I have specified an accessible folder on the LAN file server as the location
for Workgroup Templates, via Tools/Options/File Locations.

File/New, in Word 2003, does not immediately open a dialog box displaying a
(tabbed) list of .dot files to select from. Rather, it opens the 'New
Document' task pane. Under 'Templates', the 'New Document' pane offers
'Templates on Office Online', 'On my computer ...' and 'On my web sites ...'

'Workgroup Templates' is NOT offered; being stored in a folder on the LAN
file server, they do NOT show up in the box displayed if you select 'On my
computer', and being on the LAN rather than somewhere on the Internet they do
NOT show up in the box displayed if you select 'On my web sites', even if the
appropriate folder on the LAN file server has been added to (and shows up in
the Local Network section of) 'My Network Places'

In other words, using Tools/Options/File Locations to identify a LAN folder
where Workgroup Templates are located does nothing to make templates stored
there easily accessible to the Word user, because in Word 2003 specification
of the group of templates from which the user may select the .dot to usse in
creating a new document is mediated by the 'New Document' task pane, and the
workgroup templates location is NOT among the options displayed on the 'New
Document' task pane.

This defeats the whole (and obviously useful) purpose of having
Tools/Options/File Locations/Workgroup Templates, so there must be some
workaround. The Word documentation, however, is completely devoid of useful
information about 'Workgroups'.