As the eLearning and digital library worlds merge, standards-based interoperability becomes increasingly important. The co-sponsors of the Architectural Framework, the Ministry of Education and the National Library, bring complementary perspectives to bear on the challenges this creates.
For the Ministry: 
- acknowledge that the sector is going through a step change in complexity and in the sorts of skills and capabilities it needs
- just as within the sector we are becoming more networked, so the sector itself can’t be a silo, our decisions need to have regard for a whole of government perspective
- the framework has the potential to deliver real benefits in 3 areas:
- enhance support for eTeaching and eLearning;
- bring data collection efficiencies; and
- bring process efficiencies;
- the challenge will be to show how the framework — our underpinning eInfrastructure — connects to business goals in a way that benefits everyone
- the shift from an institution-centred to a learner-centred model means we are more interdependent, so we have to work more collaboratively and be more flexible
For the National Library: 
- the education sector in New Zealand is a long way behind the rest of the world in our access to and use of eContent
- we are seeing a convergence of technologies and standards between the eLearning world and the digital library world
- learners are becoming more sophisticated — they expect to be able to discover and access information in a variety of formats, from a number of sources, in a way that appears seamless and integrated
- a digital library is a key ingredient of eLearning, giving electronic access to documents whether these were born digital or are digitised versions of documents originally existing in physical form
- we are committed to encouraging open standards to enhance the flow of information and interoperability between eLearning and digital library architectures
This is the era of information-literate life-long learners. Today’s “digital native” students live in an interactive, collaborative, multi-tasking world. They want their campuses to be part of that world. Teachers need the resources and skills to encourage learners’ creativity and innovation. Citizens will make better-informed decisions as they move from compulsory to tertiary education, into the work force, and along their career paths. The result will be to foster a society which is capable of continually raising its knowledge and skill base.
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