With 'Single Sign On' you can get ASTM standards with one click. Watch this how-to video or simply click to try it now!
Sometimes less is more...and that has got to be the case with passwords!
In an effort to make life a little easier for busy VDOT employees the VDOT Research Library has configured its #1 subscription database — perennial favorite ASTM Compass — to work using Okta and "Single Sign On" (SSO) authentication.
Translation: If you're on the VDOT network, and you click a link to ASTM Compass, you will now get in with no further password prompts!
In fact, returning ASTM users will be recognized back "by name" with all your favorites, recently accessed standards and tracked documents right where you left them. How great is that?
This could be a huge time saver for frequent users of ASTM Compass, which provides more than 13,000 standards from ASTM, AASHTO and other standards issuing organizations, not to mention close to 3,000 manuals, monographs and reports, and 45,000 papers and articles.
This is great! I spent too much time searching and finding only parts of what I was looking for this morning. With Single Sign On I was able to quickly get the standard I needed in ASTM Compass.
- Darius Benton, Construction Manager, Hampton Roads
How does it work for new or first-time users?
If you are already on the VDOT network, the first thing you'll see when you enter ASTM Compass is a partial user profile recognizing VDOT as your agency as well as your VDOT e-mail address. Complete your profile by inserting your first and last name (you will only see this screen one time) and click "save" as shown here:
What happens if I try to access ASTM Compass from a device off the VDOT network? (like a home PC, personal device or VDOT device without VPN)
Like all Okta-enabled applications, you'll be prompted for your VDOT network credentials so you can be recognized and authorized. The Okta sign-in screen looks like this:
If you frequently use the Okta "My Apps" page you'll notice a link to ASTM Compass there as well, as shown below. One click takes you right in to ASTM Compass from that page as well:
Finally, you may want to add a bookmark ASTM Compass to your favorite browser, or you might want to share a link to ASTM Compass with a friend at VDOT. We hope you do! Use this URL: https://library.virginiadot.org/resources/astm
For questions or support see this ASTM Compass Quick-Start Guide.
Or get in touch with a librarian...we're here to help!
Ken Winter
(434) 962-8979
VDOT Research Library
Register for a Virtual Library Orientation ("live" with Microsoft Teams) or check out this recorded session.
Because of geographical constraints (the library is located in Charlottesville, at the Virginia Transportation Research Council) many VDOT employees who could benefit from our collections and services rarely (or never) get a chance to visit the VDOT Research Library in order to orient themselves "in person" to the resources we make available.
During the pandemic we did a great job solidifying ourselves as a "virtual library," as staff made themselves and the library's resources accessible to patrons all over the state (and in nearby states). For a while even WE weren't at the library in person very much!
As those days fade into the rear-view mirror, library business is going strong — but it is not business as usual. We have little trouble connecting with VTRC researchers (who can literally walk down the hall to check out a book, ask a question or check on the status of a request) but is that really how those interactions go down? What about the rest of VDOT?
Looking closely at the data we see that 54% of all library interactions since 2016 have been with VDOT employees in Districts and Divisions geographically distant from our location (Central Office and the 9 Districts). This is not a surprising fact, and it is also not a surprise that those interactions are almost exclusively through virtual means (phone, e-mail, live chat and online submission forms). Here's what is surprising to us: Only 2% of ALL patron interactions took place in person, including those with VTRC staff supposedly down the hall.
Translation: Everybody, even people in our building, are more virtual that ever these days. So why not embrace our online status?
Whether you are new to VDOT, just discovered the library, or you've used us before and want a refresher, we hope you'll register for a Virtual Library Orientation, which we will hold on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m. Eastern for any VDOT employee who cares to join.
Give us 15 minutes and we'll show you how the library's remarkable collections and services can save you time, improve the work you do at VDOT, and support your ongoing professional development. Our next scheduled orientations are:
This event utilizes Microsoft Teams and is available to all employees (including contractors) with a VDOT e-mail address. A Teams invitation will be sent to you following your registration.
See you online!
Ken Winter
(434) 962-8979
VDOT Research Library
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