Medical Libraries of Europe: from the Middle Ages to the Present

The article examines the temporal aspects of medieval and modern medical libraries in Europe in the context of an attempt to predict their future development. The study of the temporal dynamics of medical libraries in Europe during the Middle Ages and today is based on the analysis of historical data, which allows us to make predictions about the future of these institutions. This study aims to identify possible ways libraries can evolve in the context of changes in society, technology, and the information environment. A systematic approach to the study of temporal changes in these library systems creates a basis for understanding how they can adapt and transform in response to new challenges and demands of the time. According to the basic principles of historical science, based on the analysis of various historical sources and modern research, the issue of the temporology of medical libraries in Europe in the Middle Ages and in our time is considered in the context of an attempt to make a futurological forecast of their future development. The research uses both general scientific and specific historical methods. Comparative historical and descriptive approaches to the analyzed sources are applied. The temporology of medical libraries in Europe, since the Middle Ages, demonstrates an evolution not only in the content, but also in the functional role of these institutions. In the Middle Ages, medical books were often available only to a narrow circle of specialists and those who had been trained in monastic schools. Libraries served the function of storing both scientific knowledge and religious texts, which greatly limited access to information. The analysis of historical data in this article for the first time attempts to predict the future of medical librarianship in the context of digitalization and globalization. Current trends, such as the use of artificial intelligence to manage collections and provide information, promise to radically change the availability of medical knowledge. Libraries will be rebuilt as centers not only for the storage, but also for the active dissemination and analysis of information, which, in turn, will significantly affect their role in healthcare.