ETD Guide/Training the Trainers/Help develop a broad local team
The core of the ADT Program was developed at The University of New South Wales Library (UNSW Library) as the lead institution. The team at UNSW Library included the overall coordinator & designer; technical manager & programmer; metadata consultant as well as the web coordinator & designer. This team developed the model from the conceptual to reality. The most important thing was not to lose focus, to keep the model as close to the original project description proposal as possible and to not overly complicate processes - in fact keep them as simple as possible. It was seen as critical to develop a workable model for the project partners to test and further refine.
During the development and testing process, all 7 original partners were consulted and had input at all stages. Two workshops for all 7 members were held approximately 12 months apart. These were used to discuss all aspects of the ADT model as well as to agree on the standards and protocols used. The agreed standards are at the core of the distributed model of the ADT Program. Without the involvement of an effective team to lead the process, and the effective input of the broader team, arriving at the desired outcome would have been very difficult.
The ADT Program is now effectively working across all 7 original member sites. Membership to the ADT has now been opened up to all Australian universities. It is anticipated that all Australian universities will become members and thus form a comprehensive national program. The benefits of a broad membership team are many: shared infrastructure, shared software development, shared metadata, shared documentation and training as well the shared satisfaction that comes with effective collaboration for the common good. The membership to the ADT may in time also include others in the region such as New Zealand and others.
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