Koç University
Istanbul – Turkey
5 – 8 July

Once more, EAHIL – European Association for Health Information and Libraries – organized the meeting that brought together Librarians and Health Information Specialists from 38 countries in a workshop where the exchange of experiences and acquisition of new knowledge were constant, amidst a pleasant atmosphere enabled by the Koç University in Istanbul.

For four days, and around the topic “Active Learning and Research Partners in Health ”, the event included 11 continuing education courses, 3 plenary sessions, 21 presentations, 23 posters and several round tables organized by groups set up according to the fields of interest – Information Literacy, Library Spaces, Collaborative Tools, e-Books, and e-Learning, among others.

The Library – Documentation and Information Centre (DIC) presented a poster authored by Emília Clamote and Susana Henriques titled: “Measure and Plan to Improve Communication: Balanced Scorecard Implementation Study ”.

This work fosters the need to address emerging challenges, both at national and international level, and invest in a type of management supported by the Balanced Scorecard methodology, enabling strategic planning. This is because the activity of managing, organizing and disseminating bibliographic resources and documentary sources are important and clear contributors to education, research and medical decision-making, and are thus vital for the activities of the Faculty of Medicine and for its mission to support all groups of users (students, lecturers, physicians, researchers and the public at large) who need to access health information, and who, by developing human and scientific resources, contribute to the sustained development of society.

This participation was a very enriching experience, demonstrating, once again, that the ability to obtain inspiration in other people’s experiences and best practices can undoubtedly enable us to do better and offer a service of excellence focused on the users.

In our particular case, the sharing involved not only our own interest in the topics, but also the interest that other colleagues expressed in the topic of our poster, namely colleagues from the Central Library of S. Matteo Hospital in Pavia, Italy, who requested our collaboration for a study partnership to implement the Balanced Scorecard in their services.

We also highlight the invitation made to us to carry out a professional internship at NTNU University Library (Norwegian University of Science and Technology University Library) after winning an iPAD from Proquest, to follow up a project carried out by colleagues Katrine Aronsen and Alexandra Angeletak. This project involved lending iPADS to postgraduate students, thus promoting the use of online resources and the close relationship and trust between the Library and its users, and strengthen their role as promoters of access to information and knowledge. Much more than a mere invitation, it will be an appealing challenge.

In addition to the scientific component, once more characterised by the high quality that EAHIL has accustomed us to, the cultural programme also deserves mentioning. The history of Istanbul is intertwined with the history of civilizations. In 1453, Sultan Mehmed II knocked down the walls of Constantinople, invaded it and renamed it. This led to the birth of Istanbul, a city of contrasts and unique in the world as it spreads over two continents, and where Europe and Asia become blurred, only separated by the Bosphorus Strait.

In 1922, Ataturk, founder of the Republic of Turkey (revered as the father of the Turks) promoted democracy in the country, putting an end to the excesses of the sultans and turning it towards Europe, thus marking a new era in the history of Turkey. On the streets, the burkas coexist happily with jeans, and the mirrored facades of skyscrapers are neighbours of the most spectacular mosques.

Istanbul is a cosmopolitan city where many foreign communities from distinct religions have always lived together. The city has a unique cultural, historical and architectonic richness, involving us in a delightful maze of mosques, churches, synagogues, palaces and other historical buildings, which truly deserve the World Heritage proclamation by UNESCO in 1985. The investment on higher education also needs to be mentioned, as there are more than ten universities in Istanbul.

As part of the workshop, we had the chance to visit an area of the historical centre of Istanbul, of which the Library and Mosque of the Suleymaniye Complex, the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia stand out.

Upon our return, the image of a colourful country, with strong aromas and friendly people lingers in our memories. Inside our luggage, we brought an iPAD, new partnerships and big ideas!

Library-DCI
Emília Clamote
Susana Henriques
susanahenriques@fm.ul.pt