LANGSTON UNIVERSITY ADDRESSING THE NEED FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES IN HOUSING THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH LIBRARY (FHWA-OK-08-06 210)

Abstract

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Training Center utilizes Material’s Division personnel from time to time to evaluate asphalt and aggregates lab work for building bituminous pavements. These personnel are needed for more critical engineering and management duties. The Principal Investigator (P.I.) completed aggregate and asphalt certification training held at the ODOT Materials Division laboratory. Procedures trained for were the sampling of aggregates, reducing samples of aggregates to testing size, etc. Other tests performed were sampling bituminous paving mixtures, reducing samples of hot-mix asphalt to testing size, etc. Langston University (LU) provides technical assistance by organizing ODOT-OTC Research Day. This task included contacting speakers that have contractual research project obligations with ODOT and OTC arranging the speakers in a logical manner according to various transportation categories, inviting guest from the concrete and asphalt associations, provided agendas, arranged for food and organized poster displays’. Langston secured the technical support personnel which included operating the power point computer, photographing the event and video-taping speakers. A list of research ideas submitted during the brainstorming session was developed. There was a poster display. The librarian and librarian assistant have been putting all available Compact Discs (CD) and research booklets into Paradox 10 database system at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation library. Personnel will facilitated and maintained access to recent and frequently requested materials, publications, CDs and other information. LU’s undergraduate science department and the graduate program in education provided an avenue of support personnel for the library.