During the second half of 2006, the Ministry of National Education and the
Colombian Institute for Development, Science and Technology Francisco José de
Caldas –COLCIENCIAS-, called the presentation of research projects for
technological development and innovation that make use of the extant
infrastructure of the Scholarly National Network of Advanced
Technology (RENATA).

Different universities and research groups related to the topic of Library
Science, information technology, digital content, scientific information and
e-Learning presented the project "Colombian Digital Library", which enables
local universities to publish their own digital content for online access by
the academic community (locally and worldwide?).

The project was approved at the end of 2007. It itself represented a great
achievement, because it was an opportunity to show that collaborative work,
among more than 13 universities with their research groups and library
branches, is possible.

The project began in February 2008 and it is expected to be finished by the
middle of 2009. It tries to achieve, among others, the following products for
the benefit of the Colombian academic community, and all the world, because
this project has the ability to connect the Colombian network to digital
library networks existing globally:

* A framework of agreements, policies and standards for sharing digital
documents among Colombian universities.
* The integration between digital Libraries or repositories of higher
education institutions belonging to the infrastructure of the Scholarly
National Network of Advanced Technology (RENATA). Those institutions are
linked to the project and thus share, in a decentralised way, their contents.
It includes technology platform and conducting a pilot project.
* A management model that would enable the project continue for an indefinite
time for this initiative and the future integration of more higher education
institutions and scientific and academic organizations.
* An on-line training course about digital libraries.
* A web portal with information about the project and a web-based digital
library community in Colombia.

This is a beginning that makes the Colombian Digital Library be one step
closer. That is the commitment of the universities in charge of the project,
which many other institutions are expected to join.

Universities included in the project:
1. Universidad de Antioquia:
Research Grups in Technology Information
Knowledge Management
Gestión de Conocimiento.
Terminology and Documentation.

2. Universidad EAFIT:
Research Group in Networks and Distributed Systems (GIRSD).

3. Universidad ICESI:
Research Group in Resources and Learning Technologies (IRTA).

4. Universidad del Norte:
Research Group in Education Informatics
5. Universidad de La Salle:
Research Group in Libraries, Information and Society

6. Universidad Autónoma de Occidente:
Research Group in Education and New Technologies

7. Universidad Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario.

8. Universidad de Medellín.

9. Universidad de la Sabana.

10. Universidad Autónoma del Caribe.

11. Universidad Santiago de Cali

12. Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

13. Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios.

Information:
http://www.bdcol.org
conta...@bdcol.org

**********
Alejandro Uribe Tirado
Docente - Coord. Núcleo/Grupo Inv. Tecnologías de la Información
Integrante Grupo de Inv. Gestión de Conocimiento
Escuela Interamericana de Bibliotecología
Universidad de Antioquia
aur...@bibliotecologia.udea.edu.co
alejouri...@gmail.com
http://tecnologiasdelainformacioneib.blogspot.com
http://docencia.udea.edu.co/investigacioninternet
http://aprendeenlinea.udea.edu.co/lms/moodle/course/category.php?id=16
http://del.icio.us/alejouribet
Tel. (57-4)2195937
Medellín-Colombia