If this is your first visit to the zoo, you are sure to encounter many fabulous creatures both large and small. Whether winged or tufted or spotted or striped, all play an important part in the larger picture. Stroll through the zoo with Bobbi and Cara to access the right demographic data for all your transportation research and planning needs.
Featured Guide: Demographic Research LibGuide
This LibGuide comes to you from talented tour guides from MnDOT Library:
Sheila Hatchell, Library Director
Jim Byerly, Electronic Resources Librarian
Karen Neinstadt, Reference and Outreach Librarian
Marilee Tuite, Reference and Digital Services Librarian
Qin Tang, Technical Services Librarian
The platform for this guide is provided through the National Transportation Library.
Guide Encounter:
This LibGuide is all on one page for one-stop shopping. The guide starts out with a definition: “Demography is the study of statistics that illustrate the changing structure of human populations.” These exhibits are nested on one page, so you can take a birds-eye-view of six fabulous exhibits where you can learn about demographics, data and statistics.
Get out your binoculars and be ready to spot the treasures that await you when you enter the United States Resources exhibit. Eagles may want to start with a broad view of the Vital Statistics of the United States, while flamingos and peacocks may be interested in a colorful picture of the data, like the ALA Map & Geospatial Information Round Table (MAGIRT). If you only have a few minutes for this exhibit, be sure to visit the QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau.
Minnesota’s State Bird is the loon, so if you’re from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, fly right down to the Minnesota data exhibit in the bottom left corner.
But there’s much, much more special data for rare and special birds like Turquoise-Browed Motmots, Christmas Island Frigatebirds, and Kakapos. Glide on over to the Special Topics exhibit in the bottom central area, where you will find Data Hub's Migration Policy Institute. Remember to capture the data from there before all the birds migrate to warmer climates for the winter! If you want to head south yourself, you might take a look at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Demographics & Transportation in 2050 – with a projected 553 million living in the U.S. in 2050, you can bet demographics will drive transportation.
Don’t know your Hooded Pitohui from your Malachite Kingfisher? The Transportation Dictionaries in the top right exhibit may not answer that specific question, but they will provide you with everything you need to know about demographic and transportation terms. Experts from the National Transportation Library and Population Reference Bureau have made it easier for you to understand the myriad of terms both in demographics and transportation lingos (sorry – tweets and chirps are not defined). You can also search a customized State DOT Search Engine -- if you’re really looking for feathered friends, just enter birds and you’ll find War Birds and Aviation in Iowa from Iowa DOT, among other helpful resources.
Interactive exhibits abound at the zoo! Videos at the bottom right will show you how demographic changes affect transportation planning, courtesy of Florida DOT, and a TED Talk by TEDxArlington showing how demographics enabled the transportation system to rethink connections and mobility. Stay a while to watch and learn.
Demographic modelling works well for both bird and human populations. We don’t have wings to get us where we need to go (yet), so we need this LibGuide to connect us to the best data for transportation initiatives. Bookmark this Demographic Research LibGuide and you’ll never be grounded again.
About the Authors:
Cara Marcus is the resource center manager of National RTAP
Bobbi deMontigny is the librarian at the Montana Department of Transportation
0 Comments.