The events of information are directed to learning and exchange of information and knowledge among VHL social networks, strengthening the collective creation building of instances and operation capability by shared way. As one of information sources of the VHL, specifically as integrator component – source type 6, with the products, services, methodologies and technologies of information.
The main objective of the events of information is to promote meeting among people, involving them in specific objectives that contribute to the development of geographic and thematic instances of the VHL. In this sense, the events can be understood as a creative action of exchange of information and knowledge, impacting positively on the evolution of social networks, of contents and of learning and informed environments of VHL.
The carrying out of events of information promoted by VHL has developed increasingly, as much in quantitative terms as in the different modalities (congresses, forums, workshops, online meetings, training, and so on and others) resulting in benefits, from among which, stands out:
- Strengthening and deepening of the relations of social networks, making possible the interaction between all instances of the VHL and these with BIREME;
- Sharing of good practices developed in the VHL scope;
- Monitoring the state-of-the-art scientific production in health information and related subject;
- Methodological updates of professional participants of the VHL;
- Dissemination of the model of VHL management of information, knowledge and scientific evidence;
- Establishing of new partnerships and convergence of competence to development of new initiatives and projects.
In the governance model of VHL, the events are integrated in the learning and informed environments dimension (AAI) (see item 4.3 Networks of Learning and Informed Environments) by fomenting and potentiating the capacities of participation of social networks in the production, intermediation and use of information sources. In the processes of AAI, the events promote the interaction of individuals and groups of individuals, face to face or on the Web, comprising communities that are connected and also those that are not connected. These are opportunities for the instances to update itself through sharing experiences, progress and results achieved. The events also have enormous relevance to monitor the international state-of-the-art information management and exchange of scientific and technical knowledge in the VHL.
The model of the contents network of VHL, as we saw, (4.2.3 Interoperability of Information Sources) has its information sources in online operation, as web services using open protocols, that facilitate their interoperability with others systems and services. In line with this perspective adopted by all information sources, the events are organized and structured by means of methodologies and applications such as VHL Agenda that enables the exchange of contents with other VHL information sources.
Thus, the agendas of specific events published online, given the interoperability among the information sources, can be organized together with other agendas related and published in the portals of different instances. The agendas of both priority events of the network – Regional Congress on Health Sciences Information (CRISS) and the series of Meetings of Regional Coordination of the Virtual Health Library for example, are published in all geographic and thematic VHL instances.
The Regional Meeting of Coordination of VHL, which is held every two or three years, is the main regional instance of coordination, exchange of information and experiences, assessment and recommendation for the development of VHL. It is also the most important forum of exchange face-to-face of cooperative network of institutions producers, intermediaries and users of scientific and technical information in the VHL. Thus, the objective of Regional Meetings of Coordination is to socialize and train all integrators of the network about the state-of-the-art of VHL and the challenges to their continuous and dynamic evolution.
For complementing this debate about the practices and experiences developed in the VHL scope, is held sequentially the Regional Meetings, Regional Congress on Health Sciences Information (CRICS), which favor the updating of social networks of VHL in the state-of-the-art and scientific production in information management, knowledge and scientific evidence. The events promoted by the network are mapped and are registered and documented in here.