About GHL
The objective of the Global Health Library (GHL) is to contribute to radically increase access to information and scientific evidence on health, particularly in developing regions. GHL is promoted and led by WHO as part of its strategy of knowledge management in global public health.
The GHL aims to 'strengthen, promote and develop worldwide networks on the collection, organization, dissemination and universal access to reliable health sciences information'.
Based on existing initiatives, virtual libraries, networks, systems, products and services and to increase their interoperability, visibility and accessibility, the main objective of the GHL proposal is to maximize cooperative activities in networks and minimize duplications. The GHL is designed to create the global space that will promote and progressively connect local, national, regional and international flows of information on health.
The GHL was publicly launched in September 2005, during the 9th World Congress on Health Information and Libraries (ICML9) and the 7th Regional Congress on Health Sciences Information (CRICS7), held in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
In order to implement the GHL in the next years, the WHO prepared the GHL Framework, aiming to socialize the concept of a global library, its principles, operational structure and governance, as well as the respective plan of action.
Setting a framework is necessary for the GHL implementation due to its complex and decentralized network operation. Moreover national, regional and international institutions from all over the world and from several thematic areas are expected to increasingly participate in the effort.
The responsibility for the methodological and technical development, maintenance, operation and dissemination of the GHL platform has been assigned by WHO to BIREME/PAHO/WHO to take advantage of its Virtual Health Library platform that will be adopted and adapted for the GHL.