Investigating the Practices and Needs of Civil and Environmental Engineering Scholars at Georgia Tech

Abstract

In 2017, librarians at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) joined with librarians at 10 other research institutions in a project to examine the research practices of academics in civil and environmental engineering. The project was led and coordinated by Ithaka S+R, a non-profit organization that provides research and strategic guidance to help libraries navigate economic and technological change. The research was sponsored by the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers). The project research consisted of interviewing 11 members of the research faculty in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and subsequent analysis and reporting based on findings. The specific researcher practices examined included such informational behaviors as: scholarly collaboration, information seeking, research data management, and scholarly communication and dissemination. The purpose of examining these practices was to find areas of opportunity where library services and resources can support the civil and environmental engineering researchers.