The VHL Guide is the publication that presents the foundations of the Virtual Health Library (VHL) as a model for health information management based on collaborative and networked work.
The VHL is coordinated and promoted by BIREME - Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (BIREME/PAHO/WHO), whose model is applied in technical cooperation to cooperating organizations mainly from Latin American and Caribbean countries (LA&C), and extends to other regions and countries, such as Spain, Portugal, and Africa.
To whom it is addressed
The VHL Guide is intended for health information professionals and other related areas interested in learning how to participate and/or collaborate in the construction of the VHL.
The guide does not aim to provide guidance on specific methodologies and technologies for the construction of the sources of information of the VHL and its instances. In this case, we recommend consulting the respective operation manuals, indicated in this document.
Previous versions
- VHL Guide 2011 – Prepared on the occasion of the 12 years of VHL evolution and launched in March 2011.
- VHL Guide 2005 – Prepared for the 4th Regional Coordination Meeting of the Virtual Health Library (VHL4), held in Salvador, Brazil, on September 19 and 20, 2005.
- VHL Guide 2001 - Prepared for the 2nd Regional Coordination Meeting of the Virtual Health Library (VHL2), held in Havana, Cuba, on April 23 and 24, 2001.
- VHL Guide 1999 - Prepared for the 1st Regional Coordination Meeting of the Virtual Health Library (VHL1), held at PAHO headquarters, in Washington D.C., on November 30, 1999.
See also: Publications about the VHL