Attending EAHIL 2025
By Janet Hughes, Biological Sciences Librarian, The Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania, USA

Although I often attend large library conferences, for professional development I seek small, discipline-specific conferences that provide experiences not found at larger conferences. EAHIL was recommended by a colleague, and it was, indeed, worth the time, travel, and cost.
The topics covered, information provided, and networking opportunities offered were relevant and important. The workshops were useful and timely, the Plenary and Closing sessions were entertaining and thought-provoking, and the social events were fun and relaxing. I was impressed by the eagerness of both presenters and participants to share knowledge, experiences, and opinions.
I chose a CE course, Growing Confidence in Systematic Searching: Managing and Exploring Bibliographic Databases, to learn some techniques and to bolster my familiarity with certain databases. The knowledge gained from this class will be applicable to my work, even if I never achieve the searching efficacy the instructor demonstrated.

I participated in multiple workshops, each of which provided practical tips, strong foundational knowledge, and opportunities to interact with librarians who share many of the issues I encounter. Simplifying Complex Queries: A Practical Workshop on Medsyntax introduced an interesting tool to facilitate searching. Navigating the Publishing Trap: Safeguarding Researchers from Predatory Practices gave practical options to protect my liaison faculty and graduate students. Informing the Systematic Search Process: How to Improve Communication Between Information Specialists/Librarians and Researchers used interactive activities to discuss managing expectations and workflows within Systematic Review teams.

The Workshop on Responsible AI Use in Literature Research: Beyond ChatGPT was timely and provided examples that can be extrapolated to my library.
EAHIL 2025 was fantastic. The workshops/sessions were great, the location was lovely, the social events were fabulous, and my fellow attendees were friendly and helpful. I thoroughly enjoyed attending EAHIL 2025, and I look forward to future conferences.