Bioinformatics Training by Librarians and for Librarians: Developing the Skills Needed to Support Molecular Biology and Clinical Genetics Information Instruction

Theme: Information Literacy for Science & Technology

Abstract

Bioinformatics draws on a variety of sources -- computational biology, computer science, molecular biology, genetics, information technology (IT) -- and has been defined many ways. According to Luscombe et al. (2001), bioinformatics is "conceptualizing biology in terms of macromolecules (in the sense of physical-chemistry) and then applying 'informatics' techniques (derived from disciplines such as applied maths [sic], computer science, and statistics) to understand and organize the information associated with these molecules, on a large-scale." While librarians may find themselves overwhelmed by definitions like these and the content of bioinformatics resources, the focus on organization of information and database structures should be familiar ground.

As with any other multidisciplinary subject, there are many avenues for building knowledge and skills in bioinformatics: hands-on and lecture classes in the curriculum, workshops on specific techniques or software, self-directed learning by online tutorials or reading one of the journals now devoted to this topic. This article outlines some of the opportunities for expanding bioinformatics knowledge and leveraging this knowledge into a teaching role.