Networks of support: How online resources are built, maintained, and adapted for community language revitalization needs at FirstVoices

Date
2022-09
Authors
Bridget Chase
Kyra Borland
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University of Hawaii Press
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16
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209
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227
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Abstract
FirstVoices is a technology-centered organization that works with forty-seven Indigenous language communities around British Columbia. One of its top priorities is providing high-quality technical assistance as well as accessible annual training sessions for the platform. This requires nuanced systems of support and adaptability within the methods we use. Over the last two years, its team has grown and modified its procedures with the goal of best serving the unique needs of different communities. With nearly 1,000 support emails in its Service Desk system since June 2018 and two years of regional training – one in-person, one entirely online – the team has tracked trends within technology-centered language requests. In this paper, we will conduct a mixed methods analysis of all the support tickets the team has received, as well as an analysis of the qualitative and quantitative feedback from training sessions in order to break down the patterns and themes that exist. We will also discuss the process of creating and maintaining a wiki-style Knowledge Base, the variety of techniques employed to assist remote users, and the potential for future growth in FirstVoices’ networks of support. Our intentions with this paper are to provide insight for community groups, language organizations, and linguists alike around capacity-building opportunities in the field of digital language mobilization. As FirstVoices continues to grow and as technology becomes even more essential within the realm of language revitalization, it is crucial that we make note of these trends and prepare ourselves to adapt to the digital-based needs of language communities.
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Chase, Bridget, Kyra Borland. 2022. Networks of support: How online resources are built, maintained, and adapted for community language revitalization needs at FirstVoices. Language Documentation & Conservation 16: 209-227.
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19
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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
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