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PROCEEDINGS: CONFERENCE ON ACCESSING TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
RESOURCES WORLDWIDE

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

St. Petersburg, Florida
July 29, 2001 - August 2, 2001

CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE

INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PROCEEDINGS:

Information Resources and Plans: Austria, Netherlands, Finland, France

Knowledge Management: Practical Ideas and Approaches

Information Resources and Plans: Australia, United Kingdom, United States, Sweden

Simultaneous Discussion Sessions:

Information Availability/Accessibility/Translation
Internet Resources
Lessons Learned from Washington, Prague, and Acapulco Information And Documentation Conferences

Information and Plans: Canada, Germany, United States, Mexico

Simultaneous Discussion Sessions:

Transportation Information Infrastructure Around the World
Updated International Information Resources Guide
Preserving Archival and Digital Resources

Future of Information Access

Summing Up/Conclusions

Information Resources: A Tool for Managing Knowledge
(Symposium Second Joint Session)

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Conference on Accessing Transportation Information Resources Worldwide was part of the International Symposium on Transportation Technology Transfer held in St. Petersburg, Florida July 29-August 2, 2001. The purpose for the Symposium was to bring together professionals and organizations from around the world to share and exchange ideas, information, and best practices in technology transfer. Participating organizations held concurrent meetings and programs open to all. Joint sessions on broad technology transfer topics were also held to bring everyone together at times during the Symposium.

Accessing and sharing of information resources is part of the technology transfer process. The Conference on Accessing Transportation Information Resources Worldwide was one of the concurrent programs designed for those interested in information resource sharing and related issues. International information resources are vital to those who support and provide transportation information to their organizations. Accessing international information, however, is often difficult due to a lack of awareness of what is available or the need for translations. This conference is addressing some of the issues relating to accessing international transportation information resources. By providing opportunities to share information and to get to know one another, the Conference and the Symposium strengthened our international relationships, increased awareness of resources, opened up communication, and led to new friendships.

The program for the Conference was planned so there would be a real sharing of international information. Speakers came from around the world. The three 'Information Resources and Plans' sessions allowed the international speakers to inform those in attendance about the resources, services, and plans of their agencies or organizations. These agencies or organizations are providers or sources of transportation information. In the program on 'Knowledge Management', three speakers described their approach to knowledge management. It was a "how to" session about organizing information resources into a practical information resource for staff.

The 'Simultaneous Discussion Sessions' covered six key topics of interest to all information professionals. These sessions were rather informal and allowed more in-depth discussion of the topics by the participants. The 'Future of Information Access' session gave the public and private sector views of the issues that are shaping the future of information access. In the 'Summing Up/ Conclusions' session, two conference participants gave their impressions and described the key factors gained from the conference. The 'Second Joint Session' of the Symposium was on information resources. This session gave insights into what is happening in our knowledge economy and in information sharing from three perspectives: academic, an international organization, and a department of transport.

The proceedings for the Conference on Accessing Transportation Information Resources Worldwide include a summary of each session, brief biographies of the speakers, as well as the actual presentations, when available. The proceedings will be available primarily in an electronic format, with a small number of copies printed. The proceedings were produced through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and the Transportation Division of the Special Libraries Association.

The Conference on Accessing Transportation Information Resources Worldwide was sponsored by a group of organizations and agencies rather than a single group. The conference would not have been possible without their support and contributions of time, money, or people. They were supportive of the attendance by their members or employees. Following are those sponsors:
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/International Transport Research Documentation (OECD/ITRD)
World Road Association (PIARC)
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
Transportation Research Board (TRB)
Special Libraries Association, Transportation Division (SLA TRN)
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

The program planners are to be commended for the program they organized. They pulled together knowledgeable people from around the world for the speakers. The speakers spoke on some aspect of accessing transportation information resources, a topic of great interest to librarians, information professionals, and information providers. The Program Planning Committee, chaired by Jeanne Thomas, devoted many hours to ensure that the conference would be a success, covering all the many details that go into such a conference. Because this was an international conference with several sponsors and it was a conference within another conference, many people were involved, which required a great deal of coordination. Many thanks go to the Program Planning Committee for the time and effort they devoted to this endeavor.

The moderators introduced the speakers and led discussions for each session. They ensured that each session ran smoothly and stayed within the allotted time. They assisted the speakers, both before and during the conference, as needed. The recorders wrote summaries of each session, which were then compiled into the proceedings. These two groups are to be commended for their contributions to the conference.

PROGRAM PLANNING COMMITTEE

Sponsored by:
TRB Committee A5017: Library and Information Science in Transportation
Transportation Division, Special Libraries Association

Program Development:
Jeanne Thomas, Michigan Dept. of Transportation
Nelda Bravo, U. S. Dept. of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Barbara Post, Transportation Research Board
Donald Symmes, U. S. Dept. of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration
Thomas Palmerlee, Transportation Research Board

Program Coordinators:
Jeanne Thomas, Michigan Dept. of Transportation
Barbara Post, Transportation Research Board
Jerome Baldwin, Minnesota Dept. of Transportation
Clara Smith, U. S. Dept. of Transportation, Transportation Library
Donald Symmes, U. S. Dept. of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration
Laura Whayne, University of Kentucky, Kentucky Transportation Center

MODERATORS, RECORDERS AND EDITOR

Moderators:

Jerry Baldwin - Minnesota Department of Transportation

Nelda Bravo- National Transportation Library, Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Larry Decina - TransAnalytics, LLC

John Gallwey - University of California, Berkeley

Dan Krummes - University of California, Berkeley

Bonnie Osif - The Pennsylvania State University

Barbara Post - Transportation Research Board

Roberto Sarmiento - Northwestern University

Clara Smith - United States Department of Transportation

Donald Symmes - Federal Highway Administration

Jeanne Thomas - Michigan Department of Transportation

Laura Whayne - University of Kentucky, Kentucky Transportation Center

Recorders:

Janice Bain-Kerr - Netalyst, Inc.

Susan Dresley - Volpe Center

Chris Hedges - Transportation Research Board

Joyce Koeneman - Association of American Railroads

Georgia Ludgate - Transportation Development Centre

Bonnie Osif - The Pennsylvania State University, University Library/ Engineering

Sandy Tucker - Texas A&M University System, Texas Transportation Institute

Maryanne Ward - Paccar Tech. Center

Laura Whayne - University of Kentucky

Editor: Laura Whayne, University of Kentucky
September 30, 2001

PROCEEDINGS

INFORMATION RESOURCES AND PLANS
Karin Haid, Kuratorium fur Verkehrssicherheit (KfV)
Floor ten Brink, Information and Technology Centre for Transport and Infrastructure CROW
Sirpa Haapamaki, Finnish Road Administration
Anne Pretet, Institut National de Recherche sur les Transports et leur Securite

Moderator: Barbara Post, Transportation Research Board
Recorder: Bonnie Osif, The Pennsylvania State University
Sunday, July 29, 2001 - 1:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

AUSTRIA, KURATORIUM FÜR VERKEHRSSICHERHEIT - Karin Haid

Karin Haid, head of the Library summarized the missions and goals of the Kuratorium Für Verkehrssicherheit (Austrian Road Safety Board). The focus is on research that focuses on traffic psychology, traffic education and engineering and dissemination of safety information to the public through educational materials and campaigns. The KfV works cooperatively with a number of international organizations.

The KfV has a staff of 200 permanent staff and 150 temporary employees. The staff is located in Vienna and eight branch offices. The organization has evolved over the years. In 1987 the Austrian Institute for Home and Leisuretime Safety became an affiliate and is concerned with safety in the home, in sports and in leisure activities. In 2000 the Institute of Technical Safety, concerned with the prevention of fire, burglary and theft, was incorporated with the KfV, creating an agency that encompassed all aspects of accident research and safety.

The Library has a collection, which covers all areas of transport. Some of the documents date from 1889 to the 1950s, but most of the collection is from the 1950s to the present. Currently more than 80,000 documents are indexed in the database DOKDAT with 4000 additions per year. The Library produces a bibliography quarterly to update the researchers at the various locations of new resources.

As the major transport library in Austria it is utilized heavily by Austria. In addition, a large number of international users access the system and collection.

KfV Library has started a project to scan holdings and store the pages on CD ROMs. Over 800,000 pages have been scanned and stored. This is seen as a first step in the move to a digital library. In addition, the Library sees knowledge management as an important future goal.

THE NETHERLANDS, INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRE FOR TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE -Floor ten Brink

Floor ten Brink, Information Specialist at CROW (Information and Technology Centre for Transport and Infrastructure), reported on its activities and the library. CROW is the national information and technology center for transport and infrastructure. It has three departments: research, standardization and communication. Research is divided into traffic and civil engineering sections.

CROW has a number of international cooperative programs and works with PIARC, OECD, RILEM, CEN and ICIS. It also is involved with the EU, TRB, ITRD and WIN.

Information resources are very important to the mission of CROW. There are several ways the library disseminates information. The first is print materials. Research reports are made available quickly to get the information to the people who need it. Electronic publication in the forma of CD ROM is another method of getting the information to the researcher. The monthly magazine, Wegen (Roads), as well as other periodical publications allow researchers to keep current with research.

In addition to the print and electronic formats, CROW presents information in courses, conferences, seminars and workshops. Another option is the fair or conference, where CROW will have a stand to present information, display a sample of their publications and demonstrate their electronic resources. There is also a help desk, which answers written and telephone questions. Lastly, there is a web site at www.crow.nl

The library is a full service facility, which subscribes to almost one hundred journals, and has a collection of books, reports, conferences, reference works, CD ROMs and videos.

CROW enters Dutch publications in civil and traffic engineering into the ITRD database.
Future plans include expansion of activities in knowledge transfer and increased focus on the Internet.

FINLAND, FINNISH ROAD ADMINISTRATION - Sirpa Haapamaki

Sirpa Haapamaki, Head Librarian at the Finnish Road Administration Library, reported on recent developments at Finnra. The Finnish National Road Administration has a long history in Finland. In the year 2000 the Finnish government split the Administration into two distinct organizations. The Finnish Road Administration is a state agency responsible for public roads. The second organization, the Finnish Road Enterprise is state-owned but operates under business principles in open competition with other contractors.

There is a staff of over 1000 people dispersed across nine road regions and twelve units of administration. The aim of the organization is to create information and knowledge that will allow the transport system to operate efficiently, safely, and competitively in a sustainable manner. Goals include traffic safety and road management to reduce accidents, control of traffic, environmental issues and the increase of competition in construction and planning.

The Library is actively involved in the activities of Finnra. In addition to working with the staff of the Finnish Road Administration, the library is contracted to provide services to the staff of the Finnish Road Enterprise. The Finnra Library is the only major transport related library in the country. Other research libraries have been downsized in transport. The other libraries with transport collections serve only their own students, so the majority of requests come to the Finnra Library and staff.

With their unique position in the transport area in Finland, the Library has both loan and exchange programs with a number of other libraries and organizations. The Library also is an ITRD participant.

One of the interesting initiatives, which was spearheaded by Ms Haapamaki, was the formation of a group in which librarians from the Nordic and Baltic countries could meet. This group began in 1998 and there have been four meetings to date. The meetings have been beneficial to all who have attended. Plans for the future include additional meetings and increased attendance.

As a participant of the Washington Conference in 1995, Ms Haapamaki has seen increased cooperation between libraries internationally. There has been great progress made in that time but there is a need to continue and expand the growth of international cooperation and interaction.

FRANCE, INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE SUR LES TRANSPORTS ET LEUR SÉCURITÉ (INRETS) - Anne Prétet

Anne Prétet, Chef du service Documentation, presented a two part introduction to INTRETS, The French National Institute for Transport and Safety Research. The first was an overview of the research institute the second reviewed the activities and information resources available at the Institute.

INRETS is comprised of 400 staff: 189 researchers, 157 technicians and assistants and 54 administrators and managers. It was founded in 1985 and is a state financed scientific and technical institute with the tasks:

• To organize, execute and assess technological research and development concerned with the improvement of the means and systems of transport and of traffic from technical, economic and social viewpoints.
• To carry out evaluative and advisory studies within these domains.
• To promote the results of these research and study programs, to contribute to the dissemination of scientific knowledge, and to participate in training by and for transport research both in France and abroad.
  

There are four strategic axes of the research program at INRETS during the years 2000 - 2004. The first is road safety. This includes analysis of the road system and its component parts (people, vehicles and infrastructure), factors and consequences of road accidents, biomechanics, road safety policies, and education and training. The second is driving aids, which include intelligent systems, automated highways, modeling and simulation for driving case studies, urban and interurban guided transport systems, telecommunications and information technologies in transport.

The third is transport and services network. This concerns travelers and goods, technical and socio-economic analysis of infrastructures and networks, and intermodality. The last strategic axis is sustainability and the environment. The main points in this area include transport and the environment, noise, pollution, electric and hybrid vehicles, fuel cells, and sustainable mobility.

INRETS partners with a number of other organizations. These include universities, organizations and industry. These partnerships exist within France, in Europe and beyond to other countries.

The second part of the presentation focused on documentation and resources. The three documentation units of INRETS are in Arcueil, Lyon-Bron and Lille-Villeneuve d'Asq. The holdings are 30,000 books, reports and proceedings, 500 dissertations, 10,000 off-prints, and 480 journals in Arcueil, 250 in Bron and 124 in Villeneuve d'Asq. A number of online databases are also available.

INRETS has a web site [http://www.inrets.fr] with French and English interfaces. INRETS inputs references into the ITRD database (International Transport Research Documentation). Its online catalog is FIRST. Additional information can be found at the web site under "The Libraries".

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: PRACTICAL IDEAS AND APPROACHES
Barbara Peterson, 3M Company
Lisa Sasson, IBM Institute for Knowledge Management
Maryanne Ward, PACCAR Technical Center

Moderator: Jerry Baldwin, Minnesota Department of Transportation
Recorder: Susan Dresley, Volpe Center
Sunday, July 29, 2001 - 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Jerry Baldwin from the Minnesota Department of Transportation introduced this session Knowledge Management: Practical Ideas & Approaches. He said those of us in the information business in the U.S. haven't been able to ignore the knowledge management concept. Knowledge management means different things to different people. Is Knowledge management real? Is it a buzzword? A breakthrough? Or old wine in a new bottle?

Today, three speakers with a wide range of experience with a variety of applications of knowledge management are here to share their experiences with us. Mr. Baldwin introduced all three speakers and requested that questions be held to the end.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICAL IDEAS & APPROACHES A 3M PERSPECTIVE - Barbara Peterson

The presentation will begin with how 3M defines knowledge management, show how 3M leverages its internal knowledge, how 3M leverages its external knowledge, and then show several new projects that share and use knowledge.

3M defines knowledge management as: "Leveraging knowledge, explicit and tacit, internal and external, to increase productivity and innovation." 3M's vision "is to be the most innovative enterprise and the preferred supplier to the markets they supply."

McKinsey, a management-consulting firm, conducted an evaluation of 3M's business model. The report stated that 3M is a multi-business company knitted together by a shared world class technology; shared customers, channels, and brands; shared manufacturing; shared global infrastructure and a culture of innovation. The term "shared" appears four times. 3M already has the culture that reinforces and supports KM.

Next, Ms. Peterson focused on two areas where 3M leverages internal knowledge. The 3M Technical Forum is one of three Communities of Practice. With a 50-year history, the Technical Forum is a grassroots organization with corporate support that includes funding for projects and research assistance. There are 9000 technical personnel worldwide with a governing board structure. They offer seminars, symposiums, poster sessions, technology trade shows, newsletters and websites. Their vision is to "foster an environment of creativity and cooperation that leads to innovation and growth." One quantitative result occurred several years ago. Two 3M researchers in side-by-side booths at a trade show started talking and as a result they came up with an idea, and wrote a record of innovation that resulted in a product that has generated $100,000,000 in sales.

Continuing under leveraging internal knowledge, Internal Knowledge Repositories were presented. Though these repositories started in the late 1960s, the challenge today is to keep resources vital and up to date for the clients they serve. Each database has an "about statement" that describes the contents, fields and how to use. These repositories include: Technical Skills Database; Technical Reports; Technical Notebooks; Records of Innovation Corporate Archive; Chemical Registry; 3M Patents; 3M Published Papers and Presentations. Two of these were discussed in greater detail.

Technical reports database is 3M confidential and provides access to over 150,000 3M technical reports dating from 1963. Statistics show that this database is accessed 800/month. The 3M Technical Skills database allows each employee to update her/his own record; participation is voluntary, about 50% or 4500 researchers contribute. As a provider of tacit knowledge, it is accessed more often than the technical reports database.

Next Ms. Peterson presented examples of 3M leveraging external information. The Learning Center transfers knowledge. The Communities of Practice offer internal and external speakers, even Noble Laureates. The 3M Libraries contain the collection of hard copy materials including some journals going back into the 1800s. The LIS Reference Services has a 25 person staff to answer queries and produce alerting services. Lastly 3M's Electronic Library or ATLAS is open 24/7 with a usage rate of over 100,000/month.

Enhanced Technical Awareness or ETA is an old name, with an expanded service. ETAs were developed in response to an expressed need: "Technical personnel shall know the worldwide patent and non-patent literature relating to their area of activity:" and "to help me better manage all my information". This was a major effort to improve patenting process at 3M. People needed to know the state-of-the-art of their technical areas to protect patents. It was designed as an information management tool a.k.a. digital file cabinet; Lotus Notes based; facilitate achieving, searching and sharing of search results and knowledge. It also facilitates copyright compliance.

ETA features: views based on abstract fields; meaningful keywords can be added by subject specialists; full-text searching; the "About " page explains database design and limitations (what's in it and not in it). It's updated weekly automatically without any human intervention and an editor selects relevant documents.

Patents ETA is a customized, sharable, up-to-date Notes database of abstracts, full-text and images of patents from the Derwent database. This ETA has been so successful, that researchers want an ETA for scientific and business literature. Creating these databases is not so simple because the information would come from multiple sources and copyright issues would be more complicated.

Another ETA, 3M Authored Publications, allows the researcher to search for a 3M paper, link to an outside source or journal vendor, such as Science Direct and then link to the full-text.

The next segment of the presentation discussed Information Analysis and Data Mining Tools. These software tools filter, organize, search, share and improve insight to innovation. With the adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words" data visualization tools do not necessarily give the answer, but they do help to organize a large body of knowledge. For example, if you need to analyze 1,000 patents for a report due the end of the week, data visualization can help to explore large sets quickly and new insights can be gained. At 3M data visualization applications include: IP Assessments, Competitive Intelligence, Technology Assessments, R&D Planning, Benchmarking, and Patents, Technical Literature, Internal Reports, Newswires and websites.

In terms of the future of knowledge management at 3M, a recent Knowledge Management Thought Leader Panel recommended the following: Apply knowledge management principles and model to a corporate initiative; Integrate, align and leverage existing knowledge management resources; Increase understanding and application of knowledge management and Use design of six sigma to develop a roadmap for knowledge management integration.

INTERMEDIARIES: KNOWLEDGE ROLES FOR CONNECTED ORGANIZATIONS - Lisa Sasson

Ms. Sasson, from IBM's Institute for Knowledge Management (IKM), introduced her presentation: Intermediaries: Knowledge Roles for Connected Organizations or the Role of Humans to Manage Knowledge Management Technologies. The objective of this presentation is to present the results of IKM's research on emerging knowledge roles and emphasize the human aspect of knowledge intermediary roles used to balance and sustain knowledge management initiatives.

Knowledge intermediaries are persons in an organization who connect knowledge seekers with knowledge sources in a way that adds business value. They add value by relating, researching, validating, reshaping, or transferring knowledge sources to knowledge seekers. An intermediary can be a person working alone or in a combination with a technology. Companies that only focus on technology cannot understand why knowledge management fails. It is because there is no human intervention.

The IKM designed a research methodology to reflect the realistic needs of IKM member firms through the guidance of a working group. They learned that knowledge management isn't everybody's job because everybody is too busy to do it right. It must be assigned. Using an interview guide, they collected 19 use cases drawn from six different industries. The results showed a confusing array of terminology and titles that made the development of a systematic approach to knowledge role design a daunting task. After a thorough qualitative analysis, three basic categories underlying the variety of knowledge roles were uncovered: Knowledge Stewards; Knowledge Researchers; Knowledge Brokers.

Knowledge Stewards capture and codify knowledge. They generally work on project teams, record tacit knowledge and put it into forms to be reused, such as presentations and lessons learned. Using Viant as an example, the role of knowledge stewards is demonstrated. Viant uses Project Catalysts or P-Cats to interview internal consultant project teams to extract their best practices and reusable assets. P-Cats coach team members on how quickly and accurately they access the organization's intellectual capital using Viant's STARR system. They connect people looking for information with those within the company who have the information. At Viant, P-Cats are assigned on a rotating basis, usually 9-12 months and is recognized as an important role.

Knowledge Researchers search, retrieve and transfer explicit knowledge sources. They are generally corporate librarians. They are proactive, getting information to the right people at the right time without being asked. An example is a Texaco librarian routinely sent out information profiles on a variety of topics. She determined that one should be done on fuel cells even though it was not identified as an area of expertise. She assembled one for fuel cells, sent it to the Chief Technology Officer and as a result, fuel cells are now an area of expertise.

Knowledge Brokers connect people. They know everybody and know what they know. They know who to call for a tacit to tacit transfer of knowledge. For an example, a senior trainer at Arthur D. Little made it his business to find out what the people he trained knew. He became an expert. People began coming to him to filter expertise. Ultimately, this function became a formal job.

In conclusion, IKM's research yielded three major deliverables: Tools & Methods, Use Case Compilation and a white paper.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: PRACTICAL IDEAS AND APPROACHES - Maryanne Ward

Maryanne Ward began her presentation with an anecdote about a presentation Barbara Peterson gave at a Special Libraries Association (SLA) Meeting that was useful in putting together a mission statement of innovation to PACCAR the following week. She also mentioned Lisa Sasson's boss, Larry Prusak. His paper, "Blowing up the Corporate Library" sent chills down her spine, but she decided to turn the title around to mean blowing up as enlarging. She concluded her opening remarks by saying she included a lot of examples of knowledge management in her presentation and hoped they will stimulate and provide new ideas. Each of these examples will be considered in the context of management, organizational and culture, technologies, and employee acceptance/involvement.

Ms. Ward's company is PACCAR, which is comprised of three major divisions: Peterbilt, Kenworth and DAG. These are three very independent companies that compete against each other in many markets. They don't always want to share. For this presentation, four knowledge management projects were selected where Ms. Ward played a major leadership role.

Standards Harmonization - High Human, Low Tech
Three years ago when PACCAR acquired DAF Trucks from the Netherlands, the CEO mandated that all standards be integrated across the company. "It was like finding a common bible for Christians, Hindis and Jews". Each engineering group had its own standards. Ms. Ward wrote the governance document that said they already have the expertise in the "expertise groups". These expertise groups were already part of the corporate culture, so why not use this forum for standards committee. Thus each group assigned a standards engineer. A Corporate Standards Expertise Group Charter was developed which basically said that if you want to nail down a standard, write it down and get it approved. Today, PACCAR has 104 standards. Before the project, which began in 2000, there were none.

In terms of key issues: Management sent a directive with few specifics, initially only one mid-level manager champion, investment level varied widely among units, use of expert's time on an issue and existing structures varied widely. For Organizational/Cultural issues, there were widely differing philosophies, authority and governance questions, varying technical competence, verbal/written communication skills and a tradition of division independence. Technical issues involved content expertise, communications/collaboration, database/publishing/document management/web skills were already in place. Librarians provided crucial research to identify external standards such as ISO. Employee acceptance was positive, the right people were involved from the start, an open process was established, slow but thorough, an effort to collaborate rather than dictate. Results to date: management is happy with the number of standards, a sturdy platform is in place for the future, best knowledge is globally applied, the role of standards engineer is highly sought, standards are called out on drawings which is an ultimate compliment, progress has been slow but steady and it is viewed as an umbrella for the enabling.

Graphic Symbols - Low Human, High Tech
Again given the diversity of these three companies within one company, graphic symbols for the dashboards are all different. Some of the symbols are required, some are not; others come from various organizations such as SAE and ISO. An ergonomics engineer identified the problem and started an extensive WORD document to list them all. Ms. Ward told him he really needs a database. She took everybody's symbols and entered them, if more than one symbol for a function, she put entered them all. A cited source was assigned to each record. For each item, the following information was provided: Where it came from, Is it required, Issuing Agency and if available company-wide. This database averages 25,000 hits per month.

For key issues/challenges, management was not as supportive because it was not their directive. It was viewed as okay, but as a "spare time" project. The standards group was critical to make it happen. For organizational/cultural the project grew out of annoyance, very low priority, weak planning, and the "right" people were not involved from the start. Also the European knowledge was crucial, but had weak involvement from the beginning. Technically, the library was crucial; they pulled together all the required standards. Also a poor mix of skills initially and the database was created late in the process and needed to work with large unmanageable WORD file. Employee acceptance is positive so far, 25,000 hits per month for 1200 people.

Emissions - Low Tech, High Human
In 2002, new diesel emissions regulation will go into effect. PACCAR does not manufacture engines, but must integrate them into their trucks. It's complicated and expensive because the engines will burn too hot. Management wanted a way to keep key staff apprised of the latest information.

Ms. Ward organized the minutes from meetings; built a website designed to be all on one page; collected information that integrates SAE, California Resource Board, EPA, Planning documents and Detroit Diesel information; and included a link to DieselNet, a service they purchase on diesel issues. She integrated everything and helped to mount it on the company intranet. Access requires a password. It has been highly successful. In fact, they are already asking for a similar product for 2007.

Management was highly directive, specific and on-going. Organizational structures were difficult due to insiders/outsiders. Technical issues involved a homepage as a portal and secure permissions from IT group to access it. It has high employee acceptance, high efficiency, lowers annoyance and promotes openness

Incident Reporting - High Tech, High Human
PACCAR has its own track for testing vehicles. In testing mode, these trucks can run all day for several days only stopping for safety checks. For these checks, they take pictures and look for cracks or other signs of failure/wear. Five years ago, it took 3-6 months to get this information to the operating divisions. Management wanted to reduce time to one week.

Ms. Ward was very involved in this project because she knew databases. She set it up so that each test has its own database with the same structure and fields. Now engineers at the track work directly with the database and digital camera photos are input directly. Now results can be emailed to the operating divisions. Now the database is too fast and there isn't enough time to digest all the data. Ms. Ward uses DBText Works because it handles pictures. Engineers can use it themselves. It's all self managed. At the end of each project, all the data is archived.

For this project, management received the directive from a client and didn't know how to react; it formed a team, gave directives at crucial moments, and provided a budget. Organizationally, there was a low consensus, "best way is my way", no cohesive existing group, low team skills, low cross-group leadership skills and little experience with work flow cross-group approaches. In other words, it was a big struggle to work together. Technically, there already existed good basic software, digital cameras, low experience with databases, end users dispersed geographically and required training. Employee acceptance was low at PACCAR end, but strong on client end. After two years, well accepted by all. Method is now used for similar applications.

In general, to succeed you need the following: No strong management opposition; be based on cost/benefit, real needs, right players, right skills, right timing; approach depends on nature of information and end-use; foster "open" culture; team and enabling skills crucial; anticipate what is going to be needed so you have ideas; communicate with all other professionals, not just librarians and use librarians' information management skills. They are probably better than any other.

Lastly, Ms. Ward shared her definition of Knowledge Management from a Kent State University course description: "Knowledge Management is the discipline concerned with how an organization's intellectual assets are exploited for greater productivity and increased competitiveness."

Questions:
To Lisa Sasson: In Larry Prusak's book Good Company, it said that in a diverse group it is difficult to foster trust. How can we foster trust to exchange information more freely?
Ms. Sasson: They have a project devoted to this. What they found is that transparency or face-to-face contact is essential despite virtual environments. Cues built trust. For example, in the virtual mail order business, the more visual aids provided, the more trust is fostered.

To Barbara Peterson: Given 3M's spirit of creativity, what is the key ingredient whereby 3M is able to develop and keep innovation going?
Ms. Peterson: Trust preexists. There are no barriers in place to prevent sharing. For example, scientists and engineers are not awarded patents. We all win when 3M wins. Also a strong mentoring program exists. Senior scientists are expected to work with junior staff. Not sharing is against cultural norm at 3M.

To Lisa Sasson: Realizing human intervention is important to technology transfer from a former job, her new employer asks her why she needs to travel so much? Why can 't she build her program from her desk?
Ms. Sasson: We all struggle with this within IBM. IBM is a very virtual company. Whenever they can, they facilitate face-to-face sessions. With certain groups, it has caught on.
Ms. Ward added: At PACCAR, face-to-face means travel and money. Travel money is difficult to get. There are no pictures or skill sets on their Intranet. It's their biggest challenge. When you do get together, you need good group leaders or facilitators to maximize efforts.

To all three presenters: Is there any way to measure or quantify value?
Ms. Sasson: I can offer some examples of what member companies do: Time-Labor savings where an intermediary surveys knowledge seekers on how much time is saved using the librarian. Also anecdotal evidence- show how savings is tied to business goals.

To Barbara Peterson: Do you use filtering techniques to limit patents to requesters?
Ms. Peterson: We do not use filters. Derwent provides an extensive current awareness service. Our scientists want to do their own filtering. They like the serendipity and out-layers.

To Maryanne Ward: Is your software oriented to experimental feedback?
Ms. Ward: Yes, by searching. It's very rigid. But there is no way to do automated feedback. In response to an earlier question, I do have some cost/benefit figures. On just office supplies, her accountant estimates a savings of $20,000/year. If there are 25,000 hits per month and if only one minute per visit, there is a savings of over $1 million. Reading instance of just the hits, reports savings equal to 12 engineers.

To conclude the session, Jerry Baldwin thanked the speakers. He mentioned that in an earlier session two people mentioned the importance of getting the right information to the right person at the right time at the right cost. He said that this is a phrase he first heard sometime in the sixties, probably in library school and, as true as it is, it had always bothered him. He had finally figured out what it was about it that troubled him. It was the emphasis on the word "right," through its repetition. In his opinion that emphasis has led to too much time and effort being spent trying to determine what the "right" information, people and costs are. In his opinion, the "right" person is always the one needing the information; the "right" information is always the information needed; the "right" time is determined by the person with the need, and the "right" cost is always the lowest possible outlay that will provide the needed information. He wonders if we need to revise the remark by examining the word right. We need a new phrase that will stress the importance of information services that respond in a timely fashion to expressed needs, rather than trying to predetermine what is "right." He also added that it is rare when planning a session like this to get your first choices. He did get his first choices and they were fantastic.

INFORMATION RESOURCES AND PLANS
Andrew Pentecost, ARRB Transport Research Ltd.
Colin Howard, Transport Research Laboratory, Ltd (TRL)
Nelda Bravo, Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Birgitta Sandstedt, Statens Vag-och Transportforskningsinstitut (VTI)

Moderator: Barbara Post, Transportation Research Board
Recorder: Chris Hedges, Transportation Research Board
Monday, July 30, 2001 - 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
AUSTRALIA, ARRB TRANSPORT RESEARCH, LTD. - Andrew Pentecost

ARRB Transport Research, Ltd was founded in 1960 as the Australian Road Research Board. Its foundation owners were Australia's Federal Department of Transport, and the road or transport authorities in each of Australia's States and Territories. The Australian Road Research Board was originally operated on the basis of government grants for road?related research on topics considered relevant to the nation's needs. Since the late 1980s, the organization's owners have seen that model as not necessarily optimal, and the funding mix has been gradually transformed. Currently all research and consulting work carried out by ARRB is now won on a competitive, contract?by?contract basis, although the library is still supported by annual government grants.

ARRB has a major emphasis on research and on the transfer of that research into practice, so a strong, high-quality library is an integral component of the organization. The library's mission is to provide staff, the staff of our owners, and the broader transport community in Australia, with a high?quality, relevant and comprehensive library and information service on roads and land transport.

Products and Services:
The flagship product of the ARRB library is the Australian Transport Index (formerly called ROAD), a large bibliographic database. The Index currently contains more than 132,000 records for transport?related materials, with a bias towards material from Australia and New Zealand. Because of strong overseas links, including very good reciprocal exchange agreements, the library also has strong collections of materials from overseas, especially the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and parts of western Europe.

About 350 records are added to the database each month. As a current awareness service to the transport community, these monthly batches of records are published in a bulletin called Transport and Road Update. This product is available by subscription only, with about 400 subscribers at the moment, 70 of whom receive it as a PDF file via e?mail. Transport and Road Update generates a substantial traffic of interlibrary loan and document delivery.

The ARRB library also produces a number of one-off products that have proved to be very useful to the transport communities of Australia and New Zealand. One of these, the database thesaurus, is used in the creation of the Australian Transport Index and other ARRB databases. Another product, the Road Safety Contacts Register, is a regularly updated directory of approximately 250 people and organizations who work in the field of traffic safety in Australia and New Zealand, as well as a variety of other small directories and databases.

The flagship service of ARRB's library is the enquiry and information service. The library answers a very large variety of requests for assistance, ranging from very simple questions on specific statistics, right through to complex literature searches. Anything quick and easy is handled without a charge to the user, but literature searches carry a fee of at least 100 Australian dollars (plus tax), depending on labor hours and complexity.

Increasingly, of course, in addition to the traditional literature?based approach, answering reference inquiries involves the use of the Internet for both web sites and documents published online (usually in PDF format). The ARRB reference librarian maintains a comprehensive and up?to?date list of web sites that she has found useful in her own work. This list is made available to ARRB's research staff, and is sent via e?mail to a small mailing list of external people.

In addition to the traditional library work outlined above, ARRB has a long history of referring requests from the general public to the resident experts who work in ARRB's Research Division.

As an adjunct to the enquiry service, ARRB has been an active participant in PIARC's World Interchange Network since its inception in the mid-1990s. WIN is not a literature search service, but rather a person?to?person expert referral and technology transfer network, and it has proved invaluable in putting Australians and New Zealanders in touch with their peers overseas.

Librarians in Australia are eligible to join the professional body, the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), and its many and varied interest groups. Unlike the Special Libraries Association (SLA), however, ALIA does not have a transport division. Instead, the transport librarians of Australia and New Zealand have a long history of cooperation and informal annual meetings under the name of TRANZINFO (previously TRANSLIB). TRANZINFO has its directory online, as well as a very large union list of periodicals and series; both of these products foster cooperation amongst TRANZINFO members and enable us to minimize duplication of resources.

Current Issues and Future Developments:
A major issue for ARRB at present concerns electronic information sources. ARRB has recently started to add URLs, where available, to the citations in their database. In spite of the benefits this achieves, there is an additional effort required to run a link checker program every month or two, to ensure that the database does not contain references to web documents that have moved or been deleted.

ARRB is still resistant to taking out subscriptions to electronic journals. Because of the licensing agreements that most electronic journal publishers insist upon, the content of those journals can often be used in the library's host organization only, which is not at all suitable for a library with a national document delivery role. Also because of this role, ARRB tends to download documents in PDF format, then print and bind them for holding in the physical collection, rather than relying on the information remaining indefinitely on the internet.

Another issue is the growing expectation on the part of some of our customer base for seamless access to full text information resources. ARRB is not currently set up to be able to provide anything approaching this level of service. Their database is available on the web, but only by subscription. Most of the records in our database point to documents that exist in paper copy only, which means that they can be obtained only by purchasing them or requesting them on interlibrary loan. To digitize the large corpus of Australian (let alone New Zealand) paper-based transport literature would be a mammoth and expensive task that has not yet been mooted, and probably will not be seriously considered in the foreseeable future.

On a more general level, the funding environment of ARRB creates an atmosphere of uncertainty that many special libraries have been experiencing for several years. The year-by-year funding makes long-term planning difficult. On the other hand, this kind of uncertainty arguably makes ARRB a little more attuned to providing excellent service to their clients.

GREAT BRITAIN, TRANSPORT RESEARCH LABORATORY - Colin Howard

Until April 1996, TRL was an agency of the UK Government's Department of Transport. On that date TRL entered the private sector as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Transport Research Foundation (a non-profit distributing company without shareholders). TRL is the largest UK center for transport research, with 500 staff and a turnover of $46m in 1999/00. Most of TRL's research is still carried out for Government, but a growing proportion is in other sectors as well.

TRL is organized into 4 research divisions: Infrastructure; Transportation; Environment and Safety; and International. TRL is a center of scientific excellence and, as such, much of the work is supported by experimentation. TRL has a number of large and often unique facilities, including a pavement test facility, impact test facility and virtual reality simulator.

TRL's Information & Publishing Services comprises three units: Library & Information Service; Publications Unit; and Web Unit

The core services that the Library provides both to TRL researchers and the public are closely linked to their in-house databases and membership in the ITRD system. In October 2000, TRL implemented an Intranet, which is still in the initial stages of its development. The Intranet is maintained by the Web unit.

The TRL library has a large presence on the Intranet through its "virtual enquiry desk". With the shift towards the Internet and electronic information resources, there has been a reduced emphasis on direct contact with reference librarians. The library's contributions to the intranet include a list of journal holdings, some with hypertext links to full text articles, a number of British Standards in full text and the Eurofile full text database of European standards published by CEN.

TRACS (Transport Research Abstracting and Cataloguing System) is TRL's principal in-house database comprising some 290,000 records, over 90% of which have abstracts. The PROJEX databases comprise some 12,000 summaries of on-going research, and TRLINFO, as its name suggests, contains information about TRL. The databases are available on-line to all TRL staff on their desktop via the network.

TRL's input to the ITRD is carried out using the DOC-INPUT program developed by the German institute BASt. This program produces a file in CF6 format, which can be imported into the main TRACS database.

Between 50 and 70 new reports are published by TRL each year. The overall publications portfolio dates back to 1966, comprises more than 3,400 Research Report and is a very rich and diverse source of research information, covering over 30 years of work at TRL. The titles of all these reports can be searched on TRL's website (www.trl.co.uk), and the search results are linked to a facility for online purchasing.

Publications are available by subscription or as one-off purchases. TRL clients can subscribe to a Research Alert Plus scheme that entitles them to receive up to 25% discount. All reports published since 2000 can be provided electronically as PDF file e-mail attachments.

The TRL library offers a number of other products, such as the Review of Transport Research, a monthly Current Awareness (SDI) Service, Current Topics in Transport Series, a selection of abstracts recently added to the TRL Library database, and Transport databases on CD, fully searchable self-contained sub-sets of the TRACS database on specific topics. TRL's web site also contains a wealth of information about TRL, its capabilities, and details of many of the current projects and facilities.
TRL offers reciprocal services to other libraries, but since privatization of the agency most services to their clients and the public are provided on a fee for service basis.

UNITED STATES, BTS NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION LIBRARY - Nelda Bravo

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics was established under ISTEA (The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) legislation. It is one of 11 agencies within the Department of Transportation, and is responsible for compiling, analyzing and disseminating transportation statistics collected by the individual agencies within the DOT. BTS is intended to be objective and policy-neutral.

The mandate of BTS is to: 1) Compile, analyze and publish comprehensive transportation statistics for the USDOT; 2) Make statistics easily accessible; and 3) Create a long-term data collection program
The programs of BTS fall into five key areas: 1) data collection; 2) data quality; 3) compiling, storing and disseminating data; 4) data analysis; and 5) administration.

The ISTEA legislation called for BTS to establish an intermodal transportation database that provides data needed by federal and state agencies and metropolitan planning organizations. The resulting Intermodal Transportation Database is a collection of data taken from the vast array of government agencies at all levels available through the US DOT. The collection includes information on virtually every aspect of transportation, from rail and freight, to passenger vehicle and transit, to commercial carriers and private buses.

ISTEA also required BTS to develop a National Transportation Library (NTL) to provide information necessary to federal, state and local transportation decision-makers. The NTL is intended to improve the ability of the transportation community to share information, and to serve in a coordinating role, working with public and private transportation libraries and information providers to improve access to information.

The NTL offers a number of information products and services. A Digital Library contains almost 7,000 full-text documents, and the NTL reference service receives over 4,000 queries per month. NTL also maintains the DOTBOT search engine for the USDOT. Over half of the USDOT agencies have their websites indexed by DOTBOT; over 150,000 documents are indexed from 170 sites. Future plans include indexing websites of other federal agencies with transportation-related information, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Industry, and the Department of Energy.

The TRIS database is made available online at no cost to the user through an innovative partnership between the NTL and the Transportation Research Board. TRIS Online includes all of TRIS except the Research in Progress and ITRD Database files. It contains over 4,000 links to full text documents, and is updated monthly. Where full text documents are not available, over 100,000 records include links to the web site of the document's publishing agency.

NTL's vision is to serve as a national, collaborative library system, offering coordinated collection development, interlibrary loan, and reference services. As the NTL develops and expands, it will be working to anticipate the information needs of the transportation R&D community, and offering the appropriate products and services to meet those needs.

SWEDEN, SWEDISH NATIONAL ROAD AND TRANSPORT RESEARCH INSTITUTE (VTI) - Birgitta Sandstedt

VTI is an institute organised under the Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications and performs qualified applied research and development in the transport field for government agencies and other clients. The Library and Information Centre has national responsibility for collecting and providing access to information within the areas of transport and communication research. VTI is also the Swedish center for the OECD database ITRD (International Transport Research Documentation) and for co-operation within the ECMT (European Conference of Ministers of Transport).
Since 1998, the VTI has held ISO 9001 certification issued by Det Norske Veritas Certification AB. The library has certified four processes: Information retrieval, current awareness, loans, and purchasing. VTI's special holdings include statistics, standards and report series from Transport Research Laboratory and Transportation Research Board.
110,000 of the references in the library are searchable in the TRAX database, which started in 1976. All references are indexed with English keywords from the ITRD thesaurus. The Language and country of publication are included in the keyword field, also in English.

VTI subscribes to about 1,100 periodicals, of which 500 are journals. A list of journals in Swedish is searchable in a database called Tidskrifter. Both TRAX and Tidskrifter are available on the Internet through a vertical portal (vortal) called Transguide, described in more detail below.

VTI has approximately 8000 loans a year, of which about 60 per cent are for internal customers and about 40 per cent for external. Commissions or projects account for about 5 million Swedish Crowns each year, which covers about 50 per cent of our costs.

A variety of means are used to develop the collection, including exchange agreements with other transportation organizations. VTI has agreements with approximately 200 organisations, 125 of which are abroad. VTI also receives lists and leaflets from publishers, gets publications as gifts, and collects information through their broad contact network, via the Internet, current awareness and databases.

The information is disseminated by VTI in many ways: via the Internet and Intranet, via the OECD and ECMT databases. The VTI library offers searches on commission and has an information service for reference requests. The library also gives lectures and participates at conferences and exhibitions.

VTI has developed a comprehensive vertical portal for transportation called Transguide. It is produced, maintained and hosted by the Library and Information Centre (BIC) and financed by VINNOVA, the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems. All information is indexed and/or classified and is updated continuously. The major components of TransGuide are as follows:

• A database containing links to approximately 300 web sites. The websites are grouped by category, and a short description of each is provided.
• A database providing references to approximately 800 full text electronic publications. All of the references are classified and indexed. Abstracts are also available and, of course, the links to the full text documents are included as well.
• A database of references to approximately 60 bibliographic databases. Each listing includes a short description and a direct link to the database.
• The TRAX library catalogue, with over 110,000 references to publications. All references are classified and they are indexed with keywords in English from the ITRD thesaurus. Approximately 55 per cent of the publications are in English and about 20 per cent in Swedish.
• A listing of about 40 statistical data banks. Each includes a short description and link to the web site.
• A database containing references to upcoming conferences worldwide. The listings include links to further information when available.
• A database with links to about 60 Swedish libraries within the transport and communication area. Each listing includes a short description, and a link to the library's web site.
• A listing of approximately 700 journals available at the VTI Library.
• A database of information on the "Dennis agreement", a proposal for the Stockholm infrastructure programme. The agreement was named after Bengt Dennis who in 1990 was appointed by the Swedish Government to lead a committee that was to suggest solution to the Stockholm region's problems. The database contains approximately 7,500 references, which are indexed with keywords. Abstracts are also available.

Transguide is structured in such a way as to allow simultaneous searching in six of the above databases (Web sites, E-publications, Bibliographic databases, Data banks, Upcoming conferences, and Swedish libraries).

SIMULTANEOUS DISCUSSION:
INFORMATION AVAILABILITY/ACCESSIBILITY/ TRANSLATION
Bonnie Osif , The Pennsylvania State University
Jeanne Thomas, Michigan Department of Transportation
Jerry Baldwin, Minnesota Department of Transportation

Coordinator: Clara Smith, United States Department of Transportation
Recorder: Chris Hedges, Transportation Research Board
Monday, July 30, 2001 - 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The discussion session began with brief presentations by each of the three co-moderators. Jeanne Thomas summarized the difficulties faced by U.S. librarians when trying to locate and obtain paper copies of material from sources outside the country. Bonnie Osif reviewed a study she had conducted on the use of non-English language material. Her research showed that there were virtually no references to non-English material in a sampling of U.S. research documents. Furthermore, about 25% of the references in TRIS could not be found in OCLC; when it came to non-English material in TRIS, about 75% of the references were not in OCLC. Jerry Baldwin described the problem of accessing material in the context of the decentralized nature of transportation libraries in the U.S. In the absence of formal coordination between libraries or a common union catalogue, he described a need for a more formal structure to catalogue, index, store, and provide access to transportation documents.

The publication of the TRANSPORT CD has brought greater attention to the problems in accessing information. The ability to retrieve citations and abstracts in a number of languages creates frustration when it proves to be difficult or impossible to retrieve the original documents. While the problem of dealing with non-English documentation is particularly acute in the United States, there are problems in most countries with accessing the documents cited in TRANSPORT and in the TRIS and ITRD databases.

Participants in the session discussed a number of issues and concerns, as well as opportunities to help improve the situation.

• Most American participants indicated that they made little or no use of non-English material in their research or day-to-day work. They commonly stated that they did not know how to find out whether relevant non-English material was available, and would not be able to make use of non-English material without translation, which was usually prohibitively expensive.
• Participants from countries outside the U.S. indicated that most of their technical staff could deal with materials in English as well as their native language, although there were always examples of materials published in other languages that they could not use without translation.
• Copyright laws may restrict the ability of transportation organizations to produce and distribute translations of published material.
• A role for the University Transportation Centers was discussed. Since each of the UTCs has a specific theme, it may be appropriate for the center to identify significant non-English material in their area whose translation would be of value to U.S. researchers and practitioners.
• Machine translation software is improving, and can be made even better through incorporation of a specialized transportation lexicon. At the moment, however, these programs are best suited to "gisting"; determining the general subject and content of a publication to help assess whether a more accurate human translation could be justified.
• The joint FHWA/AASHTO international scanning program was identified as a good means of identifying valuable non-English material. The scanning tour participants were in a good position to identify technologies, materials, and practices in foreign countries that would be of benefit to U.S. transportation professionals. Direct personal contacts with their foreign counterparts could both eliminate some of the language barriers of non-English printed material, and also help to identify key documents that should be translated into English.
• There may be a role for the LTAP centers to facilitate dissemination of non-U.S. transportation innovations, through their network of centers within the U.S. and contacts with centers outside the country.
• Foreign students studying in the United States could be a valuable asset in helping to identify and, in some cases, to translate non-English documents.
• Trade and industry associations could have a role in helping to fund translation of key documents in their field of interest.

In summary, it would appear likely that there is an important body of scientific and technical information that is not being utilized effectively by transportation professionals. This is a result of: a) difficulties in accessing or obtaining full text documents once a citation has been retrieved and reviewed, and b) difficulties in dealing with material in languages in which the practitioners are not proficient, especially languages other than English. In the future, there should be more opportunities to access non-English technical material through formal and informal professional networks, face-to-face contacts, greater use of electronic communication, improved machine translation, and common use of English as the working language of research. Further, full text electronic publishing should alleviate many of the difficulties associated with obtaining copies of paper documents. However, while more and more transportation researchers world-wide are capable of using English language research, there will continue to be a need to access translations of published non-English materials, and in the foreseeable future, the high cost of human translation is likely to remain a significant barrier.

SIMULTANEOUS DISCUSSION: INTERNET RESOURCES
John Gallwey, University of California-Berkeley

Coordinator: Clara Smith, United States Department of Transportation
Recorder: Laura Whayne, University of Kentucky
Monday, July 30, 2001 - 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

John Gallwey led the discussion by asking some key questions. He started by asking what people wanted to get from the session. Responses including the following:

• Looking for new sources to keep current
• Learn to use the Internet more effectively
• Interested in international websites for international information
• Provide information to customers
• Web development duties help give the library a better presence
• Specialized subject areas

Quality of Online Sources:
Currency is a main concern with online sources, whether it is a subscriber database such as OCLC's World Cat, a free access database such as TRIS Online or the University of California's Online Catalog, MELVYL, or an Internet site. The quality of Internet resources is based on the following factors: currency, accuracy, authority, reliability, coverage, ease of use, response to users, and on-going maintenance. Information must be verified and the authority checked. The problem with developing websites into portals is the often, short lifespan of sites. They must constantly be maintained.

Types of Internet Resources Discussed:
Free access databases: TRIS Online is a good place to start when searching for transportation literature. Librarians recommend it to users. Sometimes, however, it is slow and other databases need to be searched. PATH is another free bibliographic database accessible through the Internet that covers Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) literature.

Commercial (fee based) databases: The question was raised whether people would be willing to pay for access to online resources or for certain features, even for those currently free. The abstract was considered the part of the citation for which some would consider paying. Dialog is an example of a commercial database for which people are willing to pay, even though there are sometimes similar databases for free. Dialog offers access to multiple databases for a price that could not be matched if bought individually. The commercial, fee based, databases sometimes offer features that are not available otherwise, such as a common search strategy for multiple databases, or a more sophisticated search capability. The Internet makes it easier for searching commercial databases, but they still need improving.

Electronic books are available although the technology is not able, at this time, to make them easy to read. People tend to print and then read. Unsure whether the market can support them currently. Some books, because of the content or format, may lend themselves to being used in an electronic format.

Listservs: Libraries use listservs for interlibrary loans and reference questions. The Netherlands and the Transportation Division of the Special Libraries Association both make use of listservs for locating materials or answering reference questions.

Private, special interest websites indicates a certain demand. One should check the accuracy, authority, reliability, and validity of such sites and use with caution.

Desirable Features for the Internet:
Instant response - requires good servers
Ability to print and email findings
Uniform search strategies and symbols

How to Find Internet Resources:
Search engines such as Google
Ask people
Check web links
General searching
Librarians Index to the Internet (Professionally maintained, annotated, subject directory, constantly maintained)

Useful Websites:
www.infrastructuur.nl A site from the Netherlands.
www.tft.lth.se A site from Sweden.
www.fhwa.dot.gov A site from the U.S.A. Look for the Office of International Programs
http://lii.org/ (Librarians Index to the Internet)

Technology:
Are there any new media or changes in the technology? Has it leveled off with the Internet? Intelligent search engines are getting more sophisticated.

Language:
There is a dominance of English language websites. This is due to English being a global language and the initial development of many websites in English speaking countries. There is a real need for translations and information about international Internet sources.

SIMULTANEOUS DISCUSSION: LESSONS LEARNED FROM WASHINGTON, PRAGUE, AND ACAPULCO INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION CONFERENCES
Sirpa Haapamaki, Finnish National Road Administration
Colin Howard, Transport Research Laboratory
Roberto Sarmiento, Northwestern University

Coordinator: Clara Smith, United States Department of Transportation
Recorder: Maryanne Ward, PAACAR Technical Center
Monday, July 30, 2001 - 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Roberto Sarmiento moderated the session. He began by indicating that the goal of the session was to gather information from the attendees to the meetings at the three conferences held earlier. The hope is that future organizers can improve future meetings.

WASHINGTON CONFERENCE - Sirpa Haapamaki

Sirpa summarized the highlights and recommendations from the March 1995 International Transportation Information Resources Conference held in Washington, D.C It was a well-organized conference, held at the National Academy of Sciences and included a workshop held at at the Transportation Research Board facilities. Both the conference and the workshop were sponsored by US organizations. There were 117 participants from US, Canada, Australia, and Europe.

At the 1995 conference there was a major discussion about the Federal Highway Adminstration's scanning program to identify transortation information resources in other countries. Members of the scanning team had travelled abroard to study collections, etc. and reported on their findings. The number one problem reported was the difficulty in accessing foreign materials in USA. In many cases, the existence of foreign collections was unknown. If known, not all institutions could supply the documents. There were also language barriers. Most US researchers are English language only.

The scanning team produced two written reports and also reported their findings in depth at the 1995 Washington DC conference. There, the audience got a comprehensive view of institutions in the participating countries. This was extremely helpful to all participants, and increased the knowledge about availability and also obstacles.

Overall, the conference was a friendly and wonderful gesture from US colleagues. It put the people with the problems together with those with solutions. Sirpa remarked that the conference made her library part of the international community. She commented that there is a big difference between a network and a community and referred us to an article in the May 2001 issue of Outlook,a magazine published by the Special Libraries Association. As a result of the conference, attendees were provided with access to translation services, access to foreign information was improved in the USA, US expertise was promoted internationally, and US road transport technology transfer was improved.

The recommendations that resulted from the 1995 conference were: develop a national transportation information link to connect catalogues and databases; provide educational training and arrange international transportation information gatherings regularly; and develop TRIS to include foreign citations.

So she asked, what steps have been taken since then? There was one survey made in Mexico. Some exchange agreements have been set in motion. For example, California-Berkeley library has such agreements, and bibliographic data for these documents are added to the TRIS database. FHWA brought librarians to US to provide opportunity to meet each other. As a result of the Conference and the contacts made there, librarians can contact each other in different countries when they need something.

Discussion:
After Sirpa's formal remarks, there was audience discussion. One report was faxed in less than two hours from Sweden to TRB. What is important is knowing WHERE to go, which implies not so much a network, but a community. Some in the audience commented that we can exchange links to publications in pdf format; and that we are now more aware of each other's publications. Another commented that nothing is organized as to follow-up, but the trend is that we need follow-up or things don't get done. Lots of librarians aren't coming to meetings, which reflect institutional problems.

Are there any gaps in the US transportation collection? Yes, but we need a national project to determine the nature of these gaps, and we need to coordinate collections.

One mentioned feedback received that IIRD database was difficult to access on ESA-IRS. So it was moved to STN. People liked that. Good feedback on that. Having it on Silverplatter also good-happened about the same time.

Some commented that there could be more synergy between the Technology Transfer Centers and the libraries. Have they approached each other? Are we really using these networks as much as we should? Are we exploiting all our resources adequately? The FHWA International program has included libraries and documentation centers as part of their programs. It is very important to people from these different levels to connect. PIARC is promoting a four-year program to create new T2 Centers in developing countries. They will benefit from OECD products. Trying to get more cooperation among products. Explicit policy in PIARC is to exploit from each other. There is initial movement to look for these synergies. This community offers many opportunities to extend information services to the community. So, how can we plug into that network as librarians? Maybe we need their people to come and tell the librarians what their projects are and how librarians can be involved. Librarians need to get out to the user communities. This happened at the conference in Acapulco and now TRB library getting more business. It is important for librarians to get out.

PRAGUE CONFERENCE - Colin Howard

Colin Howard from TRLL reported on the meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, in July 1997. The objectives were information sharing and gathering especially with the European emerging countries, and to explore possibilities for meeting needs and cooperation. The meeting emphasized the importance of access. It was an opportunity for the OECD world and Eastern European world to come together, along with people from the European Commission, Slovenia, and Slovakia.

A key theme was the importance of the access and use of information in developing transport systems that contribute in a substantial way to the economic development of a country or region. Well-founded information and documentation resources can enhance and improve the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of road and transport systems. The need is for this information to find its way to the practitioners who can make practical use of the information on a day-to-day basis. Data needs were discussed. Other topics were: importance of information, sources and best means for accessing information. There were two sessions on information resources, management, and uses of information. By now national and international sharing were much more common. IRRD was a platform for sharing research information. Standardization of hardware and sofrtware were discussed, along with the costs of access which was increasing.

Participants discussed the World Interchange Network (WIN), the US Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), and the Transportation Division of the Special Libaries Association. They discussed current information and challenges from new countries of Eastern Europe. They shared the challenges they face, especially communication challenges. The demand on road systems was increasing, which required improvements and safety. The importance of documentation was increasingly recognized. There was a software incompatibiltiy problem. Access to inernational sources was not extensive. Language was a SERIOUS barrier, and also cost. Decision-makers seemed unaware of the importance of information. They identified a need for training, and buiding links with policy-makers.

Recommendations from the Prague conference were: try to get senior OECD and other high-level policy makers into information and to improve international access to information. What are the results? There have been anumber of initiatives in Eastern Europe (CEEC's) and also to Latin America. Operational committees want to provide easier access. CEEC's needed access through PIARC. There was emphasis on training and personnel exchange. The CEECs wanted training, direct assistance, and financial support.

Colin asked how many in the current audience had attended the Prague conference: answer was five. One participant reported she had sent boxes of documents to CEEC attendees, but never heard back. Berkeley had done the same but never heard back. One got the impression that the wrong people were there--the information specialists were missing. The attendees did not connect with discussions on information issues and needs. The point was made that mostly senior managers were there, and perhaps they did not recognize that they needed to work with local people. This also may be the reason for so little response. Needed senior policy makers and information workers but they weren't there. The point was made that the conference had occurered very soon after they'd broken out from Eastern bloc. The chance to travel was special; those who travelled didn't transmit information back when they returned to organizations.

Also there was a sense of information gaps, but the comment was made that they are petty much the same everywhere. To really get results, you need 2-3 meetings. At third meeting, you really get the people who are directly working with information. The suggestion was made that maybe the focus of meeting should be more regional and closer geographically to people who will be dealing with informtion directly. It was considered important to have mega-conferences to start the ball rolling, but maybe some smaller conferences would be good--use the larger ones to set up smaller ones. There is also a need to have policy makers buy into having meetings. First approach should be open to anyone who is allowed to go. Anyone who goes might present information for someone else. Get an idea of the benefits for those meetings. Sometimes the librarian doesn't speak English too well, and so if someone else goes they can transfer the information to the librarian.

Discussion:
Another point from the audience was that everybody is privatizing. How can they afford; many cannot afford to buy documents and services. Costs are going up.

The question was asked: Is management more or less supportive of information activities in all institutions? Colin reported that they are having problems in his organization. Even ITRD suffers, having only about 20 members overall. There is a lot of confusion over the roles of the information specialist and computer people. Librarians have to maintain data in the database. ITRD has virtually no input from the CEECs.

The comment from a Venezuelan attendee is that we should have the opportunity to have meetings in English and Spanish. Not very many people from Latin America attend; we need more. We don't have interpreters and that's a big issue. Translation is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. Also discusssed at Prague, that many people didn't speak English. But concensus was that English is a common language, more or less. However, at conferences, we should have translators. If we note that, we'll get more participants. We didn't advertise this conference to Latin America too well. Cost is a problem, of course, but a lot of this conference was funded by the US Department of Transportation. It wants to get information to the US.

ACAPULCO CONFERENCE - Roberto Sarmiento

Roberto Sarmiento reported on the Acapulco Conference. The Mexicans did a survey prior to the Conference, and got 120 responses back out of more than 400. Ninety were from Mexico. Spain is supporting centers in Latin America. When smaller organizations are helped by bigger organizations, all gain. Recommendations and comments: lots of requests to write a letter to OECD to get help getting Centers going. Latin American governments are requesting help from international governments. There is a need for information speciailists and also transportion specialists. Roberto made the point that we need real specialists to manage information. Librarians are trained to do that job; other people are not. Latin American countries were urged to make use of information in organizations, such as PIARC.

He asked the question: Is anyone following up? He recommended that questionnaires be used to find out information needs. Could be used by future meeting planners. Latin American countries have asked OECD countries to provide training, so what are we doing? Need training in how to do internet, how to search TRIS. We need to help people in the trenches, and give tools, so they can raise their status as information specialists.

Discussion:
Roberto challenged the audience with a list of questions. There was a brief discussion with a few points made by the audience.
#1 : Do OECD or FHWA follow-up when they sponsor? We should distinguish between them. The US-sponsored ones have been for US specialists to find out what's happening abroad. The OECD-sponsored ones are focused on informing other OECD countries. The meeting has to be mostly US-oriented if the US sponsors it. For US meetings, there hasn't been much follow-up and the same is true for the OECD sponsored meetings, at least not in a direct and sustained manner. There is an NCHRP project looking at translations. We have a thesaurus. From OECD side, there have been problems since Prague, because people who were very in favor of OECD outreaching are gone. It has changed its nature, lately. There was a list of recommendations, but people aren't there anymore. OECD is sponsoring another confrence and so has followed up. Maybe more sustained meetings. Maybe we should meet every other year. What is the librarian/information specialist community doing ? Librarians need to be more pro-active, do more, stretch out.

#3. Question: What were the disappointments? Translation probably needed.
#5 More technical. Good to do TRIS and web training. Seeing new tools. Should we have that in meetings more commonly ?
#7. More goals? Project oriented? Do we want to see something substantial ? Roberto says, Yes.
#9. Most librarians in the rest of the world have a bachelor's degree. We have more education in US. Also they don't have the technology.

These questions are on the Northwestern University web site.
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/transportation/stpetesurvey.html

Roberto promised to publish the answers.

INFORMATION RESOURCES AND PLANS
Georgia Ludgate, Transportation Development Centre, Transport Canada
Helga Trantes, Bundesanstalt für Strassenwesen (BASt)
Barbara Post, Transportation Research Board
Roberto Aguerrebere, Instituto Mexicano de Transporte

Moderator: Donald Symmes, Federal Highway Administration
Recorder: Sandy Tucker, Texas Transportation Institute
Monday, July 30, 2001 - 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

TRANSPORT CANADA INFORMATION RESOURCES AND PLANS - Georgia Ludgate

Ms. Ludgate brought smiles to the audience with her opening remarks: "First of all, to break the ice, which in itself is a major concern for Transport Canada, let me summarize the importance of transportation in our country by sharing with you a Canadian saying. Canadians love to say that we have two seasons: we have ten months of winter, and two months of poor sledding. We don't say this because it's true; we say it because, if we say it enough, the Americans will believe it. It's sort of a national conspiracy…"

She continued with a description of the information resources that Transport Canada does make and plans to make available through the Internet. Transport Canada is the federal department of transportation in Canada, and the Transportation Development Centre is its research unit. Together with all other departments in the Government of Canada it is cooperating in a common initiative called Government Online to be visible and accessible on the Web and to provide the most direct access possible to information.

The initiative includes a common "look and feel" so that all of the department web sites share a common basic structure that will enable visitors to learn to navigate easily. As there are two official languages in Canada, all the sites provide equal access in both English and French.

Transport Canada's mission is to develop and administer policies, regulations, and programs for a safe, efficient and environmentally responsible transportation system. Its responsibilities cover all modes of transportation, including aviation system safety, rail, road and motor vehicle safety, and transportation security.

In its role as regulator, the department publishes numerous acts and regulations, for example, the Aeronautics Act and Canadian Air Regulations and the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act. On the TC web site one can locate the acts alphabetically by name or search them by transportation mode. They are available in full text as well as in downloadable versions.

Transport Canada's Policy Group makes available data in the form of an electronic library called T-Facts, or transportation facts. It includes information about the Canadian transportation system, such as the length of the TransCanada Highway, the cost of operating trucks in Canada, and a picture of the recently built multi-span Confederation Bridge between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

T-Facts includes statistical data that has been culled from a variety of sources, including Statistics Canada. Data are supplied in spreadsheet and graph formats. T-Facts also provides links to various policy-related publications and to transportation organizations.

The Road Safety Branch (RoadSafetyWebMail@tc.gc.ca) is the source of Canadian statistics related to highway and motor vehicle safety. It publishes data on traffic accidents, such as trends in vehicle traffic collision statistics, pedestrian fatalities and injuries, and school bus collisions. It also issues information on recalls and advisory notices on safety issues such as child car seats or winter tires.

The Railway Safety, Marine Safety and Transportation of Dangerous Goods groups all have Web pages that list publications. The Civil Aviation Group is responsible for over 500 publications. They have recently set up a database on their Web page where the user can search for documents by title, publication number or keyword. They have also implemented online ordering and are working on online payment by credit card.

At the moment one must find publications under the modal groups. A major project under development is to create a common database for searching all department documents.

For assistance, contact the main Transport Canada Library in Ottawa (librreq@tc.gc.ca) to identify a document. It is the depository library for all departmental publications, and librarians there can identify the source of material quickly. They also provide, free of charge, print copies of corporate publications such as the Transport Canada Annual Report. The Transportation Development Centre Library in Montreal focuses more on the research aspects of transportation but is also happy to help in furnishing any information needed (ludgatg@tc.gc.ca).

As the research arm of Transport Canada, the Transportation Development Centre, or TDC (www.tc.gc.ca/tdc), manages a multimodal R&D program that promotes innovation in transport. Research areas include accessible transportation, intelligent transportation systems and human factors aspects such as driver fatigue. Each research project starts with a request for proposals. The work is carried out by the company awarded the contract, with TDC providing guidance and oversight.

The Centre's online Project Directory provides descriptions of TDC research projects dating from 1996 to the present and is organized by modal and special interest areas. The results of each completed project are written up in a research report, and one can link from the project description to the report summary and from there to a PDF version of the most recent reports.

The majority of TDC reports are published in English, although some are only available in French and others are bilingual, depending on the demand. To further enhance technology transfer, the TDC sends one copy of each report to the Northwestern Transportation Library, which in turn indexes it for the TRIS database. TDC reports are also abstracted and available for purchase from NTIS.

The TDC is gradually rendering reports available for download from our Web site retrospectively from the year 2000. Limited print versions are available for purchase from the Centre. The Annual Review and a quarterly bulletin called the R&D Update, which features a recent project in each issue, are available free of charge. One can request to be on a mailing list to receive these automatically.

In summary, current priorities for developing better access to information resources at Transport Canada are:

• a central online publications ordering system, which will simplify for the user the identification and acquisition of documents from all areas of the department; and
  
• Web access to library catalogues, which will bring the user right to TC's doorstep.

INFORMATION RESOURCES AND SERVICES AVAILABLE AT THE BUNDESANSTALT FUER STRASSENWESEN - FEDERAL HIGHWAY RESEARCH INSTITUTE (BAST) -
Helga Trantes

BASt and Its Research Activities
The Federal Highway Research Institute is a technical and scientific research institute responsible to the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing. In 1951 BASt began its work in Cologne, initially with research in the field of highway construction. In 1965 BASt's activities were broadened to also include research into the improvement of highway capacity and safety. In 1970 the German Bundestag voted to establish an accident research center, which was then set up at BASt as its accident research department. In 1983 BAST moved to Bergisch Gladbach, a town located not far from Cologne.

BASt has a staff of approximately 400 and comprises six divisions: five Scientific Divisions - Behavior and Safety, Traffic Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Highway Construction Technology, Bridges and Structural Technology - and the Administrative Services. Scientific Information is part of the Public Relations Section within the administrative unit.

The scope of work is considerable, ranging from replying at short notice to incoming enquiries to the coordination and carrying out of research projects over a period of several years. A focal point of BASt's work results from the role it plays in the formulation of specifications and standards applying to all fields in highway-related work. All these tasks are undertaken in close collaboration with national institutes and organizations. Similar contacts exist at the international level with central research laboratories of other countries, OECD, the European Union, PIARC, etc. BASt also acts as a consultant, conducts laboratory and field investigations and prepares expert reports.

Another task is to act as scientific advisor to the state highway authorities that administer federal interstate highways and autobahns on the behalf of the federal government. The task of advising the Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing on technical matters in the field of transport policy means that information on new developments, new technologies, and most recent scientific findings must be available at BASt. Besides close contacts with the research communities involved in national and international transportation research, the research carried out and managed by BASt is a very important issue.

Internal staff research is conducted in the fields of special interest. Currently it can be subdivided into the following areas:

• Improvement in the efficiency of the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, and civil engineering structures
  
• Road safety improvements
  
• Improvements in road use efficiency
  
• Prevention or reduction of environmental impacts caused by highway traffic
  
• The role of the road network within the overall transport system

External research projects - this means research projects planned, awarded and managed entirely or in cooperation by BASt - are related to the following research programs:

• Road construction and road traffic
  
• Road safety research
  
• Vehicle technology
  
• Emergency medical services system (EMS System)
  
• Urban traffic

In addition to these research programs, BASt staff members are increasingly involved in cooperative European Community research projects. Information on all research projects since 2000 - ongoing and terminated - is available on the BASt web site at http://www.bast.de/.

Many project results have a direct effect on the road-user community as a whole and are therefore of wide public interest. The Public Relations, Scientific Information section meets the demand for quality information by providing written and oral answers to about 7,000 enquiries per year.

The external aim of the public relations work is to present BASt as a competent and good-practice research institution in all fields relating to road construction, traffic safety, and transport systems; the internal aim is to provide all scientific sections the most suitable means of communication and assist in processing the results in order to successfully convey scientific information, the BASt product. In addition, the Scientific Information staff provides the BASt researchers with scientific findings and information from Germany and abroad.

Publications
The forms of communication used to disseminate the BASt research results depend on the target groups to be reached, for example, experts, road users, or the press. Depending on the number of people interested and the significance, BASt research findings may be published as internal research reports with limited distribution or in the series Berichte der Bundesanstalt fuer Strassenwesen, BASt reports.

Some 330 BASt reports have been published since 1993. A publishing company has been commissioned to distribute the reports; enquiries concerning purchase or subscription should be addressed to them. At present, BASt reports are only available in printed form. The abstracts are available on the BASt web site, where the full reports can be ordered online via e-mail as well.

The scientific information service BASt-INFO provides one-to-four-page summaries of research results and their publications. Some 230 BASt-INFOs have been published since 1993. BASt-INFO brochures are also available online on the BASt web site, where they can be printed or downloaded.

Databases
The most important database with which BASt is involved is the International Transport Research Documentation, ITRD, operated within the OECD Road Transport and Intermodal Linkages Research Program. As the German linguistic coordinating center of ITRD, BASt is responsible for handling the input from the ITRD centers working in German, presently in Austria, the German-speaking part of Switzerland, and Germany. As part of the division of labor for preparation of ITRD Working Documents, BASt will provide the 2001 List of Journals/List of Series Scanned in ITRD.

In addition, BASt is in charge of software development and maintenance. BASt has developed the PC input program DOC-INPUT©, which is used by most ITRD input centers. Operational since the beginning of 1999, DOC-INPUT© is MS-Acess-based and offers user interfaces in the four ITRD languages. BASt is also responsible for the CF6CHECK© program, which check data in CF6 format, the six-byte key ITRD format used for data exchange.

In 1997 BASt set up the Basic Support for Cooperative Work (BSCW) site, which offers a web-based platform to authorized working groups - in this case the ITRD members. Initially set up for DOC-INPUT© development, BSCW is now used for the distribution of programs, the dissemination of monthly ITRD input to members, the distribution of working documents, and other information that an ITRD member wishes to share.

As regards its responsibilities as an ITRD input center, BASt abstracts German journals, publications series, books, conference proceedings, research reports, etc. BASt is in charge of the subject areas relating to bridges and tunnels, traffic and transport, accidents and safety, vehicles, and environment. The Road and Transport Research Association in Cologne takes care of the other ITRD subject areas of the German input. Regarding the scale of the work, BASt selects and abstracts about 1,800 records per year. As a coordinating center it handles another 1,200 records and thus makes available some 3,000 German language references to the international public each year.

As regards access to the ITRD references, BASt information and documentation services carry out bibliographic searches in the ITRD database for customers within Germany, mainly universities, engineering bureaus, students. Searches can be requested in writing or by e-mail. BASt itself does not act as a general provider of original literature, but our documentation and library services do try to answer inquiries as comprehensively as possible.

BASt also acts as database host and administrator for the International Road Traffic and Accident Database IRTAD. IRTAD was established in 1990 and is also operated within the framework of the OECD Road Transport and Intermodal Linkages Research Programme. Out of the 30 OECD member countries, 24 are participating in IRTAD, and each is represented by a national coordinating center. Twenty-one additional institutes also contribute. Because IRTAD provides accident data from multiple countries, it allows international comparisons of road safety. Exchange of expertise is ensured by regular meetings of the international user group. IRTAD is financed on a subscription basis.

For external users BASt provides a copy of the database on CD-ROM for installation on a personal computer. In addition, all subscribers have free online access to the database on the Internet to obtain the most recent figures. For its members, IRTAD offers surveillance of data quality and consistency, data input by BASt staff, ready-to-use retrievals, training sessions, etc.

The extension of IRTAD to include non-OECD countries is one of the future goals. For further information, visit the IRTAD web pages at http://www.bast.de/htdocs/fachthemen/irtad/.

Library and Documentation Services for BASt Staff
As in many similar institutes, BASt documentation and library services are currently in a transitional phase, moving to a more user-centered approach. As it is now, users must look at multiple information sources, using different retrieval packages.

The BASt library has about 40,000 volumes, consisting of books, standards, maps, patents and electonic media. It participates in publication exchange with national and international institutes working in the transportation area, many of them ITRD members. It subscribes to some 270 periodicals and 120 loose-leaf editions.

One big step forward was the implementation of a new library management system, aDIS/BMS, in the beginning of 2000. It is used for acquisitions, cataloging, and lending, as well as for the management of periodicals, the library budget and administration, etc. In addition to optimizing the library tasks, aDIS/BMS makes the library catalog available to all BASt staff via the intranet. The TRANSPORT CD-ROM is also available to all BASt staff via the intranet.

Further in-house services include the following:

• All standard library services, such as ordering, acquisition, lending, interlibrary loan
  
• Electronic media made available via a CD-ROM server
  
• SDIs (selective dissemination of information) on current topics
  
• Searches in the library catalog, the ITRD database and TRANSPORT CD
  
• Support for Internet searches

As to future developments, the library plans to make available the full-text version of the most important standards to all BASt staff via the intranet. It would like to upgrade the library management system from a Windows interface to a web-based user interface. It is considering replacing the circulation of periodicals by electronic circulation of tables of contents and maybe abstracts, as well subscribing to electronic journals and supplementing print journals with electronic versions.

To summarize, the library would like to make available all information resources (OPAC, ITRD, BASt research management database, and small databases developed by research specialists) under a single web-based user interface through the BASt intranet. In the future, such an information pool might well include electronic access to primary information, such as the BASt reports and publications, journal articles based on electronic licenses, links to free Internet databases or to web sites of interest to our experts. Particularly in view of the aim of providing easy access to all relevant information, both nationally and internationally, international collaboration in the field of information remains very important and will even gain in significance in the future.

That is why there is one additional point to be made. In order to further the exchange of research information on an international basis, BASt can occasionally invite guest scientists and researchers to spend some time at the Institute. This also applies to specialists in the area of information, documentation and libraries. If people are interested, a stay at BASt of this kind can also include study tours to other German transportation authorities or agencies participating in the activities mentioned.
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD (TRB) - Barbara Post

The Transportation Research Board (TRB), created in 1920, is an agency of the National Research Council, which serves as the principal operating arm of the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. TRB's purpose is to advance knowledge concerning the nature and performance of transportation systems by stimulating research and disseminating the information derived therefrom. The work of TRB encompasses technical matters and policy issues. By charter, TRB is a private, non-profit, independent, self-governing organization that serves as advisor to the U.S. federal government.

TRB is governed by its Executive Committee and comprises some 480 committees and 4,600 members. It has a staff of 120 and a budget of $45 million. It publishes 150 reports per year, and attendance at its annual meeting number 8,500.

TRB's mission is to promote innovation in transportation through research. Its primary services and programs are as follows:

• Information dissemination and exchange
• Cooperative research programs
• Studies on transportation policy issues
• Continuing advice

Information about TRB and its programs is available through its web site at http://trb.org/. The web site also provides access to four databases:

• The TRB Publications Index contains over 21,000 annotated citations for all TRB and Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) publications from the mid 1970s until present.
• The PATH database, maintained by the Harmer E. Davis Transportation Library of the University of California at Berkeley, contains the largest and most comprehensive collection of bibliographic information on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
• The Research in Progress database contains about 6,000 statements of current research.
• TRIS (Transportation Research Information Services) contains over half a million records of published and ongoing transportation research and for over 35 years has been one of the major resources on transportation.
• TRIS covers all modes - highway, transit, railroads, maritime, and aviation and multiple disciplines - planning, finance, design and construction, materials, environmental issues, safety and human factors, and operations. The sources of its records are as follows:
  • TRB indexers and abstractors
  • TLIB files, created by Northwestern University's Transportation Library and by the Harmer E. Davis Transportation Library of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California at Berkeley
  • ITRD (International Transport Research Documentation) for European material
  • PATH database, mentioned above

One can access TRIS in several ways:

• SilverPlatter Transport, fee-based
  • CD-ROM or Web access
  • Includes all published material in TRIS and the entire ITRD database
  • Updated quarterly
• Dialog Corporation (File 63), fee-based
  • Two versions on Web
  • Includes Research in Progress and English language ITRD material
  • Updated monthly
• TRIS Online, no charge
  • Agreement between TRB and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
    • TRB continues to produce TRIS
    • TRIS available on the Web through the National Transportation Library
  • Value added - links to full-text, public-domain reports or document suppliers
  • Inludes all of TRIS except Research in Progress and ITRD Database
  • Currently over 4,000 links to full text
  • Links for direct ordering from NTIS and TRB
  • Over 100,000 links to corporate-author web sites

Full text in TRIS Online

• Reports
  • 750 FHWA documents
  • 400 NHTS documents
  • State DOT, U.S. DOT, TRB, GAO, University Research, NCAT, CRREL, TTI
• Journal Articles
  • Public Roads, Journal of Transportation and Statistics, Better Roads, AASHTO Quarterly, Feature articles in Civil Engineering, Status Report, Texas Transportation Researcher

TRIS Online Usage

• Each month between 6,000 and 7,000 unique users access TRIS Online
  
• Almost 20,000 searches are executed on TRIS Online every month
  
• About 20% of the users of TRIS Online come from countries other than the U.S.
  
• 40% of visitor sessions are from educational institutions

Plans for TRIS

• Improve and expand TRIS Online
  • Expand full-text and document-delivery links
  • Improve searching
• New TRIS development system
  • Additional services

MEXICAN TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION CENTER - Roberto Aguerrebere-Salido and Blanca Ordoñez

Created on April 15, 1987 as an agency of the Mexican Communication and Transport Ministry (Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, SCT), the Mexican Transportation Institute (IMT) is an organization devoted to research and technology development.

The IMT's Information and Documentation Center, CID, was created in 1988 to support research with specialized transportation information in the fields of infrastructure, equipment, and operations. As the Institute expanded, it became necessary to have a dedicated building designed to provide information services to internal and external users. In 1998 the new facilities were inaugurated.

The specific objectives of the CID are as follows:

• To support the needs for information and documentation of the IMT research staff
  
• To exchange information with similar organizations from Mexico and other countries
  
• To provide library services to graduate students from national and foreign universities
  
• To contribute to the dissemination of specialized information in Mexico

The general collection of the library consist of around 5,000 titles of books, dictionaries, theses, manuals, statistical yearbooks, proceedings of seminars and congresses, regulations, standards, and research reports of universities, government institutions and organizations of Mexico and other countries. Subjects covered include air, rail, road, maritime and multimodal transportation.

The library also holds 82 periodicals, covering all modes and including international titles. Topics covered include economics, logistics, planning, operations, geography, transportation engineering, mechanical engineering, and construction.

The CID maintains a database of bibliographic records of its holdings, available at http://www.imt.mx/Espanol/CID/consulta.html. The database contains around 20,000 records in English or Spanish and is built on the Micro-Isis system of UNESCO, complemented with an IMT-developed search engine.

The CID provides online access to the official newspaper of the federation of Mexico, Diario, Oficial de la Federacion and Internet access to universities and government organizations of Mexico and other countries. It also provides several databases on CD-ROM:

• Transport: OECD's ITRD, ECMT's TRANSDOC, and TRB's TRIS, with bibliographic records and abstracts provided by 30 organizations from 25 countries.
• Annual Meetings of the Transportation Research Board: abstracts and preprint papers
  
• Transportation Research Record 1999: 5-year index (1994-1998) of TRB and SHRP publications
  
• World Road Statistics 1995-1999: published by the International Road Federation
  
• Economic and Population Censuses of Mexico: from INEGI (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática)
  
• Databases of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation

The CID's map collection includes 100 topographical maps of the geology, land use, etc., of Mexico (scale 1:50,000), edited by INEGI. It also includes maps of road networks by state, edited by the Communication and Transport Ministry (SCT); the National Atlas of Mexico, edited by UNAM (National Automomus Univeristy of Mexico), and the Atlas of Communications and Transportation of Mexico, edited by SCT.

Services available from the CID include the following:

• Internet access to the database of the Information and Documentation Center or at the facilities of the Center
  
• On-site access to the general collection and periodicals
  
• Selective dissemination of information: lists of bibliographic references by subject
  
• Search requests by fax, mail, telephone and e-mail
  
• Photocopies and information delivery by fax, e-mail or mail
  
• Internal library loans; any person can consult the CID collections
  
• External library loans by inter-library agreement

The IMT maintains several network memberships:

• OECD ITRD: The CID enters Spanish-language records of reports produced in Mexico.
  
• Panamerican network of information in environmental health
  
• World Interchange Network WIN, PIARC
  
• Virtual Center for Transportation Research, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperative
  
• International Forum for Rural Transport and Development, IFRTD

Other memberships include the following:

• Transportation Research Board (TRB)
  
• Panamerican Highways Institute (PIH)
  
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
  
• International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA)

Future plans of the IMT include providing Web access to the full text of its research reports, of which there are 180 to date. The IMT CID would like to increase the number of Mexican bibliographic records in the OECD-DIIT database. It would also like to enlarge its video library and improve the response time for user requests.

SIMULTANEOUS DISCUSSION: TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE AROUND THE WORLD
Daniel Krummes, University of California, Berkeley

Coordinator: Clara Smith, United States Department of Transportation
Recorder: Laura Whayne, University of Kentucky
Monday, July 30, 2001 - 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This session was an open discussion, moderated by Dan Krummes, about the infrastructure that supports access to transportation information in the participant's country. The group attending the session was divided based on the countries represented. A brief questionnaire was distributed to everyone. Responses are from the nine countries represented. Because of time limitations, not all questions from the questionnaire were addressed in the discussion. Following are those that were addressed:

In terms of your home country…
What political, social and economic factors have determined its transportation information infrastructure?
Two of the more common factors from the responses include government structure, whether tiered or a monarchy, and privatization.

Australia: The government structure is tiered (national, state, local). Australia has a low population compared to its geographical area, but the population is concentrated in the cities. This urbanization has impacted the information needs.
France: There are two major transportation agencies: The French National Transportation Research Institute and the Department of Ministry of Transport.
Germany: The federal government is a key factor. The infrastructure is decentralized and dispersed. Universities and transportation institutes are also part of the infrastructure.
Mexico: The political and economic model of the country. Since the mid 1980s, there is more trade and a more open economy. The role of the state is as a promoter and regulator. The private sector participates more now. There are more research centers and more access to information.
Netherlands: The Netherlands has different levels of government. There is cooperation between the government and organizations. Additional factors include a special library on traffic safety and the University of Delft.
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia has a monarchy, so no agencies are required to provide information. With the Internet, the demand for information has increased, which has created a need for an information infrastructure. The academic institutions are providing some of the infrastructure.
Sweden: VTI had been nationally responsible for information. In the 1990s there was a re-organization and KFB contracted for a three, year period with VTI and the Information Center to be responsible for the information. Outside consultants conduct an evaluation annually.
United Kingdom: Privatization and cost recovery are now predominant. One buys only what is needed and this reduces the waste.
United States: Different levels of government (national, state, local). Customers may not value our information and services, and there is a perception that information should be free.

What are the key institutional players in terms of the creation of transportation research information?
Government agencies, consultants, universities, associations/organizations, private companies, research centers are key in the creation of transportation research information.

Australia: ARRB, Austraroads, State Departments of Transport and State Departments of Highways, universities, the private sector, third party insurance.
France: INRETS, DGAC (aviation), SNF (rail), Interlocut (maritime), RATP (transit), Renault/Pugeot (crash testing).
Germany: BAST, Federal Ministry of Transportation, organizations, German Institute of Construction Techniques, universities, private companies.
Mexico: Mexican Transport Institute, university research centers.
Netherlands: CROW, ministries, universities, consultants.
Saudi Arabia: Ministry of Communication (land and sea), Ministry of Aviation. Have an intermodal/multimodal transport network so need one central agency. Organization is being reviewed.
Sweden: Vinnova, Swedish National Road Administration, VTI, universities.
United Kingdom: TRL, government departments, universities, professional institutes, research associations.
United States: U.S. Department of Transportation (all modes), state departments of transportation, associations (TRB, AASHTO, trade groups), interest/activist groups, cities and municipal planning organizations, SHRP/FSHRP.

What are the key transportation information distributors?
National transportation research centers and institutes, libraries, government and statistical agencies, magazines and journals, publishers, web sites, word of mouth (technology transfer) and universities are the key distributors of transportation information. There is some overlap between the distributors and creators of transportation information. (See previous question).

Australia: ARRB, National Library of Australia, word of mouth (technology transfer), Austraroads, advertising (safety messages), universities, TRANZINFO, state transport agencies, Aviation Information Center.
France: INRETS, government agencies, information intermediates, Elsevier journals.
Germany: BAST, universities, publishers, auto association.
Mexico: Statistics (government agencies, NIGM, university agreements), research centers, libraries, magazines, websites.
Netherlands: Special Centralized Bureau of Statistics, professional organizations.
Saudi Arabia: Minister of Communication, Minister of Interior, municipal affairs, university research.
Sweden: VTI, Swedish National Road Administration, universities.
United Kingdom: TRL, government, Internet, universities, PTRC seminars, publishers.
United States: NTIS, TRIS, GPO, libraries, Dialog (fee based).

Do you see any trends developing in your home country, which may affect future access to transportation research information?
Less research is being published as reports.
Privatization - No incentives to publish.
Downsizing and closing of libraries are occurring.
Amount of research is shrinking because of fewer funds.
Electronic publishing is transitory.

SIMULTANEOUS DISCUSSION: UPDATED INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION RESOURCES GUIDE
Larry Decina, TransAnalytics, LLC

Coordinator: Clara Smith, United States Department of Transportation
Recorder: Susan Dresley, Volpe Center
Monday, July 30, 2001 - 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Mr. Decina introduced the simultaneous discussion session as a forum to discuss his report, International Guide to Highway Transportation Information that was published in March 2001 by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). His handout, Topics for Discussion, prompted the group with the following questions: Are you aware of the Guides on the FHWA website? Likes? Dislikes? Usefulness? How often should the Guides be updated? Additional Countries? Should other guides be developed? Coverage? Other comments.

Mr. Decina explained the process by which he compiled the six, volume directory. For the Highway Transportation Libraries and Information Centers volume, he faxed a survey with specific fields to be completed by the libraries. There are 132 entries from 40 countries predetermined by his FHWA sponsor. He noted that already, attendees at the conference have submitted numerous revisions. In terms of updating, the group suggested it be updated annually via email. This email should request that all libraries review their entry, amend where needed, and if known suggest new libraries or report on recently closed libraries. It was felt that the directory should become more comprehensive, expanding beyond the 40 countries and include more U.S. and Canadian libraries, especially the state departments of transportation.

Each of the other five volumes: Websites, Document Delivery Suppliers, Bibliographic and Non-bibliographic Database Producers, Highway Transportation Associations and Organizations and Other Professional Societies were discussed. As all of these areas experience change it was suggested that they too be updated annually.

Finally, marketing of the report was examined. Where will the report be distributed? How will librarians not attending this conference obtain copies? The group felt that this is a valuable reference tool and that FHWA should advertise it both domestically and internationally.

Mr. Decina expressed his gratitude to the group and that he would incorporate the suggestions in a memo to his FHWA sponsor. He concluded the session with the request that all updates be sent to him at ledecina@transanalytics.com.

SIMULTANEOUS DISCUSSION: PRESERVING ARCHIVAL AND DIGITAL RESOURCES
Bonnie Osif, The Pennsylvania State University
Beth Golding, Florida State Archives
Mavis Georgalis, Florida Department of Transportation

Coordinator: Clara Smith, United States Department of Transportation
Recorder: Georgia Ludgate, Transportation Development Centre
Monday, July 30, 2001 - 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

BETH GOLDING, FSA

The Florida State Archives is the central repository for the archives of the State Government. It is concerned with the state's historical records, i.e. preserving information of historical value. FSA also helps state agencies to manage their active records efficiently and to dispose of them. It examines agencies' records and performs appraisals to determine whether records are of enduring historical value. The following elements are considered:

• content
  
• accessibility of the information
  
• comprehension: whether the information is understandable
  
• cost of preserving the item and rendering it accessible
  
• the intrinsic value as an original object

In terms of digital archiving, it is especially important when one is in the design stage of a project to consider the long-term implications of both the system and the records for archiving, especially in terms of what media and formats will be used.

Metadata provides backup information for the data to help identify who created it and when.

MAVIS GEORGALIS, FLORIDA DOT

Mavis Georgalis demonstrated GRIP (Georeferenced Information Portal), which provides links to Florida DOT's electronic document archives and incorporates GIS functionality. In consideration of future archiving, a non-proprietary system (Oracle) is used. This is due to the fact that proprietary software becomes obsolete. Portability of both data and the program application is important. Metadata is used to assist later in the interpretation of data.

Data is compressed for archiving. Adobe format of records is acceptable only for transient records (those kept for less than 5 years); the long-term archiving standard for records is TIF Compression Group 4, which is public domain software.

Florida DOT is still examining possibilities with Florida State Archives regarding how to proceed with archiving the system and the data. The most likely route will be archiving snapshots of data.

Both speakers emphasized that both media and format are crucial to archiving. The big question is: how do we manipulate data in the future and thus maintain its functionality?

FUTURE OF INFORMATION ACCESS
Roberto Aguerrebere, Instituto Mexicano de Transporte
Daniel Hargreaves, Ministere des Transports du Quebec
Chris Pringle, Elsevier Science Ltd.
Michael Burk, Federal Highway Administration
Anne Pretet, Institut National de Recherche sur les Transports et leur Securite

Moderator: Nelda Bravo, Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Recorder: Janice Bain-Kerr, Netalyst, Inc.
Tuesday, July 31, 2001 - 9:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

The methods for accessing information resources are changing as quickly as the technologies that support them. Our presenters will provide public and private sector views of the issues that are shaping the future of information access.

OVERVIEW OF OECD AND LATIN AMERICA PERSPECTIVE - Roberto Aguerrebere

In general, Latin America will follow global information trends and directions, but at a slower pace. Some characteristics of Latin America (based on the OECD survey) are in conjunction with the Acapulco conference. Target audience was academic, governmental agencies, and others. No other such OECD survey is pending. Mexico is the only Latin American country member of OECD.

Some basic context differences between OECD and Latin American countries are evident, as indicated in the responses. These may be characterized in terms of: organization of origin, information requested and usual sources consulted; access to information highlights; access restrictions profile and suggestions for access improvement.

Survey respondents included: government--forty-six (46) percent; academia--twenty-nine (29) percent; private enterprise-- fifteen (15) percent; associations--five percent; and research--five percent.

Information requested highlights some differences between Mexico and the remainder of Latin America: Mexico requested statistics-fifty-three (53) percent of the time, Latin America, twenty-nine (29) percent. Latin America requested documents thirty-six (36) percent of the time, whereas Mexico requested them only nineteen (19) of the time. Mexico requested "other" information only two percent of the time, while Latin America designated "other" some 35 percent of the time. Mexico requested abstracts twenty-six (26) percent while Latin America did not choose abstracts at all.

Respondents cited as sources of information and documentation government agencies, research centers, international agencies (e.g., UN, World Bank), universities, and associations.

Access To Information

Two-thirds of the survey respondents have easy access to their own country information; one-third have access to information from other countries; one- third use a computer to access information; less than one fifth use the Internet.

Other means of accessing information include: telephone (18%); library (27%); computer (35%) and other (20% - postal mail, Internet, and courses)

Access To Internet

Eighty-six (86) percent of respondents have access to the Internet; but only 36% use it as main tool of search. Ninety-four (94) percent had interest in having wider use of the Internet to obtain information and documentation

Access To Fee-Based Information Services

Only a couple of persons responsible for information searches had access to the Internet and other fee-based services. Ten percent (10) had access via the Internet; two percent had Dialog access to TRIS; and two percent had access to the Silver Platter TRANSPORT CD-ROM database. No respondents had access to STN/ITRD-OECD transportation database(s).

Access Restrictions

• Distortions in Communication
  
• Lack of dissemination
  
• High costs of information
  
• Old Information
  
• Confidentiality
  
• Language (Foreign)
  
• Lack of computers or Internet access
  
• Unknown channels for accessing
  
• Reduced time available for searching and reading
  
• Bureaucratic paperwork to obtain information
  
• Lack of budget for acquiring information and equipment
  
• Not all sources have a website
  
• Scarce documentation
  
• Lack of contacts in countries with information

Improving Access to Information

Actions that would facilitate access to information include:

• Institutional agreements for information exchange
  
• A common place where transportation departments could publish news/papers about technological advances" (web-based technology clearinghouse?)
  
• Disseminate innovations for information access (new tools)
  
• Greater dissemination about companies and organizations related to the handling of information
  
• Brochures informing the location of data sources, including web sites, for those without access to technology
  
• Implementation of e-mail in all government agencies' levels (Mexico is implementing such a structure)
  
• Facilitation of Internet access to recent publications
  
• Improvement of computing equipment
  
• Greater budgets

Some Fundamental Differences (between OECD and Latin American Countries)

OECD

• More economic development
  
• More mobility and transportation activity
  
• Larger transportation market and more participants
  
• More research and technological innovation
  
• More information and documentation demand
  
• More business opportunities
  
• More investment in information and documentation
  
• More information and documentation offer-- in quantity and quality

Latin America

• Less economic developmen
• Less mobility and transportation activity
• Smaller market and fewer participants
• Little research and technological innovation
• Inhibited information and documentation demand
• Market to develop (Six year plan to increase development in Mexico)
• Less investment in information and documentation (more demand by private sector)
• Smaller information and documentation offer-in quantity and quality

PIARC WORLD INTERCHANGE NETWORK (WIN) - Daniel Hargreaves

Mission: Information and road-related knowledge transfer between developed countries and countries in transition by creating an interchange dynamic.

Historical outline: Initiated in Sept. 1995 at PIARC in Montreal World Road Congress; integrated into the PIARC Technical Committee in March 2000.

Nodes: Seventy-five (75) nodes in forty-four (44) countries comprise the main components of the road information and knowledge transfer center group. There are twenty (20) nodes in Europe; thirty-four (34) in the Americas; thirteen (13) in Asia; six in Africa; and two in Oceania. Organizations participating include: public agencies, para-public agencies; private organizations; associations; university centers; and research centers.

The information responsibility may be graphed as an information pyramid in which the WIN Group is at the peak; followed in descending order by the international level; national level; local level and individual level

The Quebec Road Technology Transfer Center (CQTTR)
CQTTR is a a node of the WIN group at the international level.

Their areas of expertise, comprising that of all their public and private sector members, include:

• Road design, construction, maintenance & improvement
  
• Signalization and marking
  
• Traffic management
  
• Winter conditions
  
• Quality management
  
• Materials products and equipment
  
• Road surface and structure management systems
  
• Environment
  
• Hydraulics and hydrology
  
• Geotechnics

The WIN group concept focuses on helping people. WIN Goals and objectives include:

• Adherence to a global network of networks supporting complementary objectives in all aspects of roads
  
• Consolidation
  
• Development
  
• To assist the surrounding road practitioners in the search for expertise and assessment of local practices when compared to national and international practices; and in so doing to improve its own services to the road community.

Benefits for a government member
Cooperation with international bodies to set common goals

• WIN group issues
• Active membership
  
• Nodes responsibilities
  
• Logistic problems
  
• Development of the Internet site
  
• Difficulties in reaching developing countries and countries in transition
  
• Fewer countries and nodes are active. About 40% of nodes are in developing countries
  
• Users comprise developed and developing countries as well as intra-agency inquiries.

Strategic objectives
Review the membership structure

Information access issues

• Transferring to electronic pubs
  
• Management of multiple Internet sites
  
• Updating electronic links
  
• Training for continuously improving technologies (for staff and users)
  
• Integrated management of informational resources (within and between organizations)
  
• Reaching the developing countries and the countries in transition

Future
Explore ways and means of improving technology transfer; not only between the seventy-five (75) existing nodes, but between all PIARC (95 government members and 2000 non-government members).

Q. What will WIN look like in 5 years?

A. Expect an extension of the system and a web-based portal. The node system is not critical to the future. The future may see WIN redirect technology to offer a first solution, followed by a referral to the experts.

Q. Will PIARC fund the infrastructure for the Internet for countries, such as those in Latin America, which are without adequate access to technology?

A. Ninety-seven (97) government members, including Latin American members, can surely find a solution.

PRIVATE SECTOR PERSPECTIVE - Chris Pringle

Introduction
I represent Elsevier Science Ltd., the world's largest academic publisher, and the leading publisher (outside TRB) of research on transportation in particular. My private sector perspective is therefore primarily concerned with the academic world and is international in scope. However, I believe it is also relevant to the practitioner world and-of course-to the particular situation in the U. S.

The past twenty (20) years have seen many changes, with more to come. In this brief I first review some of the major changes in the transportation industry; then the even more radical changes in the information industry; touch on some factors that remain unchanged; and discuss the consequences.

Changes in Transportation
The transportation industry has undergone major structural changes in recent years (see Billington & Wenban-Smith, 2000).

More and Bigger Problems
First and foremost, transportation problems are more serious and complex than ever before. Constantly increasing passenger and freight traffic is hitting time and space constraints causing congestion, environmental problems, and raising social issues of access, mobility, equity and safety.

Professionalism
So the industry is getting more demanding-- resulting in increased professionalism---it needs more highly qualified people to run it.

Interdisciplinarity
Increased complexity also promotes interdisciplinarity; engineers need to talk to economists, planners, etc., far more than they ever used to.

Privatisation
Perhaps a more drastic change outside the U. S., this is still being implemented in some places; its ramifications for regulation, etc., are still being worked through in others.

Outsourcing
Partly as a result of the above factors, much central planning expertise has been done away with. Governments and industry are now more dependent on buying in expertise from a much expanded pool of consultants, who are all having to increase their expertise and specialize to compete with each other.

All these changes combine to generate greater information demand: more people need more information of more different kinds.

Changes in Information
The dramatic developments in information technology are by now very familiar.

E-mail and www
E-mail and www enable far greater access to far more information, far faster-often almost instantly, and also far greater functionality. Rapid and sophisticated searching, linking, usage, tracking, multimedia, and citation tracking both backwards and forwards have all become possible.

E-books and Print-on-Demand
These are relatively new technologies whose applications and economics are still being worked out by publishers and readers.

Huge and Growing Archive
In the 15th century, it was possible for the Renaissance man to have read a substantial proportion of all the significant literature ever written. Now it is difficult to keep up with output in the most specialized subjects. The archive grows; the rate of adding to it increases. This of course has always been true, but now it is truer than ever. The body of knowledge is vast; consider the 500,000 plus abstracts in TRIS alone.

All these changes in the information world can result in information overload.

What Stays the Same
Those are the big basic changes. Some fundamentals remain the same.

Librarian's Role
Librarians continue to use their traditional strengths; subject knowledge, selectivity and organizational skills to help people identify and get the information they need (Cortelyou & Kleiber, 2000).

Peer-Review Process
In academia, the peer-review process as managed by journal editors and referees and supported by publishers remains crucial because of the dependence of academics' careers on their publication records.

Publisher's Role
The publisher's expertise and entrepreneurial role, in identifying information needs and commissioning or generating and disseminating the information to meet those needs, continues. Publishers' independence is also important.

Market Mechanism
A huge quantity of free information of all kinds is now available on the web. Unfortunately, much of it is worth what you pay for it. The role of price in establishing the value of information (Okerson, 2001), and in producing revenue to support further investment in creating and disseminating information, is still a valuable one.

Networking
A vital source of information will always be personal communication with colleagues. Although a great deal of this is now carried out by e-mail, often through newsgroups and discussion lists with colleagues one has never met, ultimately there is no substitute for personal contact.

Integration Is the Answer
How can we reconcile the twin problems of information demand and information overload? Put simply: in the electronic environment, how will people (whether academics or practitioners) find all the information they want, and yet not drown in information they don't want? Integration is the answer: integration on several levels, enabled by technology.

Integration of Different Types of Information
It is now possible to collect many different types of information in the same virtual space on the web. An extensive but not necessarily exhaustive list could include journal articles, databases, e-books, teaching materials, reports, statistics, software, multimedia, and community information such as listings of conferences and organizations.

Information from Different Sources
The owner of the virtual space need not, and probably could not, own all the information integrated in it. Integration requires partnerships, alliances, between various information providers: commercial publishers such as Elsevier, government agencies such as BTS, national academies (TRB), professional bodies (ITE et al.), international organizations (OECD,PIARC…). An obvious example is the hosting of TRB's TRIS database within BTS's National Transportation Library.

Not Just Collection but Connection
Simple collection of assorted information on the web is in itself nothing new, as it only replicates what bookshops or paper catalogues have always done. The real advance is in how information items can now be functionally connected to each other or to the user. Reference linking to lead the user from one article to the next is now commonplace. Citation tracking, both backwards and forwards, so authors can see the impact of their work, and usage data tracking so librarians can assess the value of their electronic subscriptions, both exist and are being refined (Luther, 2001). Intelligent customized alerting services are being created to automatically inform users of relevant new publications. Tailored search engines are being developed, such as Elsevier's Scirus, specifically serving the scientific community. Package deals that would have not been practical in the print era become viable in the electronic environment.

Integration of Users
New technology has also made possible integration on another level, that of the users themselves. University library consortia used to exist to decide how to parcel out the territory to avoid duplication of collections. Now there are increasingly coming together to get consortium subscription deals, which give all the members access to everything. ScienceDirect has signed deals with the university systems of whole countries (Taiwan, Ireland, et al.). I can foresee this trend being followed by government agencies: local or metropolitan authorities uniting to negotiate arrangements with information providers, or Departments of Transportation negotiating on their behalf. Professional societies wishing to obtain benefits for their members could also follow suit. And at the level of the individual researcher or professional, e-mail discussion lists offer a forum to meet people with common interests and a route to relevant information.

Footnote: Elsevier Information Services

ScienceDirect:
Elsevier's own contribution to information integration is ScienceDirect®. www.sciencedirect.com, the premier electronic information service for the interdisciplinary research needs of academic, corporate and educational institutions, offering comprehensive coverage of literature across all fields of science. Designed to serve needs of the researcher, ScienceDirect is the unsurpassed single source for scientific, technical and medical information on the Internet. Researchers can access a critical mass of the world's STM journal titles and full-text articles (today over 1.2 million articles); search the leading STM abstract and indexing databases (providing coverage of over 30 million records) and link out to articles from an array of STM publishers-all through a variety of platforms.

TransportConnect:
Elsevier's service dedicated specifically to the transportation community is TransportConnect www.transportconnect.net. TransportConnect comprises over 1500 articles and abstracts from twelve transportation and safety journals, together with a bookstore, sample chapters from reference works, and a newsletter. Plans for the further enhancement of this popular service through partnerships with other information providers are being implemented at the time of writing.

References:

Bill Billington & Hugh Wenban-Smith, "Transport Skills for the New Millenium". London: Landor, 2000.

Catherine Cortelyou & Michael C. Kleiber, University of California, Berkeley, "Tomorrow's Technology in Today's Library" TR Update 5, June 2000. www.elsevier.com/locate/trupdate

CrossRef: The Central Source for Reference Linking. http://www.crossref.org/

Judy Luther, "White Paper on Electronic Journal Usage Statistics", The Journal of Electronic Publishing, March 2001.
www.press.umich.edu/jep/06-03/luther.html

Ann Okerson, "What Price 'Free'?" Nature, 2001 www.nature.com/nature/debates/e-acces/Articles/okerson.html

Scirus-search engine for scientific information only www.scirus.com

TRENDS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION ACCESS--PUBLIC AGENCY PERSPECTIVE - Michael Burk

Emerging Trends Shaping the Future of Public Sector Information Access

Traditional Model: access information from people you know and trust or a central, controlled repository.

New Model-access information from communities you know and trust, including people you've never met; distributed ownership of knowledge.

Example-Virtual communities exchange and evaluate knowledge using web technologies. They are bound by common interest or expertise and distributed across organizational and geographic boundaries.

New concept-Accessing tacit knowledge on-demand--Process of information generation and evaluation totally different; distributed, not linear, on-demand, customized responses;
Information and sources (people) evaluated, validated, credentialed by community as a whole.

Emerging Trend-Government as Active Partner in the Information Economy
Traditional Model has been one of government in an oversight role and as users of knowledge. The new Public Sector Role will be active partnering for information access and use and partnering with constituencies to see that knowledge is put to best use. It will go beyond information collection and organization and from passive to active information delivery and will build trust with potential users of information.

Emerging Trend-eGovernnance
The traditional model included: FOIA requests (if one knew what to ask for) and public comment (if one could afford to travel to meetings and understood the process). In this model special interest groups and lobbyists have had greater access to knowledge. The new model now levels the playing field.

There is a potential new role on the horizon-publish information to devolve governance. An example of such an emerging example is NEPA's outreach to states and industry on FHWA environmental processes and approaches; FMCSA strategic planning and public input processes. Questions posed by the new model: Where will direct interaction with citizens and constituents lead? What will be the impact on relationships between citizens and government services? What will be the impact on representative v. direct system of government?

Q: Germany is approaching the same issues. Will more people be needed? How to handle, e.g., volume of 9000 inquiries a year?

A: Government may be the broker; some things will be handled as official correspondence.

Q. DOT's docket system cited as an example of good practice.

Q: Librarians have been serving as brokers? Why are more librarians not involved?

A. New model of distributed networks (sources and types of information available) results in government becoming a more proactive partner in the "new information economy" and with eGovernance there is more direct citizen involvement.

EUROPEAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE PERSPECTIVE - Anne Pretet

Information access obstacles and challenges for information users and producers are identified as incompatibilities of document versions; cost of information access; no Internet connectivity, or bad connectivity; and lack of adequate numbers of computers in developing countries.

Solutions include offering compatible document versions or retro-conversion solutions, and make users aware of the necessity to turn to XML use; reduce cost of information access (make access free in research if possible); host Internet sites at nominal costs and participate in NGO actions to make unused computers in developed countries available to developing countries.

Internet technological solutions to meet user needs include intermediation-a framework for the development of the future Internet, which includes interaction between producers, information services and users and results in symmetry between users and producers, a standard format for data storage (HTML, XML), dedicated systems (servers, search engines with specific architecture) and new service for information aggregation, filtering and formatting.

Document formatting techniques that would meet user needs include XML and the codification of bibliographic information; XML and bibliographic notice representation (MARC format); XML and the bibliographical information representation; and XML engineering (which is strongly urged as a standard).

Information Access in Europe and worldwide includes five major transportation sites:
ITRD (Silver Platter CD-ROM or EINS and STN); IRTAD, German BAST Institute; ECMT (European Conference of Ministers of Transport), INRETS (French), and the EINS server accessing engineering and other types of bibliographic databases.

Sites in Europe (or accessible from Europe) offering access to full-text documents or fee-based databases include The French National Library (BNF)'s virtual library-GALLICA; French University of Lyons for its cyber-thesis program; Elsevier ScienceDirect internet site; ISI Web of Science (free temporary access to Current Contents); and CNRS/INIST gateway for access to science databases and journals. Others include the shared catalog of INRETS and BNF; the Research Library Group (RLG) international research library database; OECD; the European Union; and the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN).

Avenues to follow in developing a sustainable information access for the world include greater access to the Internet and the availability of more full text documents; use of artificial intelligence to develop greater and more powerful information retrieval tools; a global perspective and greater cooperation between ITRD and the EU (in terms of greater participation in knowledge management under the EU Transport Research Board) and the OECD project in cooperation with the World Bank in developing its gateway.

SUMMING UP/CONCLUSIONS
Konrad Bauer, Bundesanstalt für Strassenwesen (BASt)
Stephen Godwin, Transportation Research Board

Moderator: Laura Whayne, University of Kentucky
Recorder: Sandy Tucker, Texas Transportation Institute
Tuesday, July 31, 2001 - 11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

KONRAD BAUER:

What did I expect from the conference I was invited for? Accessing Transportation Information Worldwide? That means: To make it possible that transportation information can come to everybody worldwide.

First of all, I didn't expect that it would be organized so perfectly. I often have heard of the big conference at the beginning of the year that is organized by the Transportation Research Board. But I never expected that I would be guided in such a professional way through the programs and would find in the morning the newest printed news about the conference when I opened the door of my hotel room. My congratulations to all those who were responsible for the organization, and to all those who did the work.

The next point to be mentioned is the variety of the reports. When I read the list of participants in Germany, I didn't expect to learn so much interesting new information relevant to my job. I was very much impressed by what outstanding work is being done in all the countries. But first I could state that many of the problems that concern me are issues worldwide. Sometimes solutions have been found.

For example, the question of the cost of information: With much interest I heard from Roberto Aguerrebere that he charges for giving information to students. In Germany we charge if the request comes directly to us, but if the request comes to the Ministry - "a telephone call of the citizen to the federal government" - we are expected to absorb the cost of researching the answer.

A central question is also the privatization of public work. It seems that BASt may be unique in giving its printed reports to a publishing enterprise to sell them. It is their job to determine how many of the products to print and what price to charge. We get about 200 copies free.

Next, I'll mention the experts in knowledge management. I think it is great to have heard presentations from private enterprises - not only to learn from them but also to learn that they have similar problems and the same means to solve them as we have.

From Lisa Sasson/IBM I learned that also in IBM a new institution first has to get a name, and if you don't find one, you have found an expert group. Also, for Maryanne Ward of PACCAR working with expertise groups is a central task. Barbara Peterson of 3M gave the apt slogan of corporate identity: "We all will if our company wills." By the way, knowledge management for me means this: Give existing results to others so that they do not have to reinvent the wheel. That's just your job as librarians.

Going back to our institute, Karin Haid of Austria gave a look at her daily world and showed how efficient information work can be in the German language sector. She already promised to translate her lecture into German and send it to me.

I am sure that in the next few months I will contact Floor ten Brink of the Netherlands to get more information about their library system. It sounds very successful and ought to be copied. About Sirpa Haapamäki I learned that she helps the Nordic countries of Europe and the Baltic states - formerly part of the Soviet Union - work together on library issues and questions.

Anne Prétet from INRETS/France showed very impressively how the famous French institute goes about selling its products. A CD-ROM still can be gotten here.

On Monday Andrew Pentacost of Australia showed in an admirable way that on the other side of the earth there is an extremely active life in giving transportation information to a whole continent. I am trying to persuade him to spend some weeks at BASt to help us find the way in the third millennium.

Colin Howard showed again that we all can count on TRL and its library, though a visit is extremely expensive. Nelda Bravo, now representing BTS and the National Transportation Library, had bad luck when the PowerPoint didn't work. However, she managed elegantly to demonstrate her new job.

A little bit envied by everybody was Birgitta Akerud of VTI when she explained the very opulent system Transguide and explained that she has 1100 periodicals and that they have ISO 9000 certification. What a lucky librarian.

Georgia Ludgate/Canada told us about Transport Canada. They have to work not only on road safety aspects but also on problems of rail, maritime and aviation.

Helga Trantes told news about the BASt. She explained again the system of ITRD. One of the results for me of this meeting is that all members, especially the members from TRB, are interested in bringing a well-working system to our audience.

Barbara Post told us about the improving world of TRB, especially TRIS with one-half million records at the moment and about the three other databases.

The simultaneous discussions helped very much in summing up. It is a little bit sad that there are so few colleagues from Latin America. Here is my summation:

• The organization was first class.
  
• The speakers and moderators were first class.
  
• The contents of the reports were very interesting.
  
• For all the participants it was worthwhile to have come here.

What's hard for me is that not only has Jeanne retired but that several other colleagues, such as Don Symmes, Georges Pilot, and Bob Ford , will retire in the months ahead.

STEVE GODWIN:

What I hope we all gain from the conference is that we:

• Learn about best practices, how to provide the "right information, at the right time, at the right cost"
  
• Understand the impact of technology.
  
• Get to know one another. I encourage you to talk and talk a lot.

The speakers have articulated several broad themes:

• Varied & changing organizations
  
• Varied & changing sources of information
  
• Technology opening up new opportunities
  
• Barriers to information sharing
  
• Formal and informal networking among information professionals

Varied & Changing Organizations

• Some speakers are from organizations that combine transportation with other topics such as health and safety, civil engineering, housing.
  
• Some work in a single or multi modal topic area.
  
• Public, private, and non-profit organizations and associations are represented.
  
• Some organizations are changing form, from public to non-profit, e.g.,Finland & Australia.
  
• Parent organizations are stressing efficiency and cost cutting, reflected, for example, in OECD's posture toward ITRD.

Varied & Changing Sources of Information

• We see a completely digital library at the NTL.
  
• There is an interest in transportation information portals that provide access to many resources through a single web site.
  
• Free bibliographic searches are provided by some organizations, a significant example being TRIS Online
  
• Every organization is putting more resources on web.
  
• There are questions about the future direction of ITRD and WIN
  
• Will the World Bank Gateway be a significant information resource?

Technology Opportunities

• We can identify resources through online catalogs, union catalogs, databases.
  
• We can develop intranets to provide specialized services to internal users.
  
• Electronic documents (text, graphics, symbols) can be accessed, shared, read or printed on demand.
  
• E-mail/listservs can support international networking.
  
• Indexing of web sites by search engines promotes discovery.

Barriers to Access

• Cost and effort involved in translation (documents, websites, simultaneous translation for conferences)
  
• Different concepts about access (free vs fee)
  
• Shrinking library resources
  
• Copyrighted materials/unpublished literature
  
• Paper document availability
  
• Skills and training

Formal and Informal Collaborations

• SLA, Tranzinfo, Northern Circle support personal interaction.
  
• ITRD/BTS-TRB agreement supports exchange of information between the U.S. and OECD countries.
  
• Libraries share documents and bibliographic data.
  
• A union catalog for US transport libraries would enhance discovery and sharing.
  
• Listservs facilitate collaboration.
  
• Conferences and workshops among providers promote cooperation.

Next Steps for Improving Access to Information

• Translation -- pooling of documents/simultaneous translation at conferences
  
• More online access to catalogs/union catalogs
  
• More full text documents on web
  
• Continued/increased collaboration, beyond the West

To summarize, "We have enough computers; we need a knowledge network."

INFORMATION RESOURCES: A TOOL FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
(SECOND JOINT SESSION OF THE SYMPOSIUM)
Anil Bhandari, World Bank
Roberto Sarmiento, Northwestern University
Oscar De Buen Richkarday, Secretaria de Communicaciones y Transportes

Moderator: Nelda Bravo, Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Recorder: Joyce Koeneman, Association of American Railroads
Wednesday, August 1, 2001, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

BRINGING GLOBAL PORTABLE KNOWLEDGE TO DEVELOPMENT -
Anil Bhandari

Anil Bhandari , Roads Advisor with the Department of Transport and Urban Development of the World Bank spoke on the transport information activities of the World Bank.

The World Bank Group currently provides assistance through 180 project peer studies and over 20 billion dollars in transport loans to developing countries in each of its 6 regions. The regions and countries for current activities are:

• Africa.
  
• East Asia and the Pacific,
  
• Europe and Central Asia,
  
• Latin America and the Caribbean,
  
• Middle East & N. Africa
  
• South Asia.

The Mission and Objectives of the World Bank are:

• Improve the identification, design and implementation of donor-financed projects and programs.
  
• Facilitate the economic and social development of the World Bank's developing and transition member countries, and
  
• Generally promote sound transport policies worldwide.

As knowledge managers the job is to enable World Bank staff to accomplish these missions. The Bank uses a variety of techniques, technologies and resources to make relevant and valuable knowledge available to fulfill the Bank's mission. The role of the bank in knowledge management is very important.

Target audiences are consultants, government officials, donor agency staff, academics and commercial organizations, all players in accomplishing the mission of promoting sound policies.

Knowledge must be global, portable and it must be relevant. Knowledge must meet the needs of the sector specialists. It must be accessible and unrestricted. That is, speedy access and delivery are essential. The role of the Internet is crucial. The knowledge provided must be based on best practices. That is, recommendations based on global knowledge. This gives it power and credibility. Knowledge is only as good as it is useful.

Knowledge Resources Available Online at http://www.worldbank.org/transport .

• Technical knowledge
  
• Lessons from transport lending
  
• Databases
  
• Selected terms of reference
  
• Related transport websites
  
• Partnership information
  
• Information on training and events

The Transport Sector Helpdesk is available by telephone on the web, by phone or email (transport@worldbank.org) and will answer questions from all customers.

Electronic distribution lists facilitate technical exchanges between the World Bank staff and outside resource persons, and it acts as a virtual network for gathering tacit knowledge, sharing global information and a rapid response help desk. There is an internal electronic network that World Bank staff can access and an external network consisting of technical specialists outside the Bank.

Publications, also knowledge resources, take several forms. WB Working and Technical Papers, Topic Notes and View Points and the newsletter Infrastructure Notes, that provides practical experiences. While these are paper, many are available on CD and on the Internet. These and others are available from the InfoShop at pic@worldbank.org, from the Transport Help Desk and from World Bank repository libraries worldwide.

Summary. It is critical that information be GLOBAL, PORTABLE and RELEVANT. The World Bank has an extensive network of electronic resources, print and electronic libraries and people to keep the information they provide GLOBAL, PORTABLE AND RELEVANT. The key instruments are:

• Electronic media--including virtual discussions and networks
  
• Helpdesk
  
• World Wide Web
  
• Publications--paper and electronic.

And beyond these activities of the Bank, the Bank interacts with a variety of partnerships, both public and private.

A CALL TO ACTION - Roberto Sarmiento

Mr. Sarmiento called upon information professionals, managers and organizations to take a proactive role in improving information access. He was frank and outspoken.

Information professionals need to create and/or expand networks and communities and be innovative in providing access and exchanging information. They need to document and publish information about their work in order to contribute to colleagues through sharing experiences. They need to share resources, and to use the resources available to them through networking.

Asian information professionals especially need to develop new networks, as this is an area where there is a lack of a strong contact base in the transportation information community.

Information professionals should:

• Be well informed
  
• Think outside the box
  
• Proactively analyze, interpret and manage knowledge
  
• Challenge ourselves, our centers and our organizations to provide better and new services
  
• Deliver on our promises.

Managers need to reward talent making sure information professionals are well paid. They need to trust the skills of their information professionals and they need to provide for adequate training for them to keep up skills in this ever-changing environment. Managers also need to be mentors, provide vision and to champion the information function.

Organizations need to support new and existing information networking structures such as the Transportation Division of Special Libraries Association that provide continual interaction and support from information professionals in related and partner organizations.

After all this, if an information specialist is not performing after being provided training, nurture and support, managers should move on to someone else and strive for excellence.

Some knowledge management requirements that information centers can provide are:

• Creating repositories. (Databases, web portals, search engines, etc.)
  
• Improving access and transfer of knowledge.
  
• Creating a corporate culture for information sharing.
  
• Managing knowledge as an asset.

Knowledge management must come from the top down and it requires the leadership and skill of information professionals. Trust between management, staff and the information professional is also necessary and can only be created by working closely together.

THE ROLE OF PIARC IN GLOBAL ROAD INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER - Oscar de Buen Richkarday

Mr. Oscar de Buen Richkarday spoke on the role of the World Road Association (PIARC). Mr. De Buen Richkarday is Chair of the World Road Association (PIARC) C3 Technical Committee on Technological Changes and Development.

PIARC exists to exchange knowledge and techniques on roads and transportation. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest international association and it now has 97 member governments and 2000 members in 129 countries. As a world leader, PIARC provides:

• An international forum
  
• Best practices
  
• Supporting activities and practical knowledge to developing and transition countries
  
• Tools for decision-making

PIARC's Strategic Plan for 2000-2003 shows how PIARC has evolved from roads to the broader impact of transport on economics and society.

For PIARC, technology transfer is open and free sharing that provides a catalyst for accelerated economic, social and environmental development. PIARC promotes sharing by organizing technical committees, World Road Congresses, technical seminars and through publications such as the quarterly magazine "Routes/Roads".

Technology transfer tools include committees, funding, T2 centers, computer networking and software.

There are 20 technical committees in five strategic theme topics that cover technology, operations, liveabilty and sustainable development, management and appropriate levels of development.

The Special Fund supports country participation in the full range of activities.

The Seminar Programs, provided by the technical committees may be jointly sponsored by other organizations such as OECD, TRB and PIH. There are about 20 seminars in the works for the current 2000-2003 strategic plan.

There are currently three Technology Transfer Centers in Tanzania, India and Madagascar, and eight more countries have expressed interest in supporting a center. The Technology Transfer Centers provide:

• Reference library
  
• Internet access
  
• Web-site links
  
• Newsletter.

The World Interchange Network (WIN) is a free computer network that provides an opportunity for people with questions to locate people with answers. The impact of the Internet will have to be considered in the development of this system.

The Highway Development Management System (HDM4) is a powerful software tool for analyzing investment projects. This is a key tool for decision-makers.

In conclusion, the information revolution makes understanding knowledge and development more urgent than before. New communication technologies and lower computing costs are shrinking distances and eroding borders and time. PIARC is an extensive network of road and transportation professionals that uses these technologies and disseminates and shares road related knowledge, helping to place it at the center of development policies.

BIOGRAPHIES OF SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS

Roberto Aguerrebere-Salido - The Associate Director for Transport Integration at the Mexican Transport Institute (IMT), in charge of the coordination of research projects related to intermodal, maritime, air, rail, and highway freight transportation, involving issues such as costs, logistics, regional development, and policy. In addition, he oversees the functioning of the IMT's Information & Documentation Center and is responsible for the development of the OECD International Transportation Research Documentation ITRD- Center in Mexico.

He obtained his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the Autonomous National University of Mexico and his Master's degree in Regional and Urban Planning from the National School of Bridges and Roads (Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées) in Paris, France. He joined the IMT in 1990. He is a member of TRB's National Data Requirements Committee, and Education and Research Chair of The Council of Logistics Management Roundtable-Mexico City.

Konrad Bauer - Head of the Division of Administrative Services of the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt). He is a lawyer and for the last three years has been the chairman of the Operational Committee of the International Transport Research Database

Anil Bhandari is the Roads Advisor with the World Bank in the Department of Transport and Urban Development. Prior to this he has served as a Senior Transport Specialist in the Africa and East Asia Regions and more recently he was Operations Advisor stationed in New Delhi, India.

Before joining the World Bank, Anil Bhandari was Associate Dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Dar-es-salaam in Tanzania. He has a Masters degree in Civil Engineering from MIT and a PhD in Transportation Engineering from Purdue University.

Nelda Bravo is the director of the National Transportation Library in the U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics. She was formerly employed by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. From 1996-1997, she was the Chair of the Transportation Division of the Special Libraries Association.

Michael Burk is the Chief Knowledge Officer with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. Mike has the mission of bringing knowledge management principles, concepts and tools into agency-wide practice. He is part of the Corporate Management Service Business Unit, a small office organized to lead the agency in being a high performance, learning organization through the application of the Presidential Quality Award/Baldrige Criteria. Mr. Burk currently leads the Knowledge Management Work Group's Community of Practice Special Interest Group sponsored by the Chief Information Officers Council.

Mike has more than 25 years of experience with FHWA and has served in a wide range of headquarters' and field office capacities. Mike has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and he is a registered professional engineer in Virginia.

Oscar De Buen Richkarday is with the Secretaria de Communicaciones y Transportes. He is the Chair of PIARC Committee 3 on Technological Exchanges and Development.

Mavis R. Georgalis is with the Florida Department of Transportation.

Stephen Godwin - On the staff of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) for 19 years. For the last seven years he has served as director of TRB's Studies and Information Services Division. This division includes TRB's policy and studies group, as well as TRB's Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) group, which produces a bibliographic file of transportation research. Mr. Godwin earned an M.R.P. and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Beth Golding is with the Florida State Archives.

Sirpa Haapamaki is Head Librarian, for the Finnish Road Administration. She has held that position since 1988. Prior to her work at Finnra she was head librarian at a town library, and worked in library and information service for both a chemical company and an energy company. Her degrees are a Bachelor's degree in Library Sciences from the University of Tampere, Finland and a Master of Arts in Finnish language and literature from the University of Helsinki.

In addition to her work at Finnra, she has been active with the Transportation Division of the Special Libraries Association, a participant in international symposia and the initiator of library cooperation and joint meetings in the Nordic and Baltic areas.

Karin Haid started her career in the information profession in 1981 as a documentalist in the former ITRD centre Arsenal Research. She was head of the Arsenal Research documentation centre from 1987 to 1992 and has been head of the KfV Library and Documentation since 1993.

She has completed studies of librarianship, documentation and information sciences at the Austrian National Library and studied Anglistics and Americanistics as well as Communication Sciences at the University of Vienna. From 1990 to 1997 she was a lecturer in the Austrian training courses for students of librarianship, documentation and information sciences at the Austrian National Library.

Her special professional interests are in the standardization of terminology in the fields of information and documentation, and in applied terminology work. She is the Chair or Vice Chair of three committees of the Austrian Standards Institute and has been convener and Austrian delegate to ISO/TC46/SC3 "Terminology in Information and Documentation" since 1995.

Daniel Hargreaves is with the Quebec Ministry of Transport and is the French Speaking Secretary of the WIN Group.

Colin Howard - Librarian, Transport Research Laboratory Library. Colin has represented TRLL on the International Road Transport Database for 20 years.

Georgia Ludgate - M.L.I.S., is a consultant librarian at the Transportation Development Centre in Canada, where she is in charge of library services and operations. She has 12 years experience in the transportation field.

Andrew Pentecost is the Manager of the M G Lay Library at ARRB Transport Research Ltd in Melbourne, Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in French and a Master of Arts in Librarianship - both degrees are from Monash University in Melbourne. He has been a member of the Library team at ARRB Transport Research for almost ten years, and has been managing the Library for four years. He has been the operator of the Australasian Node of PIARC's World Interchange Network since 1995, and was a member of WIN's Board of Directors from its inception in 1995 until 1999. He has also been a Corresponding Member of PIARC's C3 Committee on Technological Exchanges and Development since 1998. He has been the Convenor of the ACCESS Melbourne group of construction and engineering libraries since 1999, and was one of the organisers of the 2001 meeting of the TRANZINFO group of transport librarians, which meets every year in a major city of Australia or New Zealand. Andrew is a strong believer in high?quality bibliographic databases and in face-to-face networking.

Barbara Peterson, whose background includes a degree in Chemistry and a M.L.S. from the University of Minnesota, has had a number of information positions of increasing responsibility during the twenty-six plus years she has been at 3M. Currently as Director of Library & Information Services, she provides leadership for 3M's network of libraries and information functions, which are responsible for enabling 3M to leverage knowledge to increase productivity and innovation. Her current responsibilities include the development of new, global information services, the use of state-of-the-art information technologies, and implementation of effective knowledge management strategies.

Barbara is a member of the Industrial Technical Information Managers Group (ITIMG) and Special Libraries Association, represents 3M on the American Chemical Society (ACS) Board Special Committee on Corporation Associates and chairs the ACS Committee for Chemical Abstract Services and the ACS Library Advisory Group. She is also a counselor of the Minnesota Section of the ACS and is a member of the Council Committee on Nominations and Elections. Previously she served on the ACS Committee for Publications and the Board of Directors of Engineering Information and she chaired the Copyright Clearance Center User Advisory Group.

Barbara Post - Holds a BS in Elementary Education and an MLS from Catholic University. She worked in public, academic, and special libraries before coming to TRB in the mid 1980s. At TRB she has held a variety of positions: assistant librarian, associate librarian, information specialist, librarian, and currently manager of information services. She is active in the Transportation Division of SLA and has served in a variety of capacities, including chair in 1997-1998.

Anne Pretet has been Head of INRETS Arcueil Library and Information Service since July 2000. Prior to that she was Senior Information Specialist at INRETS. She graduated from the French Paris X University (Human Sciences) with a master in English and American literature and civilization, and with a translator degree in economics (English/French). She also graduated from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers (The National Conservatory of Industrial Arts and Crafts) graduating with the title of Engineer specialized in Information Sciences and Documentation.

Prior to joining INRETS she worked for the French National Research Centre and was responsible for one project dedicated to electronic document management in the life sciences and a second project dealing with a researchers' competence database gathering the data of French research institutes. She also worked for the French Atomic Energy Commission in the area of presenting the activities of the Commission in French and English.

Chris Pringle is the Senior Publishing Editor for Elsevier Science Ltd. Chris is responsible for management of Elsevier's transportation publications. He has worked on this programme since 1990 and has been responsible for its strategic expansion and development since 1995, including creation of Elsevier's TransportConnect online service for the transportation research community. He has a B.A.(Hons) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford.

Birgitta Sandstedt has a B Sc (biology, chemistry, medicine) degree. She is the Chief Information Specialist and Head of the Library and Information Centre (BIC) at the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI). Since 1981 she has been employed at the VTI. Birgitta has worked with many different tasks dealing with information and knowledge management within the transport and communication research area.

Currently, Birgitta Sandstedt is the manager of a project aiming at collecting, structuring, storing and disseminating information and knowledge within the transport and communication research area. This includes the construction and management of the national vortal Transguide. She is the system manager of the library system (software and hardware), gives lectures on transport research knowledge/information management and is the head of the Library and Information Centre.

Birgitta has also been working with the ISO 9001 certification of the VTI and is manager of four processes (information retrieval, current awareness, loan, purchase). She has participated in the co-operation within the OECD (ITRD) and ECMT (Transdoc) since the beginning of the 80's. Birgitta is the vice-chairman and web master in the Swedish Society for Technical Documentation (TLS), Mid-Sweden.

Roberto Sarmiento holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois and a Bachelor of Arts in Geology from Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri.

Prior to becoming the Head of the Transportation Library at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, in 1998, Roberto worked for the Technical Information Center (TIC) of the Panama Canal Commission, an U.S. federal government agency in the Republic of Panama, first as the head of the reference department and later as the head of the TIC. Also while in Panama, he worked for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Library as their reference librarian. Roberto has also worked as an exploration geologist and translator and interpreter. He participated on the previous disseminating transportation information meeting held in Acapulco in 1999.

Lisa Sasson is an Associate Consultant with the Institute for Knowledge Management (IKM) in Cambridge, MA. She is currently researching the role of knowledge management in strategic alliances. This project's objective is to leverage knowledge management to better enable innovation through partnering.

Previous to her work on strategic alliances, Lisa was part of the "Knowledge Intermediaries" research team that studied ways in which leading firms use human intermediaries to connect people to the knowledge and expertise they require. Lisa has co-authored several articles on knowledge intermediation. She has also presented at a number of knowledge management conferences. Prior to joining the IKM, Lisa worked in Senator John Kerry's office and for the World Affairs Council of Boston. She holds a graduate degree in international relations and an undergraduate degree in anthropology from Boston University.

Floor ten Brink of the Netherlands received her education from the University of Amsterdam, where she read Library and Knowledge Management Sciences. She has worked at CROW, the Dutch information and technology centre for transport and infrastructure, for over 5 years as an information specialist and in the communications department. She is responsible for maintaining the library, liaison to the ITRD database, CROW's website, and for representing CROW at exhibitions. She also is responsible for the redaction and editing of external publications.

Helga Trantes - A senior documentalist with the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. The Federal Highway Research Institute is a technical and scientific institute responsible to the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing.

Ms. Trantes holds a degree in Librarianship and Documentation from the ISESE in Brussels, Belgium. She is in charge of international databases, especially the International Transport Research Documentation (ITRD), within the BASt section Public Relations, Scientific Information.

Maryanne Ward - Technical Publications/Library Manager at PACCAR. Ms. Ward has a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington and Master of Arts in Education from the University of Iowa. She spent several years working for publishers and also in public and academic libraries and education.

Maryanne joined PACCAR Inc in 1985. Responsibilities include knowledge management, library management, technical publications/intranet content management, and records management. Ms. Ward is the Chair of the Corporate Standards Expertise Group; a member of Special Libraries Association, Transportation, Engineering, and Management Divisions; and the former Secretary-Treasurer of SLA-TRN and a conference presenter. She is currently serving on NCHRP Project 20-48 Accessibility of Non-English Transportation Information.