The complexity of chemical information: Interview with Gary Wiggins

Abstract

Gary Wiggins was the head of the Indiana University (IU) Chemistry Library from 1976 to 2003. During the final four years of his professional career, he served as Director of the Bioinformatics and Cheminformatics Programs in the IU School of Informatics, helping to create one of the first graduate programs in the United States that offer specialized training in cheminformatics. For many years, he taught courses in chemical information and science reference at IU. His textbook, Chemical Information Sources, was eventually converted to a Wikibook. Dr. Wiggins received several prestigious awards throughout his career, including the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Information’s Herman Skolnik Award and the Patterson-Crane Award of the ACS Columbus and Dayton Sections. He was also elected to the Special Libraries Association Hall of Fame. Much of his research involved the improvement of teaching information literacy to chemistry and science students and the improvement of communication among scientists. In May 1991, Gary Wiggins started a chemical information discussion list, CHMINF-L, in Indiana University. Through the years, this forum became an institution of its own, providing a medium for exchanging information and ideas and attracting people interested in chemical information, but who approached it from different perspectives. In this era of social media, it is surprising that an e-mail Listserv based on technology developed over 20 years ago is still thriving. In many ways, CHMINF-L is still the information source for everyone from chemists to science librarians and publishers.