The introduction of LibGuides created a seismic shift in bioinformatic information dissemination. This study explores approaches to resource selection and subject guide development by reviewing bioinformatics LibGuides across Canadian academic libraries. Our project aimed to determine 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. We found four LibGuides focused solely on bioinformatics and seven guides with subsections dedicated to bioinformatics. Overall, there were 566 resources distributed across the guides, with little overlap across guides. Most (n=440) were distinct resources. The most common resource type was database and the resources that appeared the most were BLAST Database, Protein Data Bank, and PubMed, which appeared five times.
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. However, despite this variety, there was still a trend in those resources’ funding or hosting. They are often provided by American institutions, via American funding. This raises concerns for information professionals when it comes to access to and veracity of data to use and teach bioinformatics resources, highlighting the pressing need for strategies that advocate for more diverse resource selections and cultivate relationships with international data repositories.