Some Considerations on Training ETD Teams in Developing Countries

Some Considerations on Training ETD Teams in Developing Countries

Ana Pavani

An ETD project requires various skills, besides the interaction of different groups of the university. Among the skills, a very important one is the knowledge about digital libraries - from metadata element sets to the capture, storage and preservation of digital objects. Most universities in developing nations do not have staff with such qualification. In some cases, they are not aware of all tasks to be performed and how tho write a project or model a workflow. Issues of digital preservation, authors rights, etc must also be brought into discussion. Another important aspect is the multidisciplinary nature of an ETD project. It requires the active participation of the Graduate Programs as well as of the ICT group, besides the library. Last but not least, graduate students play a key role. This work addresses some characteristics that the training that all parts involved must receive in order to start a project in a developing nation. It is baesd on the fact that in developing nations infrastructure, training and access to information are not equivalent to those in the first world. Besides that, there may exist very sharp differences among regions in the same country. This work also discusses the need of team development during the training session, so that all parts work together and in a cooperative manner.

2003