Carving a niche: establishing bioinformatics collaborations

The paper describes collaborations and partnerships developed between library bioinformatics programs and other bioinformatics-related units at four academic institutions. A call for information on bioinformatics partnerships was made via email to librarians who have participated in the National Center for Biotechnology Information's Advanced Workshop for Bioinformatics Information Specialists. Librarians from Harvard University, the University of Florida, the University of Minnesota, and Vanderbilt University responded and expressed willingness to contribute information on their institutions, programs, services, and collaborating partners. Similarities and differences in programs and collaborations were identified. The four librarians have developed partnerships with other units on their campuses that can be categorized into the following areas: knowledge management, instruction, and electronic resource support. All primarily support freely accessible electronic resources, while other campus units deal with fee-based ones. These demarcations are apparent in resource provision as well as in subsequent support and instruction. Through environmental scanning and networking with colleagues, librarians who provide bioinformatics support can develop fruitful collaborations. Visibility is key to building collaborations, as is broad-based thinking in terms of potential partners.