Research Library

CONNECTIONS: The VDOT Library E-Newsletter

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New From AASHTO: Updates to the 2017 AASHTO Materials Standards
06/30/2017
profile-icon Gil Kenner
Research, Engineering, Materials, VDOT Library

AASHTO has released the first 2 of 3 scheduled updates to the 2017 edition of the Standard Specifications for Transportation Materials and Methods of Sampling and Testing, and AASHTO Provisional Standards.

2017 AASHTO Materials Book cover

The first update (released mid-April), included 4 new and 24 revised standards, and updates the sections on Hydraulic Cement and Lime, Fresh Concrete, Hardened Concrete, Pavement Measurement, Bridge and Pavement Preservation, and Quality Assurance and Environmental.

The second (released mid-June) covers the section on General Manufactured Materials, including Concrete Drainage Structures, Flexible and Metallic Pipe, Markings and Coatings, and Safety Devices and includes 8 new, and 26 revised standards.

Did you know that the VDOT Library provides VDOT employees with access to these and other AASHTO standards along with plenty of other great AASHTO content through the ASTM Compass subscription database? Check out this recent Connections post to learn more.

Compass Screenshot

The third and final 2017 installment is expected this August- so stay tuned to Connections for updates!

Still have questions about AASHTO, ASTM or any other standards? We're here to help!

Just contact the VDOT Library.

Gil Kenner

(434) 293-1926

VDOT Research Library

 

 

 

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ASCE Releases New Pavements Journal
06/23/2017
profile-icon Unknown Author
Research, Pavements, Materials

New journal: ASCE's Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part B: Pavements.

Caption: Dr. Dallas Little Jr. is editor of ASCE's Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part B: Pavements.

 

ASCE has debuted Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part B: Pavements, a new journal created to showcase scientific and engineering research related to pavement engineering, specifically under-research topics related to pavement infrastructure.
 

That brings the total number of ASCE journals with content related to pavements up to five, including:


According to Dallas Little Jr., editor, the forthcoming journal will feature technical and professional articles on the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation of airport, roadway, and other pavement systems.

 

Little, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, is the E.B. Snead Chair Professor of Transportation and Civil Engineering at Texas A&M, and an ASCE Distinguished Member. 

 

I think some of the first [issues] will be looking at innovative ways to solve the problems that face us with our infrastructure.... We need new ideas. And I think this journal will focus on some of the smart paving ideas, the multiscaling ideas, where we are able to evaluate the components that go into the paving infrastructure – the asphalt type, the aggregate type, the cement type, and so forth. I think that’s going to be a focus. Life-cycle cost, I think, will also be a focus in some of these early issues. — Dallas Little Jr., Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, Editor

 

Dr. Little elaborates in this ASCE News interview.

 

Authors interested in submitting to the journal can review Publishing in ASCE Journals: A Guide for Authors, and the journal's aims and scope statement notes it will focus on topics like: "pavement design; modeling; analysis approaches, maintenance and performance; pavement evaluation, pavement materials; interaction of pavements and vehicles; and economics and environmental aspects of pavements."

 

For questions contact: 

 

Ken Winter
VDOT Research Library
434-962-8979

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Knovel Adds Engineering Reference Books
06/16/2017
profile-icon Unknown Author
Research, VDOT Library

The Knovel database is being enhance with new reference materials from publisher Wiley.
VDOT's subscription will be enhanced with hundreds of engineering references from Wiley.


The VDOT Research Library is pleased to announce that a new partnership with top publisher Wiley has enhanced the Knovel database with answers and insights from nearly 300 new reference works. These books, available at your desktop through Knovel, help engineers, researchers and practitioners find answers and solve problems based on an even richer foundation of trusted, credible and authoritative engineering content. 
 

The initial selection is of particular interest structural and geotechnical engineers in the engineering, design and construction sectors, so perfect for VDOT employees.Check out the new titles available to you right now! 
 

Publications such as Ullman’s Chemical Engineering, Sax’s Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials, Patty’s Toxicology and Pilkey’s Formulas for Stress, Strain, and Structural Matrices will be added to Knovel between now and July 2017, including over half a million data points across nearly 4,000 interactive graphs and tables.
 

Knovel has not only great engineering content, but many other amazing features. Check out the video below to learn more about one of them.

 

Knovel’s exclusive interactive graphs and tables unlock valuable data and are especially critical for engineers who need precise answers potentially buried in multi-volume reference sets.

 

Still have questions? Get in touch. After all, our job is to help you do your job!
 

Ken Winter
VDOT Research Library
434-962-8979


P. S. In case you haven't heard about it, download and try the new My Knovel ToGo mobile app for Android or iOS devices. 

 

 

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TRB: Big Changes For Paper Submissions
06/09/2017
profile-icon Unknown Author
Research, VDOT Library

Last week Ann M. Brach, Ph.D., P.E., Director of Technical Activities at the Transportation Research Board, told chairs of technical committees about some important changes related to TRB's paper submission and review process for the 2018 TRB Annual Meeting.  

 

If you've ever authored a TRB paper the big news is that for 2018, if you submit a paper you will no longer be able to opt out of including that paper in the AMOnline database, the portal that has come to replace the Compendium of Papers, which was produced as a CD, DVD or thumb drive given to conference attendees from 1998-2016.


Until now, authors were allowed to submit a paper to the Annual Conference and given the choice to decline inclusion of that paper in the AMOnline database. If you're a researcher keen to submit a paper take a close look at TRB's "Requirements for Submitting Papers" documentation, but be advised that by consenting to TRB's new requirement for the paper to be included in the database could disqualify that paper from publication in other journals. 

 

Authors who submit papers for presentation will no longer be able to opt out of including their accepted papers in AM On Line. Approximately 20% of the authors who submit for presentation do not allow us to include their accepted paper in Annual Meeting On Line. We have received a number of complaints from Annual Meeting registrants and from sponsors that they are not finding papers from Annual Meeting sessions in AM OnLine, papers which are promised as part of the benefit they receive from registration and/or sponsorship. — Ann M. Brach, Ph.D., P.E., Director of Technical Activities


Those in the world of libraries and information may be asking how this might affect collections and access? The simple answer is that according to Ann Brach, Director of Technical Activities, the Compendium will no longer be produced, which means no more CDs/DVDs for a library's archival collections. See Dr. Brach's  

Subject: TRB changes related to papers

I want to give you advance notice about a few changes to paper submission and review that will go into effect when the paper submission site opens tomorrow in preparation for the 2018 Annual Meeting:

  • The instructions for Authors, Reviewers, Review Coordinators, and Event Planners has been reviewed and revised to clean up material that has accrued over time, eliminate duplication, clarify policy, include volunteer suggestions, and generally try to tighten up the language and make it more professional.
  • The Compendium of Papers will no longer be produced. As you know, the Compendium is a subset of the material that is contained in Annual Meeting On Line. AM On Line includes papers accepted for presentation as well as powerpoints and poster materials. The Compendium contained only the papers accepted for presentation but in a static downloadable file. This duplication of material costs tens of thousands of dollars. The result of this decision is that Annual Meeting registrants and TRB sponsors will continue to have access to all the content they have previously had access to, only not in the particular format of the Compendium.
  • The review criterion related to the quality of writing has been reworded to emphasize that a paper must be written well enough to be readily understood and that poor English grammar is sufficient grounds for rejection of the paper. This revision is the result of recommendations from the TRR Review Advisory Board and concerns expressed by a number of reviewers about the poor writing quality of many papers. In addition, Neil has been asking us to be stricter about this issue because poorly written papers require an inordinate amount of time from editors, which adds to the cost of the TRR and the time it takes to get papers published.
  • Authors who submit papers for presentation will no longer be able to opt out of including their accepted papers in AM On Line. Approximately 20% of the authors who submit for presentation do not allow us to include their accepted paper in Annual Meeting On Line. We have received a number of complaints from Annual Meeting registrants and from sponsors that they are not finding papers from Annual Meeting sessions in AM OnLine, papers which are promised as part of the benefit they receive from registration and/or sponsorship.

Thanks.

Ann

Ann M. Brach, Ph.D., P.E.
Director, Technical Activities
Transportation Research Board
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

 

If you're a library patron, you don't have to sweat the details. We can always find and deliver any TRB paper you request. Just submit your request using this handy Document Delivery Request Form.

 

Of course, since VDOT is a TRB sponsor all employees have free online access to recent TRB papers through AMOnline.  We've even created this step-by-step guide to help you get started.
 

Will the result of these changes affect the quality or quantity of submissions? Only time will tell.

 

But for now one thing hasn't changed: If you plan to submit a paper for next year's conference you better get started. The 2018 submission deadline is August 1.


As always, the VDOT Research Library is here to help!

Ken Winter
VDOT Research Library
434-962-8979

 

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New Guide to ASCE Library for Journals, Books, Proceedings, Standards and More!
06/02/2017
profile-icon Gil Kenner
Research, Engineering, VDOT Library

ASCE guide screenshot

Check out the VDOT Library's NEW GUIDE to everything you need to get started using ASCE LIBRARY.

 

ASCE Library is  VDOT's direct link to premium content from the American Society of Civil Engineers. The VDOT Library provides institutional access for ALL VDOT employees to the full text of more than 120,000 ASCE journal articles, books, conference proceedings papers and standards. 
 

This new guide has everything you need to get started using ASCE Library — including detailed instructions for REMOTE ACCESS.  

 

That's right, with your Virtual Library Card you can access all of the same library databases you use at work from your home computer or from most any of your favorite connected devices.
 

All journal articles, proceedings papers, e-books, and standards are available in PDF format with journal articles from 2006 to present also available in full-text HTML. Already an ASCE Library user? Why not click the Share tab and pass this guide along to a colleague? 
 

Questions? We're here to help!
 

Gil Kenner

(434) 293-1926

VDOT Research Library

 

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