Katrina Georgiades, Assistant Librarian, UK Health Security Agency
This year’s ICML in Glasgow marked my first time as a conference attendee. For me, the theme of the 14th programme: ‘Flourish: growing our communities’, highlighted the opportunities that arise when proactively participating within a globally connected network, to better understand the needs of those being served by information professionals in the medical and healthcare sector. It was not only personally and professionally beneficial to hear about so many creative and engaging projects, but also inspiring to learn from the experience and expertise of those who have demonstrated leadership and promoted collective action through contributing ideas, cultivating relationships and disseminating knowledge. The conference provided ample opportunity for participants to discuss ideas and showcase many work examples that illustrated the power of creating, sharing and preserving information to empower colleagues and library users.
Innovation, evidence-based practice and their practical application in promoting equality and diversity were defining features of the conference – for me, the importance of using evidence-based practice to drive innovation really stood out as a theme. It was intriguing to compare the variety of methods used to embed evidence and science into librarianship, whether by using data to inform creative problem-solving, or through identifying strategies and methods for facilitating access to research and improving health outcomes. Unsurprisingly, the opportunities and challenges presented by AI were also regularly recurring topics of conversation (especially the ever-growing legal and ethical questions surrounding copyright, authorship and attribution) as well as the urgent need for specialized librarian skills to support staff and students.
It was thought-provoking to listen to discussions on how the broader education, research and scholarly communications environment is changing in response to constantly advancing technology and to hear specific examples of the potential adaptive roles of the librarian or information professional as well. Equally interesting was the emphasis that was placed throughout the conference on occupational health, not just within the keynote presentations and discussions, but as part of the conference’s itinerary itself – I thought that the sound bath recording and chair yoga session were thoughtful and practical examples of how activities to support wellbeing can be embedded into schedules, taken away and potentially applied by participants to support with both personal and professional wellbeing.
Attending the conference has shown me the myriad ways that librarians and information professionals can use their skills and creativity to build connections across disciplines, departments, organisations, sectors and even countries. Regardless of location or background, a commitment towards reducing health disparities and ultimately improving health outcomes through sharing and supporting best practice was evident throughout. Witnessing how presenters and attendees have operated within extended networks, to not only support their own objectives but their colleagues, students and the public, whilst advocating for improved collaboration, knowledge sharing and wellbeing, was inspiring.
The opportunity to listen to so many passionate presentations and learn about the demonstrably positive impact so many projects have had within their local and international communities made the conference a memorable experience and I look forward to applying the same enthusiasm and commitment to my own work in the future.
Health Libraries Group 