Transfer of knowledge: the evaluation of mutual benefits

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Transfer of knowledge the evaluation of mutual
benefits

• Meile Kretaviciene, Kaunas
• Elisabeth Husem, Oslo

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Inspiration

• Communication is all-important in partnerships
  - to share information, develop professional
  skills and awareness, and promote the interchange
  of ideas. To be successful and sustainable there
  must be a two way process!
• Jean Shaw, UK.
• EAHIL Newsletter, 1996, nr.36
•  

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Background

• The Baltic and the Nordic countries have always
  been closely linked
• The Nordic/Baltic health libraries programme was
  initiated in 1994

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Norway - Lithuania

• Norway and Lithuania have established a special
  bilateral programme

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Situation before partnership program

• Soviet type library
• closed access to holding
• political literature formed 20 of the holding
• 54 of publications were in Russian
• 30 in Lithuanian
• 16 in foreign languages

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Needs for doctors and students

• International textbooks and medical books
• International journals
• Access to databases
• Full text journal articles

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Needs for medical librarians

• Information on new library technologies
• Up-to-date professional literature
• Participation in international conferences
• Contacts with foreign libraries and librarians.

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Study tour to Oslo 2001

• Six Lithuanian health librarians came to Oslo on
  a study tour
• The programme included visits to several medical
  libraries and health institutions

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Study tour

• They gave presentations of their libraries and
  met with many Norwegian colleagues
• This meeting contributed in fulfilling our aim of
  a mutual transfer of knowledge

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Pleasure time
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Task Force

• Task Force on Communicable Disease Control in the
  Baltic Sea Region
• SMH joined the Task Force project
• experiences in cooperation
• network established in the Baltic countries

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St Petersburg

• Medical Academy of Postgraduate Studies (MAPS)
• SMH and Meile have visited MAPS
• The MAPS library is now included into the
  Nordic-Baltic partnership programme

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St PetersburgThe Winter-palace (not MAPS)!
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Transfer of Knowledge programme I and II

• Since year 2000 SMH has organized continuing
  education programmes for Baltic librarians in
  cooperation with the Danish association and
  Kaunas Medical University Library

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The course participants
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Classroom in Kaunas
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Searching PubMed
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Transfer of Knowledge III

• Next time more activity from all participants

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Evaluation of mutual benefits

• What have we learned?
• What are the benefits that we, the Nordic
  partners, and especially the Norwegian partners,
  have gained?
• Has there been a two way process?

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Benefits

• We have broadened our knowledge and horizons in
  many ways
• understanding of the situation for medical
  libraries in the Baltic countries
• Lithuanian culture, history and their way of
  living
• course holders gained experience
• new ways of thinking

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Challenges

• Language barrier
• Strenuous communication and dialogue
• Lack of feedback

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Positive results of Partnership Program

• Acquired knowledge was a stimulus to organize
  training courses for library personnel as well
  for library user
• As a result informatics has been included as a
  new subject into the University study program for
  Public health students.

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Positive results

• The importance of the role of medical librarian
  in medical community is continually increasing
• Creation of Baltic Association for Medical
  Libraries (BAML)

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Negative factors for partnership

• Language problems
• Financial problems
• Psychological barriers tocommunicate

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Factors for successful partnership

• Long-term partnership program
• Partnership between national associations rather
  than between twin libraries
• Mutual analysis of needs and mutual program
  creation  

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Factors for success

• Priority for professional development
• Support to attend conferences and workshops
• Involving into activities of professional
  associations

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Conclusion - Meile

• The partnership program between Baltic and Nordic
  medical libraries and the knowledge gained from
  Nordic colleagues have contributed very much to
  our professional achievements.
• The close collaboration between SHM and
  Lithuanian medical libraries remains to be an
  important stimulus for our future activities. 
•  

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No singing barriers!
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Singing and dancinga happy and relaxed atmosphere
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Conclusion - Elisabeth

• Cross boundaries - Join forces
• professional network
• friendship and understanding
• rewarding