will include converting MARC21 data into MARCXML and Dublin Core XML, using the BIBFRAME tool (http://bibframe.org/tools/) to transform MARCXML into BIBFRAME resources, and linking data values used as access points in MARC21 records to URIs from the Library of Congress’s Linked Data Service at http://id.lov.gov. Because this breakout will take the approach of supporting self-directed learning in a collaborative environment, participants should prepare for this session by reviewing the following:** A Quick Intro to Linked Data / Michael Hausenblas*** Slides: http://www.slideshare.net/mediasemanticweb/quick-linked-data-introduction*** Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMjkI4hJej0** Linked Open Data: What is it? / Europeana*** Video: http://vimeo.com/36752317** 30 Minute Guide to RDF and Linked Data / Ian Davis*** http://www.slideshare.net/iandavis/30-minute-guide-to-rdf-and-linked-data** DCMI Abstract Model*** http://dublincore.org/documents/abstract-model/** RDA Relationships Oveview*** http://www.rdatoolkit.org/backgroundfiles/RelationshipsOverview_10_9_09.pdf** Moving Library Metadata Towards Linked Data / Jennifer Bowen*** http://www.slideshare.net/JenniferBowen/moving-library-metadata-toward-linked-data-opportunities-provided-by-the-extensible-catalog** BIBFRAME tutorial / Jeremy Nelson*** http://tuttdemo.coloradocollege.edu/calcon-2013-session/