► Overview
Planning and maintaining libraries to meet users' needs.
Taking stock to plan library space.
Estimating space needs for other uses.
Promoting the value of a physical library.
Supplemental resources for more information.
Definitions of terms, abbreviations and acronyms used throughout the Quick Guide.
The Quick Guides in this collection address the following issues of interest to transportation information professionals:
► Introduction to the Quick Guides
► Accessibility and Section 508
► Collection Development and Management
The physical library spaces of state transportation libraries have evolved. With changes in methods of acquisition and information transfer, library spaces everywhere are being reimagined:
Even with these changes, valuable physical collections of transportation information remain and must be appropriately housed.
User needs have also evolved. While users may not need to flip through a card catalog, they may need collaborative space to discuss research issues and obtain face-to-face research support, or a space and computer with which to do uninterrupted research.
Many transportation agencies still have physical library spaces that require careful planning and maintenance. Space plans should be continuously reassessed to ensure user needs are being met and justified within the larger agency context.
The guidance in this Quick Guide is appropriate for DOTs with library spaces.
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.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
More information about space planning is available in the following Quick Guides:
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.