The role of the health information professional as "informationist"

- Bioinformatics opportunities for health sciences librarians and information professionals

Two very different roles exist for health information professionals supporting research and development efforts in bioinformatics. The first is the more traditional role pursued in academic health sciences libraries and corporate libraries. In this role, professional responsibilities typically focus on collection development and teaching, although these activities require additional education or training for the librarian supporting bioinformatics clients. The second role is more often seen in research and development facilities or clinical settings, where the information professional is actively involved in the research process and project management. Responsibilities of this role may include involvement in searching the primary literature or genomic sequence databases, data and knowledge management and communication, and collaborative technical writing. Significantly, this second role most closely resembles that of the “informationist” as set forth by Davidoff and Florance [1], where the information professional possesses both significant domain knowledge in information science and specific technical or biological skills, including an understanding of applied knowledge in the research or clinical setting.