The main topic of the RSML team meeting which was held on February 2 was the 2023 progress review and the determination of key vectors of development in 2024.
Last year was a fruitful one for the RSML: we broadened our resources and offered new opportunities for knowledge acquiring by making relevant and credible medical information more accessible.
All year long our library provided open access to paper documents as well as to electronic information resources on medicine and healthcare. The RSML collection received seven thousand copies of scientific literature (these are books, periodicals, theses and abstracts of theses), and more than 47.4 thousand publications were added to the electronic information resources.
Our online-platforms’ accessibility is reflected in the number of the library’s visitors. In 2023 their total number surpassed 476 thousand people while nearly 97% of users embraced the RSML electronic catalogue remote access!
We continued granting access to such online services as the Virtual help desk and Individual information mail-out. In 2023 307 people were registered as Individual information mail-out users, and more than 1.1 thousand inquiries were fulfilled for them.
In 2023 our Electronic medical library never stopped improving. As a result, each of our readers obtained access to the RSML data bases, open access resources on medicine and digital full-text publication collection, regardless of a person’s location. The total number of digitised documents in the Electronic medical library increased by 24.000 items, and it surpassed 70.000 by the end of the year!
The promotion of the Electronic medical library among medical and education institutions and libraries of Belarus was one of the main areas of focus our team was working on. By the end of 2023 87 organisations connected to this online-resource. These are the leading institutions of higher education and republican research and practice centres, colleges in all of our country’s regions, community hospitals, centres of hygiene and public libraries.
144 events aimed at promoting the RSML resources and services, methodical supporting of medical libraries work and personnel further training were held in total in 2023.
In order to introduce vast information resources of our library to the doctors, in 2023, we resumed holding off-site literature exhibitions within medical conferences, seminars, panel discussions and other events.
Training sessions on how to work with the Electronic medical library and our other resources were conducted on a regular basis for librarians and students of Minsk education institutions, as well as for doctors and young medical professionals as part of the “Specialist’s days” and a new “Young professional’s day” RSML project.
The History of Belarusian Medicine Museum was no less busy. A remarkable number of visitors – more than 6.2 thousand people of all ages and trades including pupils and students, medical workers and those thirsty for knowledge – paid our museum a visit last year. They all discovered the world of Belarusian medicine. There were various thematic exhibitions and shows within the first in RSML “Night of museums”, Capital Television (CTV) and “Minsk-Novosti” news outlet coverage of the museum – that is what we are especially proud of!
The participation in international, republican and municipal events, such as the “Healthcare of Belarus” medical forum, the “Electronic culture” conference as part of the “Digital economy” forum of the TIBO international forum annual exhibition, the “Night of libraries 2023” event and other scientific conferences and events commemorating special dates, became memorable moments in the life of our library.
Special attention was paid to the organisation of events within the framework of the Year of Peace and Creation including the work of the ROO “Belaya Rus”, trade union, and OO “BRSM” primary organisations and Young Professionals Board.
In conclusion of the team meeting the RSML department heads made statements regarding 2024 top-priority tasks and development prospects of the departments.
After recapping the work results, all members of the team agreed that acknowledging our achievements and evaluating our work progress, determining our priorities and setting new goals for the future inspire and motivates to work collaboratively and fruitfully towards the development of the Republican Scientific Medical Library and the consolidation of its significance in the society.
