T. Burrows
The Network for Early European Research (NEER) is a new Australian
initiative to broaden and deepen research in the field of medieval and
early modern studies. NEER has been funded under the new Research
Networks programme of the Australian Research Council (ARC), which aims
to build large-scale groups of researchers and encourage them to
collaborate across institutional and disciplinary boundaries. NEER was
one of only two Networks to be funded in the humanities.
A crucial part of the Network is its Digital Services Programme, which
integrates various digital initiatives designed to advance the Network's
ambitious goals. These initiatives include establishing a national
discipline-based digital repository for research output, with datasets
and research materials deposited by researchers as well as copies of
more formal publications like articles, books and conference papers.
Another major activity is the development of a national resource
discovery service for locating relevant materials in Australian public
collections. The Network is working closely with libraries, museums and
galleries to build a federated repository for digitized manuscripts,
maps, paintings and other objects.
Initiatives for postgraduate students include an "e-consult" scheme,
which enables them to identify and contact established researchers in
the field for advice and information. NEER is also establishing
partnerships with commercial database providers and will be inviting
postgraduates to take up internships to learn such skills as text
encoding, database management, and Web site development.
This paper will discuss how NEER is harnessing information technology to
promote collaboration and communication between humanities researchers
at a national level. This digital programme will be crucial to the
Network's success in reinventing medieval and early studies within the
new government policy framework for academic research.
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