ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 759 Biotechnology resourcesInternet Reso u rce s By Ju d ith L. Hart and Gary E. Hart A look at the advances in biotechnology E normous advances in the level of under­standing the basic life processes that oc­ cur in microorganisms, plants, and animals have occurred in recent years, and this knowledge is being utilized for numerous and diverse pur­ poses. The use of DNA fingerprinting in crimi­ nal trials has become routine; higher animals (e.g., sheep) have been cloned; mutant forms of human genes that cause diseases have been identified, isolated, and sequenced; hardy vine ripened tomatoes have been produced by ge­ netic engineering; sequencing of the genomes of man and rice is progressing rapidly; and the possible misuse of medical information about individual patients is a subject of legitimate con­ cern. These topics and other aspects of bio­ technology, such as the patenting of DNA se­ quences and of biological processes, are of interest not only to scientists but also to the public in general. The World Wide Web con­ tains a great deal of information about them; this article presents an overview of this infor­ mation. M ajor G uides—good places to begin • In fom in e: B iological, A gricu ltu r and Medical Science. Seventy selected bio­ technology sites are listed in the Infomine Di­ rectory of Scholarly Internet Resource Collec­ tions, maintained by the University of Califor­ nia at Riverside. Each site is accompanied by a summary, making the directory invaluable as an introductory source. Many of the sites are comprehensive sources, which focus on spe­ cific topics ranging from biomedical engineer­ ing to food science and technology and labo­ a ratory p ro d u cts . A c c e s s : http://lib- www.ucr.edu/search/ucr_balsearch.html. • The B iotechnology Inform ation Center (BIC). BIC, which is part of the National Agricultural Library, provides access to information services and publications re­ lated to agricultural b i o t e c h n o l o g y . Among the exten­ sene G ni ar G sive co llectio n of biotech-related Web sites and govern­ m ent d o cu m en ts are: U.S. Government Agencies, Biotech./Bio­ science Resource Indexes, Industry/Commer­ cial Biotech. Resources, Biotechnology-Public Perceptions/Information, Professional Scientific Societies, Databases and Research Resources, Biotechnology Programs/Institutions (U.S.), and International Biotechnology Sites. Access, http:// www.nal.usda.gov/bic/ • InfoBiotech Canada. This site is unique in that it is the result of cooperation between the three major players in biotechnology: academia, government, and industry. Informa­ tion sources are global, as well as Canadian. Access: http://www.ibc.nrc.ca/ibc/. l, • The World Wide Web Virtual Library: Biotechnology. The WWW Virtual Library bio­ technology resources (a public service of Cato Research Ltd.) covers biotechnology, pharma­ ceutical development, genetic engineering, medical-device development, and related fields. A comprehensive index of links by subject cat­ egories is provided, including Products and Services, Companies Producing Pharmaceuti­ cals, and Pharmacology and Toxicology. Ac­ cess: http://www.cato.com/biotech/. Ju d ith L. H art is s c ie n c e re fer en ce lib ra ria n a t Texas A&M University; e-m ail: jih a rt@ ta m u .ed u . G ary E. H art is p ro fesso r o f g en etics a t Texas A&M University; e-m ail: gh art@ acs.tam u .ed u http://lib- http://www.ucr.edu/search/ucr_balsearch.html http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/ http://www http://'www mailto:jihart@tamu.edu mailto:ghart@acs.tamu.edu 760 Research • The World Wide Web Virtual Library: Genetics. This Web site is a subject catalogue covering genetics. Listings are by organism, and bacteria, cattle, dog, fungus, humans, mos­ quito, plants, transgenic, and general are a m o n g th e a p p ro x im a te ly t w o - d o z e n organismal categories. Included within most o f these are direct links to Web sites devoted to genom e projects, databases, stock centers, and major conferences, with the listings for humans and plants being the most extensive. Access: http://www.ornl.gov/TechResources/ Human_Genome/genetics.html. • Agriculture Genome Information Sys­ tem (AGIS). AGIS provides information related to genomic research, including databases, con­ ferences, publications, courses, tools, and re­ lated links on agriculturally important plants, animals, and microorganisms. The AGIS server is produced cooperatively by the Department o f Plant Biology o f the University o f Maryland and the Genom e Informatics Group o f the USDA National Agricultural Library. Access: http://probe.nalusda.gov/. • GrainGenes. A genetic database for wheat, barley, rye, oat, and sugarcane, Grain­ Genes lists genes, alleles, gene products, DNA probes, genetic and physical maps o f chromo­ somes, and numerous G rain G en es other types o f genetic information. Also in­ c lu d e d are b ib lio ­ graphic citations and the addresses and in­ terests o f researchers. It is supported by the USDA National Agri­ cultural Library’s Plant Genome Program and numerous individual scien tists. Access: http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/. • The Genome Database. The Geno Database is the official central repository for genom ic mapping data resulting from the Hu­ man Genome Initiative, which is a worldwide research effort to sequence the human genome and determine the location and sequence o f all human genes. It includes genes, clones, other molecular markers, linkage and physi­ cal maps, mutations, and numerous other types o f data, but it does not currently store human sequence data or raw mapping data (such as pedigrees or genotypes), which are available m from other sources. The G enom e Database is hosted by the Johns Hopkins University S c h o o l o f M e d ic in e . Access: http:// gdb w w w .gd b .o rg/ . • National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). NCBI is a component o f the National Library o f Medicine, which is part o f the U.S. National Institutes o f Health. Its mission is to develop new information tech­ nologies, namely computerized databases and analysis tools, which will aid in the understand­ ing o f fundamental molecular and genetic pro­ cesses that control human health and disease. Am ong the links available at the NCBI Web site are those to various programs and activities o f the NCBI, several database services, several da­ tabases (including those for expressed sequence tags, sequence tagged sites, and GenBank), a gene map o f the human genome, and the can­ cer genom e anatomy project. Access: http:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. • GenBank— National Center for Bio­ technology Information (NCBI). GenBank is the U.S. National Institutes o f Health genetic sequence database, an annotated collection o f all publicly available DNA sequences. As o f October 1997, it lists over one billion bases in almost two million sequence records. Main­ tained by NCBI, it is part o f the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration, which also includes the DNA DataBank o f Ja­ pan and the European Molecular Biology Labo­ ratory. Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ Web/Genbank/index.html. • Protein Data Bank (PDB). The protein database is an archive o f experimentally de­ termined three-dimensional structures o f bio­ logical macromolecules. Maintained by the Brookhaven National Laboratory, it includes browsing and searching tools, documentation, a list o f Mirror Sites, and direct access to re­ lated W eb sites. Access: http://w w w .pdb. bnl.gov:80/. e • The Transgenic/Targeted Mutation Database (TBASE). L arge n u m bers o f transgenic animals for use in basic and ap­ plied science have been produced and ana­ lyzed throughout the world. TBASE presents organized information on these animals and on the targeted mutations that they contain. It is maintained by the D ivision o f Biom edi­ cal In fo r m a tio n S cie n c e s o f th e Johns Hopkins University School o f M edicine. A c­ cess: http://w w w .bis.m ed.jhm i.edu /D an/ tbase/tbase.html. http://www.ornl.gov/TechResources/ http://probe.nalusda.gov/ http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/ http://www.gdb.org/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ http://www.pdb http://www.bis.med.jhmi.edu/Dan/ 761 Education • Access Excellence. Genetech, Inc. spon­ sors this Web site as a national education pro­ gram in biotechnology for high school biology teachers. This online network for colleagues and scientists allows teachers to keep abreast of new scientific information, issues and eth­ ics, biotech careers, teaching partnerships and activities, online projects, and classrooms of the future. Access: http://www.vt.edu:10021/cals/ cses/chagedor/. • BioTech B iosou rces Database: Indi­ a n a U n iversity. This searchable database, maintained by Indiana University, offers edu­ cational resources related to biotechnology. The aim of this site is “to serve everyone from high school students to professional researchers. Included are BioTech’s life science dictionary, a Biotechnology Resource Database, educa­ tional guides on a variety of biotech-related topics, annotated links to literature, profes­ sional and bioinformatics resources, and In­ te r n e t s e a r c h in g to o ls . A c c e s s : http:// biotech.chem.indiana.edu/. • 1 997– 1 9 9 8 BIO’s C itizens’ Guide to Biotechnology. The Biotechnology Industry Organization’s educational guide was created to inform citizens about the biotechnology in­ dustry. It addresses the questions, “What is biotechnology? How is it benefiting society to­ day? and What will it offer in the future?” Top­ ics included are the State of the Industry (in­ dustry facts and figures), Health Care, Agricul­ ture, Environment, Industrial, and other areas in which biotechnology is used. Access: http:/ /w w w .b i o .o r g / w h a t i s / c i t i z e n l .d g w / 34273959c4cl2b3d#toc. • P rim er o n M olecular Genetics. This primer from the Department of Energy is main­ tained by the Human Genome Management Information System of Oak Ridge National Labo­ ratory. It is an excellent introduction to mo­ lecular genetics and topics related to mapping and sequencing the human genome, and it is available in acrobat (pdf) format. A ccess: http://www .bis.med.jhmi.edu/Dan/DOE/ intro.html. • BIO Online: R esearch and Education: Education Resources. This comprehensive list of Web sites on biotechnology education re­ sources is maintained by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). Links include other educational collections, reference tools, news­ letters, listservs, etc. A ccess: http://bio.com/ resedu/educate. html. ” Patents • Ag B iotech n ology Patents and New Technologies. This BIC site provides a search­ able database for full-text biotechnology pat­ ents for 1994 and 1995. Also available are patent titles for the 4th quarter of 1995 and the 1st– 3rd quarters of 1996. Useful Web tools for search­ ing patents are linked, as are other patent re­ sources such as a BIC “Biotechnology: Patent­ ing Issues Bibliography,” with 134 citations to articles and monographs from AGRICOLA cov­ e rin g 1 9 9 0 -J u ly 1996. A c c e s s : h t t p :/ / www.nal.usda.gov/bic/Biotech_Patents/. • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The USPTO Patent Bibliographic Database covers 1976 to the present. A click on related Web sites takes one to a page that lists links to other government sites and intellectual property of­ fic e s in o th e r co u n trie s. A ccess: http:// www.uspto.gov/. Regulations • Biotechnology and Scientific Services (BSS) Home Page. BSS is a component of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Categories o f information listed on the Table of Contents are Biotech­ nology Permits Database, APHIS Documents and Reports, How to Apply for Permits, Noti­ fications, and Petitions, Biosafety Resources, Reference Material, and How to Get Additional Information. Access: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ bbep/bp/. • In form ation Systems fo r B iotechnol­ ogy. Maintained by Virginia Tech, this site “pro­ vides information on agricultural and environ­ mental biotechnology research, product devel­ opment, regulatory issues, and biosafety.” It offers Monthly News Reports, a list of search­ able databases, U. S. Government Documents, Risk Assessment Information, as well as links to o th e r re s o u r c e s . A ccess : http:// gophisb.biochem.vt.edu/. • Biosafety In form ation Network and Advisory Service (BINAS). BINAS, a service of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, is involved in the monitoring of worldwide developments in regulatory issues in biotechnology. This is a good source for links to national and international Internet sites that focus on biosafety. U. S. links include the Envi­ ronmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pollu­ tion Prevention and Toxins TSCA Biotechnol­ ogy Program, the Biotechnology page o f the United States Food and Drug Administration, http://www.vt.edu:10021/cals/ http://www.bio.org/whatis/citizenl.dgw/ http://www.bis.med.jhmi.edu/Dan/DOE/ http://bio.com/ http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/Biotech_Patents/ http://www.uspto.gov/ http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ 762 the National Biological Impacts Assessment Program m e, and the Agricultural Genome In fo rm a tio n S e r v e r . A c c e s s : http:// binas.unido.org/binas/. Industry/Com m ercial • BIO— Biotechnology Industry Organi­ zation. The Home page of BIO, an organiza­ tion that “represents more than 720 biotech­ nology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and other organizations in 47 states and more than 20 countries.” A c­ cess: http://www.bio.org/. • National Biotech Register. This regis­ try of 2,200 biotechnology companies is cat­ egorized by the research and product develop­ ment focuses of the companies. Access: http:// www.barryinc.com/bio/. • BioSpace. A searchable site index assists one in finding information in BioSpace. The internal search engine allows one to search the entire site or specific areas (job postings, news archives, company profiles, and a calendar of events). Other features include top news sto­ ries of the day and an exhibit hall for compa­ n ies and o rg a n iz a tio n s. A c c ess : http:// www.biospace.com/. Scientific Societies/Associations • Professional Scientific Societies (BIC). This listing of links to the Home pages/serv ers of professional societies reflects the broad range of disciplines involved in biotechnol­ ogy. A few of the lin k s p ro v id e d are: American As­ sociation o f B io­ e th ics, T he G e ­ netics Society of rica, Institute ot Pood Technologists, So­ ciety for In-Vitro Biology, Society for Indus­ trial Microbiologists, and Union of Concerned Scientists. Access, http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/ www.html#scisoc. • B i o t e c h n o l o g y A s s o c i a t i o n s (I n f o B io te c h C a n a d a ). Forty-eight associa­ tions with an interest in biotechnology are listed on this page. The location of the majority of organizations is in the United States and Canada. Access, http://www.ibc.nrc.ca/cgi-bin/ibc/update- fılter?key=assoc. E-Journals/New letters • B io te ch n o lo g y N ew s/N e w s le tte rs/ Jo u rn a ls. This feature of the BIC Web server S Gn ry ad pe hr, i c Joh bn y s SH oo lop k i m n o s n Ame provides a compilation of communication Web sites on biotechnology. News sites mentioned include the Yahoo! Biotechnology Company News. Included under “Other Collections” of Newsletters/Journals are links to collections with a b road er fo cu s, such as: P e d r o ’s BioM olecular R esearch Tools (Access: http:/ /w w w .p u b l i c . i a s t a t e . e d u / ~ p e d r o / rt_journals.html); and Bioline Publications (A ccess: http://www.bdt.org.br/bioline/). Ac­ cess http:// www.nal.usda.gov:80/bic/Newslet ters/. • BioTech Literature Resources— Indi­ ana University. The unique feature of this col­ lection of Web sites for journals, newsletters, and paper archives is that it is annotated. A c­ cess: http://biotech.chem.indiana.edu/pages/ literature.html. • B iotechnology Jo u rn als and Periodi­ c a ls (B IO ). The B io tech n o lo g y Industry Organization’s collection of biotechnology jour­ nals and periodicals is an alphabetical list of links to over 80 titles. Access: http://www. bio.org/library/welcome.dgw. Discussion Groups • D irecto ry o f S cholarly and P ro fes­ sional E-Conferences. Compiled by Diane K. Kovacs and associates, this directory is a search­ able database of scholarly and professional elec­ tronic conferences. The subject keyword “bio­ technology” finds: GENTECH, a discussion group on the im­ pacts of genetic engineering (Subscription ad­ dress: GENTECH_REQUEST@tribe.ping.de). GEN-ETHICS, a moderated list devoted to ethical, legal, and policy issues and the Human G enom e P ro ject (Su b scrip tio n address: listserv@acor.org). GENTALK, a moderated list for teachers and students to discuss genetics and genetic engi­ neering (Subscription address: listseiv@usa.net). HUM-MOLGEN. a moderated list to discuss the Human Genome Project and human mo­ le c u la r g e n e tic s (S u b s c rip tio n ad d ress: lis ts e r v @ n ic .s u r fn e t.n l). A ccess : http:// n2h2.com/KO VACS/. • New sgroups (In foB iotech C anada). This is a list of newsgroups that can be accessed through a browser’s news server. Access, http:// www.ibc.nrc.ca/ibc/newsgroups.html. Issues/Bioethics • Issues and Ethics (Access Excellence). con tin u ed on p a g e 765 http://www.bio.org/ http://www.barryinc.com/bio/ http://www.biospace.com/ http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/ http://www.ibc.nrc.ca/cgi-bin/ibc/update- http://www.public.iastate.edu/~pedro/ http://www.bdt.org.br/bioline/ http://biotech.chem http://www mailto:GENTECH_REQUEST@tribe.ping.de mailto:listserv@acor.org mailto:listseiv@usa.net mailto:listserv@nic.surfnet.nl http://www.ibc.nrc.ca/ibc/newsgroups.html 763 765 example of a traditional value being challenged. Librarians traditionally have been open to all ideas and have provided materials to support divergent viewpoints to all users. Our collec­ tion policies and our standards for reference service reflect the value of open access in all academic libraries. However, the value reflected by this commitment to access, without consid­ eration of the impact of content now pits many rank and file librarians, along with a significant number of scholars from other fields, against the stated ALA position on intellectual freedom with regard to Web access. Should we leave content decisions to par­ ents when so many children are without pa­ rental guidance, especially in a society marked by tw o-incom e families and single-parent households? Should librarians take a more ac­ tive role in deciding what is available to mi­ nors or students on the Internet? If so, does that lessen the importance of our long-held value of intellectual freedom? We have always limited access to traditional materials through the use of selection policies, special collec­ tions, and the like. For some, however, a simi­ lar policy related to materials available online is seen as the antithesis of intellectual free­ dom. These questions—few with easy answers— are what attracted me to the theme. Opportuni­ ties to discuss the values of librarianship will occur during the course of the year, and I hope you will have the opportunity to join your col­ leagues to consider—to think about—the values of librarianship. ■ Join ACRL President’s Midwinter discussion forum: Enduring values for the new millennium Are you concerned that the commercial­ ization of electronic information may erode equitable access to information for academic library patrons? Do you spend sleepless nights wondering whether the commitment of aca­ demic librarians to intellectual freedom will be compromised by protests against explicit materials on the Internet? Do you worry about how academic librarians will uphold our ser­ vice values, our professional neutrality, and the tenets of fair use in today’s political and economic climate? If so, make plans to attend the ACRL President’s Discussion Forum “Enduring Val­ ues for the New Millennium” at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in New Orleans. This d iscu ssion forum, to be m oderated by Shelley Phipps of the University o f Arizona, will explore ACRL President Lee Hisle’s theme o f values for the electronic informa­ tion age. Scenarios will be presented, and attendees will have the opportunity to en­ gage in group discussions about values important to academic librarians. “Endur­ ing Values for the New Millennium” will take place Monday, January 12, 9:30– 11:00 a.m. Check the official conference program for exact meeting room location. B iotechnology cont. fr o m 762 This Web page provides links to documents related to issues and ethics, the Human Ge­ nome Project, Principles of Genetic Engineer­ ing, and the State of the Art. Access: http:// www.gene.com/ae/AB/IE/. • Public Perception Issues in Biotech­ nology. The goal of this Web site is “to pro­ vide information on communication of biotech­ nology issues and the impact of biotechnology on society.” Issues covered are scientific, regu­ latory, educational, and commercial, with a fo­ cus on issues related to agriculture and the envi­ ronment. Access: http://www.vt.edu:10021/ cals/cses/chagedor/ percep.html. • Biotechnology: Public Perceptions— Public Inform ation (BIC). A collection of Web sites and documents that deal with bioethics and public attitudes and perceptions towards biotech­ nology. Access, http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/ www.html#percep. • C enter for Biotechnology Policy and Ethics. This center at Texas A&M University “was created in 1990 as a specific response to ethical and political challenges facing the de­ velopment of new genetic technologies, espe­ cially in the food, agricultural and natural re­ source sectors.” Through discussion groups, conferences, and workshops, this forum for interdisciplinary research brings together indi­ viduals and organizations involved in biotech­ nology and its impact on society. Access, http:// www.tamu.edu/cbpe/. ■ http://www.gene.com/ae/AB/IE/ http://www.vt.edu:10021/ http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/ http://www.tamu.edu/cbpe/