Universitätsbibliothek der Medizinischen Universität Wien – größte Medizinbibliothek Österreichs: Hybridbibliothek als Zukunftskonzept / University Library of the Medical University Vienna – largest Medical Library of Austria: Hybrid Library as a concept for the future

The today’s Medical University Library was established as Faculty Library of the Vienna University Library in 1986 and serves till now as the largest Medical Library in Austria. The Main Library is located in the Vienna General Hospital (University hospitals). During 1994 and 2003 it became the Austrian Central Library for Medicine. Since 2004 University Library of the newly founded Medical University of Vienna supplies literature and information for 8500 Students, 1800 scientists and 1600 doctors. The article describes the Library’s participation on projects of the Austrian Library Consortium and the Austrian Cooperation for E-media. It specifies the offers and use of the digital library (professional databases, electronic journals, document delivery, e-books) but also the website and the “Van Swieten”-Blog which are the information and communication platforms of the University Library. The next part shows the supply of traditional library which consists of the Clinical Library, the Textbook Collection and the Students Reading Room. We report also on the Library for the History of Medicine, their precious medical historical holdings and their current activities connected with the digitalization of the card index. The library’s activities to the “Medizin Curriculum Wien”, trainings and tours are told in the chapter about the Teaching Library but also the Information Retrieval Service and the activities due to training, placement and projects of librarians. Another part speaks about the special activities in international projects like “subito”, “E-books on demand” and a gateway for PDAs. The Medical University Library was the first Austrian library who used the LinkOut function of PubMed. The library works on a project of “Wiedergutmachung” (NS-Provenienzforschung) and a very ambitious Weblog for the remembrance of the displaced professors at the medical faculty of the University of Vienna in 1938. The last chapter presents a development plan of the prospective activities of the University Library. To complete the essay the characteristic factors, addresses and an extensive bibliography about the development of the library is added