• Simplified Homepage: find what you need faster with familiar dropdown menus and streamlined design.
• Mobile-friendly Design: access the library from any device, whether you’re in the office or in the field.
• Research Support: quickly connect with library staff, request materials, sign up for a library orientation, and get expert help on transportation topics
• Exam Materials: Quickly access the list of available exam study materials right from the home page

• Conduct important independent research and planning
• Take the next step in their careers at VDOT with vital exam prep materials, standards and manuals.
• Explore historical insights to inform the future of transportation decisions
• Collaborate with VDOT staff, external researchers and contractors

The VDOT Research Library is hiring a part-time Library Associate. 

This is an on-site position located in Charlottesville, VA on the grounds of the University of Virginia at the Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC), the research arm of VDOT.

If you know someone with library experience who might be interested, please forward this message to them.

A full description of the position is listed on the Commonwealth's Recruitment site, at: https://www.jobs.virginia.gov/jobs/research-librarian-associate-wage-charlottesville-virginia-united-states 

Applications can be submitted from the link above until 11:55 PM on 01/01/25. 

Questions related to this position should be directed to:  
 

Greg Rollins
HR Consulting Supervisor / Human Resources Division
Virginia Department of Transportation
Email: greg.rollins@vdot.virginia.gov

If you've borrowed "hard copy" materials from the VDOT Research Library's 70,000-volume collection, you may be interested to know that we are implementing a revision to our policy for checkouts and renewals. Here's a quick look at the new policy:

Why does the circulation policy need to be updated update?  
As the policy currently stands (for close to 20 years), there were no renewal limits for VDOT employees.  This was great in many cases, but did not provide an opportunity for the library to assess item condition, complete collection inventory, or have items readily available for other users.  It is also not unheard of for items to walk away with former VDOT employees who have separated, retired from VDOT, or have moved to a different department within the organization. 

Under the new policy, there will be a renewal limit.  This allows us to be better stewards of the materials entrusted to us.

We also currently have different rules and checkout periods for the "regular" collection, for exam materials, and for the Reference collection.  In the new iteration, the checkout policy will be the same for all of these categories.
 

When is this happening?
NOW!  Well, at least in part.  In October, we will begin to check books out according to the new policy.  For patrons who have items checked out and have multiple renewals, we will renew items through December 16, 2024, and then they will need to be returned.  In January, we will begin actively recalling overdue items and no longer honoring more than one (6-month) renewal.

What is actually changing?
Checkout will be for 6 months for all VDOT employees.  Need it for longer? You will be able to renew the item for another 6 months if needed!  UVA affiliates are the exception. They will have a 2-month initial checkout and 1-month renewal.  If items are not returned within 30 days of due date, your library account will be temporarily suspended until the items are returned.

Will this affect Interlibrary Loans or E-book checkouts?
Nope! Interlibrary loans and e-book access will remain the same.

I have a special situation and need an exception to these policies.  What should I do?
We understand things come up! Contact a member of library staff and we will assess your situation on a case-by-case basis.  
 

Questions? Concerns? Please let us know!

Amy Skretta
(434) 293-1959
VDOT Research Library
 

The library started with the first director's personal collection of 118 books and reports. Today we have a print collection of nearly 70,000 items plus millions of eBooks, articles, papers, reports, standards and more accessible from any connected device. 

VDOT has had a library since 1945? Who knew!?

This slide deck above will be running at the upcoming Garver Leadership Conference, but we wanted to share it more widely. If you've used the library and found it helpful please share this article with a friend at VDOT who might also benefit.

Why? Even folks who know about the library might not realize it is for EVERY VDOT EMPLOYEE. Equally important, the library is 100% virtual these days. What that means is you don't have to come to the library to take advantage of its many collections and services. They are all virtual and self-paced... so the ball is in your court!

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT THE VDOT RESEARCH LIBRARY:

 

Exam Study Collections:  The library has systematically built up P.E. and other exam study collections. Today we have more than 500 volumes of material to help VDOT employees study for (and pass!) the FE, PE, PMP, FS, PS, PTOE, PTP and RSP certifications.

FREE OnlineSubscriptions:  Last year VDOT employees downloaded 15,390 electronic documents available from more than 20 full-text online databases the library manages for self-service VDOT employee access. 

After all, our job is to help you do your job!

Ken Winter
(434) 962-8979
VDOT Research Library

This video shows how easy it is to access Knovel using 'Single Sign On.' Click to try it now!

Building on our efforts to create 'one-click' access to ASTM Compass (last May), the VDOT Research Library is excited to announce that 'Single Sign On' access is now in place for the Knovel database as well! 
 

Since 2011 Knovel has been one of the library's top subscriptions in terms of full-text online downloads by VDOT employees in search of technical content. But like ASTM Compass, access to Knovel has historically been "unique" among our 20+ databases in that it required VDOT users to create a second username and password for access.

Those days are gone thanks to the magic of SSO...If you are logged on the VDOT network and you click a link to Knovel you will now go straight in! In fact, returning Knovel users will even be recognized back "by name" with all your favorites, recently accessed eBooks, recent searches and everything else right where you left off last time you were in. How great is that? 

How does access work for first-time Knovel users? 
If you are already logged in to the VDOT network, but you have never used Knovel before, a partial account will be created for you "on the fly" the first time you access it.  You'll see this message to "Please complete your profile..." 
 

You can do that by simply adding your first and last name (you will only ever see this screen one time) and clicking "save" as shown here:

What happens if I try to use Knovel from a device off the VDOT network? 
Like all Okta-enabled applications, you'll be prompted for your VDOT network credentials so you can be recognized and authorized with those credentials. This will be the case in situations where authorized VDOT employees are using their personal PC at home, personal device like a phone or an iPad, or a VDOT-issued device that is not directly connected to the network or connected through VPN. 

 The Okta sign-in screen looks like this: 

If you frequently use the Okta "My Apps" page you'll notice a tile leading to Knovel is there as well now, as shown below. One click of that tile takes you right in to start using Knovel: 

Finally, you may want to add a bookmark to Knovel to your favorite browser, or you might want to share a link to Knovel with a friend at VDOT.  We hope you do!  If so, please use this special URL: https://library.virginiadot.org/resources/knovel as it is designed to redirect you through VDOT's SSO technology. 

For questions or support see this Knovel 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: 

• Thursday, October 19, 10:00 a.m. Eastern
• Thursday, November 16, 10:00 a.m. Eastern
• Thursday, December 21, 10:00 a.m. Eastern

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

Compass Points lets you create and share a "persistent link" to data in any ASTM Compass standard. Learn more at this Webinar.
 

ASTM Compass users at VDOT are invited... to a FREE webinar that includes a live demonstration of the new "Compass Points" enhancement (for the ASTM Compass database) on January 18, 2023 at 2:00pm EST (GMT -5). Discover how this easy-to-use tool can help you track specific portions of standards that are critical to your daily workflow at VDOT. Compass Points creates a unique URL that you can share with VDOT co-workers via e-mail or a host of other online tools. The URL serves as a permanent path back to the specific data you highlight, in the specific version of the standard of your choice...and that special URL will last as long as you want it to!  Compass Points give smart users the ability to pinpoint important components in standards, building a "breadcrumb trail" to that source data for multiple purposes — it’s an easy-to-adopt step toward smarter standards use that helps you gain time back into your busy schedule. Compass Points enable users to constantly track any changes to the most relevant portions of their favorite standards. Reduce the time needed tracking the data for audits, or lookbacks. Data integrity is maintained during development to help reduce turnbacks because your company always has a connection to the authoritative source with your custom Compass Point.

January 18, 2023 Ι 2:00 PM EST (GMT -5)

During this webinar ASTM will demonstrate how to:

Create a Compass Point Edit, View, and Deactivate a Compass Point Add Diffs/Overlays/Exceptions/Departures Share a Compass Point Move a Compass Point from a previous standard to an updated standard Access your entire list of Compass Points   Session includes a Q&A portion. REGISTER NOW

New to transportation research or to even to VDOT? The VDOT Research Library is here to help!

We have a wealth of self-paced online resources, including this ASTM Compass Quick-Start Guide. 
 

Ken Winter
(434) 962-8979
VDOT Research Library

This short video demonstrates how you can access materials in the trial. Please take a look and share your feedback with us via this ANONYMOUS SURVEY! 

All month the VDOT Research Library has been conducting a "trial" of four new subject collections in the Knovel full-text eBook database. 

The month is nearly over, and when it ends, so will our trial access to more than 1,400 eBooks. 

So this is the LAST CALL if you use Knovel to comment on the potential value of these collections by participating in this BRIEF SURVEY. 

The collections (click categories below for more info.) would greatly expand the traditional engineering content that has made Knovel a perennial favorite of VDOT employees since 2011.  In order for us to fully assess the relevance of these resources to you and your role at VDOT, we need your feedback!

The trial categories are:   

So if you work at VDOT and have used Knovel before, or you have any interest or expertise in the subject areas shown above, please spend a few minutes poking around the database and looking at the contents of some of the eBooks on these subjects...then share your feedback with us.  Follow these simple steps.

First, access Knovel and explore resources in any of the four trial collections shown above. If you have never used Knovel and need a hand, please consult this Quick-Start Guide. 

Next, after you've explored Knovel (especially the new content categories!) please respond to this this BRIEF SURVEY. 

Questions? We're here to help!

​

Ken Winter
(434) 962-8979
VDOT Research Library

This short video shows how you can access materials in the trial and share your feedback with this anonymous survey. 

​The VDOT Research Library has maintained a subscription to Knovel (a full-text eBook database) since 2011, focusing on Civil and Transportation engineering collections. But as we try to support VDOT of Tomorrow  more "comprehensively" the library is considering an expansion VDOT's Knovel subscription that would nearly double its size!
 

For the month of November 2022, we'll be conducting a "trial" (watch this short VIDEO for more details). The trial will provide VDOT employees with unlimited 30-day access to resources in 4 new subject collections. That will include unlimited viewing, printing, downloading and sharing (within Knovel's guidelines) of information from books in the trial collections, which are listed below (click to expand for a full description):
 

To help us decide how useful these collections are to VDOT the library is administering a brief user-satisfaction survey. We encourage VDOT employees with interest and/or expertise in subject areas above to explore Knovel, review books of relevance, and provide us with feedback on your experience. Please follow these simple steps:
 

1. Access Knovel and explore resources in the four trial collections shown above. If you have never used Knovel, please consult this Quick-Start Guide. 

2. After exploring Knovel (especially the new content listed above!) take a 2-minute survey. 

We hope you will also forward information about the trial to VDOT colleagues who have expertise or interest in the subjects listed above.

Please get in touch if you have any questions along the way!

​

Ken Winter
(434) 962-8979
VDOT Research Library

Watch this brief video to see how the Innovation ToolShed can benefit you. 

This summer VDOT's Office of Strategic Innovation (OSI) launched the Innovation ToolShed, an online resource with a wide array of  innovation tools and resources for all VDOT employees to use. 

It was a crazy summer, so if you missed it the first time around, we encourage you to circle back and check it out! 

One key benefit of the Innovation ToolShed is that it offers a single location where you can find a host of tools and resources to enhance the agency and your experience at VDOT.

These resources are free for you to use and will help you think of ways YOU can innovate...as well as showing off some of the cool ideas your peers are coming up with. Many of those ideas have already been implemented by VDOT!

In addition to familiar resources like ideaDRIVER, Communities of Practice and the VDOT Research Library, other resources available in the Innovation ToolShed include:

• Brainstorming 6-3-5 Method
• Rapid Idea Improvement Approach 
• Top 10 List of innovation books (if its in print we'll ship it for free) and 45 free eBooks (100% online for immediate use) on innovation best practices

To learn more, visit the Innovation ToolShed today or launch "Innovation Process and Tools at VDOT" a 20-minute training course available through VDOT University.

Questions? Contact Natalia Cornwell, OSI project manager, at natalia.cornwell@vdot.virginia.gov.

Need a book, article or any other published resource on innovation? 

Your library is just a click away.
 

Ken Winter
(434) 962-8979
VDOT Research Library