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.

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: 1. Develop a toolkit of recommendations and best practices for transportation research organizations that do not have a transportation librarian. 2. Partner with the NTKN to analyze effectiveness of libguides, identify gaps in coverage, and survey the needs of DOTs. 3. Develop a white paper analyzing the current condition of transportation information infrastructure, including review of pertinent knowledge management resources. 4. Develop a cooperative digitization project among members, in partnership with the NTL, to convert copies of older materials to digital formats, as well as providing ADA compliance support for digital documents. 5. Enhance communication between group members (hold annual pooled fund meeting in conjunction with the AASHTO RAC conference).

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 Survey organizations without a library Find out their needs and analyze survey data Compare with library standards Develop flexible document for multiple sizes of organizations Partner with NTKN on Libguides Identify important topics for transportation researchers (Survey organizational needs) Identify experts in related fields to contribute to libguide Identify existing libguides that need updated Solicit for volunteers to work on libguides Contract with individuals willing to participate Contact original creators of libguides, or contract with other individuals to update White Paper Conduct literature review Conduct survey/questionnaire Analyze results Develop white paper Cooperative Digitization Project with NTL Research best practices for digitization Conduct survey of other library digitization practices Develop document of best practices for digitization Hire contractor to assist in digitization needs Assist organizations with ADA compliance for documents Hold Pooled Fund Annual Meeting Hold meeting at the AASHTO-RAC Conference

Suggested member model: Volunteer Members (at $0 per year) Can contribute to projects of pooled fund study Supporting Members ($10,000 per year) All benefits of Volunteer Members Participation in quarterly pooled fund teleconferences Travel and accommodations for the annual PFS meeting held at the AASHTO-RAC conference Authority to propose and cast a vote on the annual work plan Associate Members ($15,000 per year) All benefits of a Supporting Member Eligible for ADA compliance support for reports OR digitization support Full Members ($25,000 per year) All benefits of an Associate Member. Eligible for both ADA compliance AND digitization support. Travel and accommodations for one additional member to attend the AASHTO-RAC conference. Advanced access to all documents and research conducted by the pooled fund as the study is being carried out.