Library Quarterly Report FY23 Q4: April-June 2023

Research Services

In FY16 Q4 the library transitioned to Springshare’s Reference Analytics, part of the LibAnswers module, which includes a ticketing/dashboard for tracking inquires and a live chat function. The new system allows the library to track the back-and-forth nuances of customer service questions with greater precision and provides data on who is asking questions, when (time of day, day of week), where they are located, what type of question they ask, and how long it took us to respond. This quarter there were 355 total transactions, 130 of which were "reference" transactions. Of those, 17 were from VTRC personnel, 81 from VDOT employees in other parts of the agency, and 32 were from non-affiliated customers. Reference transactions and literature search requests were slightly below average this quarter.

Literature Search & Synthesis
The library provides a literature search and synthesis. This quarter we received requests for and completed two searches:

Pilot Search: Possible Opportunities For State DOT Implementation of Artificial Intelligence
(Mike Fitch, PhD, and Cathy McGhee, P.E., 49 pages)

Stray Current Corrosion and Bridges/Structures Adjacent to Light Rail Systems: 2023 Update To a 2013 Literature Search (Stephen R. Sharp, Ph.D., P.E., and Soundar Balakumaran, Ph.D., P.E., 37 pages)