Library Quarterly Report FY23 Q4: April-June 2023

Spotlight: Technical Director for VDOT's HRBT Expansion Thanks Library

With a $3.9 billion budget the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion is the largest highway construction project in VDOT history (and one of the largest of its kind nationally), according to Technical Director Martha Gross, PhD, PE. 

In 2017 Gross used our "get a library card” feature to create an account, which she began using to access technical databases, including remote logins from off VDOT's network. She borrowed materials, requested documents and placed Interlibrary Loans, including requests for 14 items borrowed from 9 universities and 2 federal agencies in five U.S. states.

We also supported Martha’s team: In 2019 VDOT needed secure online access to hundreds of technical documents for the HRBT team. We invented “Library Lockers” to house more than 300 digital documents placed there by library staff, which we spotlighted FY19Q4. During this time we had 66 “interactions” with Ms. Gross, though much of what she did was “self-service” use of our online resources, which we are unable quantify. 

For her achievements and commitment to advancing engineering, Gross was recently appointed as a “Fellow” by the American Society of Civil Engineers. In May she sent librarian Barb Neyman a unsolicited letter of appreciation (above). If she hadn’t thanked us, we might have never known what an impact the library has had on this important project!