hrvatski

The library as a place to exchange information and new ideas: The example of a Conference on medical information organized by the Central Medical Library at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine

Fast growth, obsolescence, subspecialization and public availability are some characteristics of the medical information. Their users should be able to find relevant information, assess them critically and use them. All this leads to changes in their behavior and relationship to information. The library professionals are facing the challenge to adapt in order to retain the trust of users and the status of the library as an important place in their personal and professional life. An academic library should increasingly focus its services on users and meeting their needs. Conferences are certainly one of the ways in which library can serve its community. They are an effective way to connect a library with its users and partners, as well as providing support in achieving educational goals of its home institution. Librarians in their new role as conference organizers need to acquire additional knowledge and skills, for example in organizing events and conferences, marketing and public relations. The Central Medical Library at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine in 2005 initiated an annual conference on medical information Medical Information Conference Croatia (MICC) and has been organizing it regularly since then. It is the only conference in Croatia organized by an academic library and focused primarily on medical and health professionals. The conference has been set up with several goals, some of which are gathering users and creators of medical information, promoting new information services and tools, sharing experiences, and strengthening the library's role in organizing information and their use. The topics of the MICC Conference are focused on various aspects of medical information. When selecting themes, their importance and relevance to the local context are crucial. A wide range of topics encompasses the changes that have occurred in the creation of medical information and information access in the digital environment (e.g., open access, intellectual property, scientific publishing). New trends in the dissemination and use of medical information in the wider community (such as information literacy, health literacy, information in public media and social networks) are also being discussed. The MICC Conference regularly provides open discussion, knowledge exchange and improving library collaboration with its users. It targets different types of participants, including physicians, scientists in the field of biomedicine and health, nurses and other healthcare professionals, medical students, medical librarians and health information professionals and others interested in medical information. By organizing conferences, academic libraries participate in awakening of information needs of participants, teach them information literacy and encourage lifelong learning, as well as provide support to professionals in the field of their home institution.

academic libraries ; conferences ; continuing medical education ; lifelong learning

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