Bioinformatics Information Gateway

The Bioinformatics Information Gateway is a joint effort of the Bioinformatics Group and the library of Wageningen University to build up an e-library in the field of (plant) bioinformatics.

With this service we aim to provide a key-selection of information sources in the field of bioinformatics that are publicly available through the internet (websites, databases, pdf's etc). Sources are selected based on scope, usefulness and quality. The gateway provides descriptive information (type of publication, title, subject, keywords, abstract, publisher etc.) and together with direct links. Some journals are only accessible from wur accounts, indated with a key in the link button.

You can browse or search the presently available sources via Wageningen Desktop Library

Project Background

Aim

The aim of the Bioinformtics Information Gateway project is to provide an internet information service on bioinformatics for scientists and students, so that they can discover high quality information on the Internet in a fast and effective way. It is one of the approaches taken in the Wageningen Phytoinformatics Programme and the services is offered as part of the bioinformatics webportal.

Approach

Since at the same time Wageningen University Library was setting up subject portals, including records of websites, on their Desktop Library we decided to join forces. Collecting and catalogueing journals, reference works and textbooks was already the core expertise of librarians and information specialists, but collecting websites is a relatively new activity.

So our common goal was to collect, select and catalogue websites in a database. While it is our approach to collect only bioinformatics related websites, put descriptive information in a database and thus make the selected websites available via the portal, the library has a general scope for collecting websites. Bioinformatics is one of their many topics of the Plant Sciences Information Portal.The collection contains journals accessible via internet, elecronics reference works, textbooks, and websites.

The input from Bioinformatics Group concerns the searching of websites relevant to bioinformatics researchers, to make a selection, and to add those selected to the database by composing the descriptive information. By contributing sources to the library database as part of the Wageningen Phytoinformatics Programme we can build up a better and bigger selection of websites within limited time.

The output is more bioinformatics websites in the database of Wageningen University Library, and a specific search and browse option on this webportal in the database subset of bioinformatics related websites.

Project Status

After setting aim and scope of the gateway, collecting background information about gateways, and adjusting the structure of the database of wageningen university library to allow storing data about websites we are presently expanding the collection of electronic sources in the database.

At present you can only browse or search the presently available sources via Wageningen Desktop Library.
In near future this portal will provide search and browse options in all records of websites relevant to bioinformatics.

Background on Information Gateways

An information gateway is defined as a quality-controlled information service of electronic sources. It can be compared with a library, but instead of books it contains (links to) websites. The selection of the sources is important: of all sources available via the internet a selection is made based on the topics to be covered, the quality of the sites offered and the usefulness of the sites for the target group of users. The second key feature of an information gateway is the catalogue describing the websites in the collection. Each website has a 'record' in the catalogue with a link to the site and metadata describing the site (title, publisher, author, abstract, data of publication, keywords, etc). By providing good descriptions and keywords the user can easily find the most relevant websites for the user's purpose. Information Gateways need to contain good information and must be updated and maintained regularly to keep its usefulness. The site of DESIRE site contains a handbook for constructing information gateways.

Other Information Gateways

DutchESS - Dutch Electronic Subject Service, broad scope internet subject service by collaborating dutch libraries for academic community.
Finish Virtual Library - a collection of virtual libraries in 40 subject areas
SOSIG - The Social Sciences Information Gateway, a gateway focussing on social sciences
BIOME - gateway specialized in biological and biomedical sciences
Psigate - offers high quility web resources in the physical sciences
Biogate, the 1000 best biology links of Lunds' university

A list of information gateways is available via Pinakes, a Subject Launchpad