Libraries Commission
Representatives from the Advisory Commission on Libraries and Documentation (CABID) of CRUCH and the Network of Spanish University and Scientific Libraries (REBIUN) organized a webinar that brought together numerous participants from libraries in Chile and Spain, in the context of Librarian's Day, which is celebrated on July 10.
“The university library in the context of digital transformation from the perspective of Open Science” was the title of the webinar organized by the Advisory Commission on Libraries and Documentation (CABID) of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) to celebrate Librarian's Day, on July 10, in conjunction with representatives of the Network of Spanish University and Scientific Libraries (REBIUN).
Karen Jara, president of CABID and director of Libraries at the University of Concepción, stated that the meeting was “very rewarding due to the high turnout and the interaction among participants, which demonstrates the importance of creating these spaces for sharing experiences.” Regarding the chosen theme, she added, “It is a challenge for CABID to forge alliances that allow us to grow and contribute to the work of university libraries, with a view to exchanging experiences with REBIUN. As Chilean academic libraries, we have made significant progress in Open Science, Bibliographic Heritage Management, and other areas, and we hope this will be the first of several joint events that will allow us to establish a formal connection with REBIUN.”.
Representing REBIUN were Executive Secretary Dr. José Pablo Gallo León and Gregorio García Reche, member of the Standing Committee and coordinator of several of the organization's working groups. The moderator was Rodrigo Donoso-Vegas, Vice President of CABID and Director of Information Services and Libraries at the University of Chile.
The celebration was attended by more than 100 people from libraries in Chile and Spain.
The Exhibitors' Perspective
Gregorio García Reche, who is also the coordinator of Libraries at the University of Malaga and holds various positions and functions in Spanish organizations in the areas of library science, archival science, documentation, and planning, stated that he was honored to receive this invitation and described the activity as "a great opportunity to share experiences and show how we are addressing the resolution of certain situations, whether unforeseen or planned, by defining strategies that will allow us to better position ourselves in the face of the emerging needs of users and institutions.".
According to García Reche, “many of these concerns, situations, strategies, and solutions may be similar internationally and, therefore, may be of interest. At the same time, reciprocity is expected to learn about their initiatives, in this case those of Chilean libraries, and to be able to learn from them, as well as to propose collaborative projects on matters of mutual interest that will undoubtedly provide greater support for their implementation.”.
On the other hand, he stated that “the library in the context of digital transformation is configured as the concept towards which the university and scientific library model is evolving, which is reflected in the new or remodeled services that are planned to support learning, teaching, research, transfer, social projection and transformation of spaces; and Open Science, in terms of the role that libraries can play for its development, their contribution in the transformation of the business models of scientific communication and their participation in the definition of the new models of research evaluation, to which is added that REBIUN also intends to promote good practices.”.
Meanwhile, Dr. Gallo León, an academic and director of Libraries at the University of Alicante, explained the evolution, structure, and operation of REBIUN and referred to its similarities with CABID. “It is probably the organization with which we share the greatest similarities in Latin America. Therefore, we share common interests, such as the future of the library profession, the promotion of Open Science, and the impact of technologies, with a particular focus on Artificial Intelligence at this time. In this way, the transfer of knowledge undoubtedly enriches both institutions,” he pointed out.
Regarding REBIUN's contributions to CABID, Gallo León commented that “at REBIUN, we can modestly contribute our more than 30 years of experience working on different aspects of academic libraries. During this time, we have generated various documents, guidelines, and regulations that can be adapted to similar environments and are available to the Chilean library community. We have also held 18 events focusing on the library model, the evolution of the CRAI concept, the development of research support services, and the updating of learning and teaching support. Likewise, we have worked intensively on open access for more than 20 years and, now, on Open Science.” He stated that all of this work and experience is available to CABID.
The event was broadcast via CABID's YouTube channel and can be viewed at the following link: t.ly/OqbUK
Text and photographs: CABID Commission
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