Vitrines do Conhecimento

25 Years ago, in 1998, the Latin American and Caribbean Health Information Network approved the Declaration of San José “Towards to Virtual Health Library”. Since then, BIREME has been leading the development of the VHL as a health information and knowledge management strategy for the LA&C Region, expanding to Spain, Portugal, Mozambique and other Portuguese-speaking countries.
The great challenge at the time was to realign the technical cooperation carried out by BIREME since its creation, in 1967, centered on essential functions of the Regional Library. The VHL was a response to the emergence of the Internet, which culminated in a new process for operating information sources through the Network, which has been developing and adjusting to the different contexts of the Region, but aligned with a single mission: to provide access to information and evidence science in health, contributing to narrow the gap between knowledge and practice in LA&C countries.
These were achievements and challenges that turned into opportunities thanks to coordinated networking and the availability of common methodologies and systems such as: LILACS Methodology, the FI-Admin system, DeCS and the IAHx interface.

It is time to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the VHL!