Helsinki had a very strong impact on me. It was a great experience to meet all the participants, including the popular information specialists well known by their work, such as the famous authors and distributors of important medical blogs, etc.
As a first timer at the European Conference of Health Information Librarians, I will never forget this event and a warm hospitality of our hosts as well as the fantastic organization.
Over 450 participants gathered at the conference to exchange their
experience and to present the new trends in our profession.
What did we learn?
The Continuing Education Courses, workshops and oral presentations
brought to us the newest achievements and highlights in the medical librarianship.
Information specialists from Medical Faculty in Groningen, Guus
van den Brekel and Dorine Kief-Wondergem, had an interesting
lectures Space Up Your Library and How to use Web 2.0 technologies in your library which was something very new for many of us. Lectures showed
us how to make a modern library and how to retrieve information by one click only!
LIBRARY SPACE COULD BE ON YOUR COMPUTER! At workshop Guus has shown us how to make EAHIL Netvibes Universe, as well as how to make our own Netvibes Universe start page.Fridhelm Rump has shown new tools and trics, browsers, toolbars and many useful links for easier retrieving all relevant information.
Evidence-based- medicine, one of my favorite topic, was presented by two very special ladies from Oxford – Anne Brice and Jo Hunter.
To practice evidence-based-medicine, librarian has to be critical and analytical.
What was totally different, was David Herron from Karolinska Medical Library and his CEC. He convinced me that without biomedical knowledge it was very hard to retrieve scientific literature. His workshop about ENTREZ was inspiring, although exhaustive.
There were so many new things to learn (gene, protein, DNA ….transcribe and translate a gene… wow!! :)
Do we all have to be scientists to find a proper literature? Or
just working with comprehension is enough?
“Using the Web 2.0 or Science” is the question, which will
confront over and over two very extravagant info specialists -
Guus v.d.Brekel and David H. Seems it will be a“neverending
discussion”.
I never thought I would meet tete à tete doctor Oliver Obst, one
of the famous bloggers in Europe. Listening to his presentation
about Marketing of virtual services, I recognized my everyday
problem. Yes, very unusual topic, but the only way to spread the information is to find an appropriate way to PRESENT THEM! He pointed up: Library as a modern institution has to be a source of information with many diverse tools! We have also heard one amazing oral presentation, better say performance.
Lars Iselid (Stockholm) has presented web 2.0 using mobile: iPOD
and iPHONE in sharing information. Using mobile instead of PC as “easier and simpler” still did not take a place in my mind, I admit.
On a question “aren’t you afraid of radiation?” his answer was more than quick: “AREN’T YOU AFRAID OF SMOKING?”
But between all these interesting lectures, during the coffee break we had enough time to see a Poster session. I could not say if there were interesting more by topics or by design, but one was sure: ideas were inspired by they own work in libraries, and each of them was unique! Our hosts arranged a visit to Libraries in Helsinki, also visit to Terkko, Library of Medical Faculty, where they presented their staff and work. It is always impressive when you can see big and modern library.
I also have to mention beautiful concert in cathedral in cave (amazing!)
and polo walk for first timers. Gala dinner in a
restaurant on the beach with beautiful environment, dancing
program, and after all - speech by our EAHIL’s President Mrs.
Suzanne Bakker, were unforgettable.
After the closing ceremony and awarded oral and poster
presentation, in presence of our jovial hosts, we finished the
Conference in Bohemian pub with refreshment and lot of laugh.
At the end, I really can’t say what my highest impression of
EAHIL2008 was: fantastic organization, lectures, polo walk, concert? but maybe
something “completely different” to me... which I saw for the first
time – SUNSET IN MIDNIGHT!
See you in web!
