Research Guides
Welcome to the Transportation Research and Connectivity pooled fund study LibGuide. This is where we will upload all the latest information on the study's progress, including specific updates for each objective as well as recordings of past meetings. Below you can find the study's description taken from the pooled fund website as well as details on planned objectives.
Background:
Traditionally, a small group of libraries were responsible for providing information services within the transportation community. They played an important part in connecting organization staff with the resources they need to perform their jobs more efficiently; resources that included library catalogs, training materials, information services, expert connections within the organizations, AASHTO ePub gatekeeping, and other activities, thereby increasing job satisfaction and assisting in workforce retention. Yet, the transportation research community faces increasing challenges. Many state DOTs are experiencing a knowledge retention crisis as more employees either leave the workforce and are not replaced or are lured into the private sector. Knowledge management strategies, often researched and employed by librarians, are increasingly becoming vital for the smooth functioning of organizations. Additionally, several state DOTs have shut down their libraries in the past several years, and many organizations rely on non-librarian knowledge resource managers to fill this role, if this role is filled at all. This has led to a lack of standardization among knowledge resource professionals.
Transportation librarians have been critical in the dissemination of research for the transportation community and play an important role in providing links between professionals and their research. Librarians have also been responsible for the creation of library guides, or libguides, on a variety of topics that aid in effective transportation research. Similarly, they have been instrumental in providing professional digitization and accessibility of materials for research use.
With the number of transportation librarians shrinking nationwide and the number of complex issues facing transportation researchers only increasing, several solutions will be developed in the proposed study to remedy the aforementioned problems. To increase professionalism and standardization among non-library information managers, a toolkit will be developed that will offer guidance on best practices and be scalable to the research organization’s size and abilities. Separately, a white paper on the changing nature of transportation libraries in the 21st century will be produced. This document will provide a roadmap for transportation organizations to follow with respect to current conditions of transportation information infrastructure. It will identify recurring problems, recommend solutions, and help organizations adapt to the rapid change that is occurring across the research landscape.
The pooled fund team will also work with the National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN) to gauge effectiveness of current libguides and identify gaps in coverage. Additionally, the pooled fund team will work with the NTL to further the goal of cooperative digitization, assisting members in carrying out best practices when digitizing materials, and assisting with ADA compliance issues as needed. Lastly, the pooled fund members will hold an annual meeting in conjunction with the AASHTO-RAC conference to discuss implementation of the study’s goals and facilitate communication between member organizations.
Objectives
To support coordinated development of transportation libraries as well as research organizations without dedicated libraries, the following objectives will be undertaken. These objectives will be accomplished through member activities and partnerships with professional groups such as the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Library and Information Science for Transportation Committee (LIST), the Special Libraries Association (SLA) Transportation Division, and the National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN). Completed projects will be stored permanently at the NTKN and the National Transportation Library (NTL) for public use and will be completed within the three-year span of the pooled fund study. The specific objectives are listed below:
Scope of Work:
The work plan will be developed based on recommendations by members of the pooled fund study, and will include but may not be limited to the following for each objective:
Toolkit for Non-librarians
Partner with NTKN on Libguides
White Paper
Cooperative Digitization Project with NTL
Hold Pooled Fund Annual Meeting