Mapping the bioinformatics resource landscape: an analysis of LibGuides across Canadian universities

The initial introduction of LibGuides created a seismic shift in bioinformatic information dissemination. This study reviewed bioinformatics LibGuides from Canadian universities to establish a consistent overlap of frequently recommended materials that would spell out a canon of bioinformatics resources.

We undertook a manual review of the 11 bioinformatics-specific LibGuides created by Canadian university libraries.

We found four (n=4) LibGuides focused solely on bioinformatics and seven (n=7) guides with subsections dedicated to bioinformatics. Overall, there were 566 resources distributed across 11 LibGuides, with little overlap across guides. Most (n=440) were distinct resources. The most common resource type was database and the most frequently appearing resources (n=5) were BLAST Database, Protein Data Bank, and PubMed.

We identified clear variations in the intended audience for these subject guides, as well as commonalities across all 11. The diversity of listed resources reflects the diversity and interdisciplinary nature of bioinformatics. Despite this variety of resources, we observed a uniformity in those resources' funding or hosting, as they are often American in origin. This now represents a concern for librarians and other information professionals when it comes to using and teaching bioinformatics resources.