Journal:Developing a bioinformatics program and supporting infrastructure in a biomedical library
| Full article title | Developing a bioinformatics program and supporting infrastructure in a biomedical library |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of eScience Librarianship |
| Author(s) | Hosburgh, Nathan |
| Author affiliation(s) | National Institutes of Health |
| Primary contact | Email: Nathan dot Hosburgh at nih dot gov |
| Year published | 2018 |
| Volume and issue | 7(2) |
| Page(s) | 2 |
| DOI | 10.7191/jeslib.2018.1129 |
| ISSN | 2161-3974 |
| Distribution license | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
| Website | https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/jeslib/vol7/iss2/2/ |
| Download | https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1129&context=jeslib (PDF) |
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Abstract
Background: Over the last couple decades, the field of bioinformatics has helped spur medical discoveries that offer a better understanding of the genetic basis of disease, which in turn improve public health and save lives. Concomitantly, support requirements for molecular biology researchers have grown in scope and complexity, incorporating specialized resources, technologies, and techniques.
Case presentation: To address this specific need among National Institutes of Health (NIH) intramural researchers, the NIH Library hired an expert bioinformatics trainer and consultant with a PhD in biochemistry to implement a bioinformatics support program. This study traces the program from its inception in 2009 to its present form. Discussion involves the particular skills of program staff, development of content, collection of resources, associated technology, assessment, and the impact of the program on the NIH community.
Conclusion: Based on quantitative and qualitative data, the bioinformatics support program has been heavily used and appreciated by researchers. Continued success will depend on filling key staff positions, building on the existing program infrastructure, and keeping abreast of developments within the field to remain relevant and in touch with the medical research community utilizing bioinformatics services.
Keywords: bioinformatics, bioinformatics support program, biomedical library
Introduction and background
In the context of an ever-expanding information landscape, those involved in biomedical research have become increasingly reliant on the use of bioinformatics to analyze large amounts of complex data. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field involving molecular biology and genetics, computer science, mathematics, and statistics. Large-scale biological problems, such as modeling biological processes, are addressed from a computational point of view so that inferences can be made from aggregate data.[1] As stated by Rein[2], “Bioinformatics research advances in such areas as gene therapy, personalized medicine, drug discovery, the inherited basis of complex diseases influenced by multiple gene/ environmental interactions, and the identification of the molecular targets for environmental mutagens and carcinogens have wide ranging implications for the medical and consumer health sectors.”[2] The field of bioinformatics has seen explosive growth since the mid-1990s, spurred by the Human Genome Project and rapid advances in DNA sequencing technology.
References
- ↑ Can, T. (2014). "Introduction to Bioinformatics". In Yousef, M.; Allmer, J.. miRNomics: MicroRNA Biology and Computational Analysis. Methods in Molecular Biology. 1107. Humana Press. doi:10.1007/978-1-62703-748-8_4. ISBN 9781627037488.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rein, D.C. (2006). "Developing library bioinformatics services in context: The Purdue University Libraries bioinformationist program". Journal of the Medical Library Association 94 (3): 314–20. PMC PMC1525331. PMID 16888666. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1525331.
Notes
This presentation is faithful to the original, with only a few minor changes to presentation. In some cases important information was missing from the references, and that information was added. The original article lists references in alphabetical order, by author; this version lists them in order of appearance, by design.
