► Home
Purpose of the Transportation Library Quick Guides.
Details about the previous and current editions of the toolkit and Quick Guides.
Definitions of terms, abbreviations and acronyms used throughout the Quick Guides.
The Quick Guides in this collection examine the following issues of interest to transportation information professionals:
► Accessibility and Section 508
► Collection Development and Management
► Information Professional Competencies
► Appendix A: List of Resources
Managing and making available the extraordinary amount of information and research produced by transportation agencies, academic researchers and others have been challenges for decades. State department of transportation (DOT) libraries have been evolving to respond to resource constraints, workforce and institutional knowledge challenges, and changing information technology and user needs.
In recent years, several transportation agency libraries have closed or been reduced in capacity, and in some cases, librarian positions have been eliminated. Transportation libraries and librarians are increasingly at a disadvantage due to:
The complexity of transportation issues and researcher needs, however, continues to expand. The Transportation Research and Connectivity pooled fund study (TPF-5(442)) produced this series of Quick Guides on topics of interest to assist both nonlibrarians and librarians in navigating these changes and challenges.
Many of the Quick Guides have some connection to another Quick Guide topic. References to these related guides are listed separately to call attention to the guides that can inform related topics. Below is an example of one of these references:
Refer to the Information Management Quick Guide for more information about document delivery and interlibrary loan.
Also, it can be helpful to see a concept, policy or practice that is implemented by another transportation library or information center, or examples of resources a library might add to its collection. The examples that appear throughout the Quick Guides provide more information about policies, practices and content that is appropriate for a transportation library. In addition to these real-world examples, most Quick Guides close with a sampling of additional resources or tools that can provide further guidance. Appendix A brings together all resources highlighted in the toolkit in an A to Z listing organized by chapter.
The Transportation Research and Connectivity pooled fund study, TPF-5(442), is a consortium of state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other partners that supports the coordinated development of transportation libraries as well as research organizations without dedicated libraries. Study focus areas include communication and networking, digitization, research report accessibility, and developing online resource guides and a toolkit for non-librarians.
These Quick Guides are also available as a comprehensive manual (Transportation Library Toolkit) that brings together all Quick Guides in one document.
This Quick Guide was prepared by CTC & Associates LLC for the Transportation Research and Connectivity pooled fund study, TPF-5(442), under the guidance of the following members of the study's technical advisory committee:
This guide is a living document that is intended to be revised and updated to incorporate new resources. To suggest a resource for inclusion, please contact one of the committee members listed above.
Publication date: December 2022.