OVAM: Online Veterinary Anatomy Museum: A summary of the project to date and future models for sustainability and maintenance

Abstract

OVAM (www.onlineveterinaryanatomy.net) is the largest collaborative project in the veterinary anatomy field to date. The museum is a freely accessible online repository for high quality and pedagogically reliable veterinary anatomy assets from multiple contributors available to the public, students, researchers, academics and veterinary professionals. Ways of further expanding and developing the museum and its integration into teaching must be sought to ensure maximum benefit from this unique, engaging and dynamic collaborative collection. In addition the collaboration has successfully introduced a peer review process to ensure the relevance and quality of content. This article will describe some of the most recent developments and approaches that have been trialled to date. Securing funding for OVAM is challenging partly because users do not expect to pay for content and there are also alternative free resources available on the web. However, a number of possible sources could be considered and explored, including subscription and licence type agreements, associations with relevant associations, recruitment of donors and commercial support and the involvement of Master students following identification of suitable topics. So far the project has been reliant on start-up funding and support from partners after this initial period. As with all non-profitable projects of a similar nature, a continued system for support, improvement and growth must be established if the museum is to endure and remain up-to-date.

Keywords

• anatomía
• veterinaria
• proyecto colaborativo
• virtual
• docencia
• museo
• libre acceso
• online