International transportation literature: an analysis of citation patterns, availability and research implications to the transportation community

Attention to infrastructure issues has increased in recent years. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA)and its reauthorization in the Transportation Efficiency Act of 1998 (TEA 21 ) have focused stronger attention on the need to encourage innovation, identify and facilitate partnerships, identify core research and provide assessment criteria. This has resulted in increased awareness that information is key to accomplishing these goals. The importance of international materials is now seen as critical to efficient utilization of knowledge. Reports a survey of 12 European transportation centers in nine countries during 1998. Information was gathered on local characteristics of researchers, areas of research specialization, formats and languages of resources used/borrowed by the researchers, local publications and their dissemination patterns, the utilization of US materials, and the role of the World Wide Web by the librarians, researchers and other staff at the transportation facility.