Library Services

The Harmer E. Davis Transportation Library houses one of the pre-eminent transportation collections in the United States. Established in 1948, it is the country's oldest university transportation library. The Library serves the research needs of the Institute of Transportation Studies and the University of California system. With joint sponsorship by the California Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, the Library provides free, specialized services to California public agencies through the Technology Transfer Program. The library staff provides Public Services, including reference, circulation and interlibrary loan, and Technical Services, including cataloging, indexing and acquisitions.

Library materials circulate free of charge to members of the Institute's Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, and Los Angeles branches, to UC Berkeley affiliates and to employees of California public transportation agencies. Corporate members of the Institute's ITS Affiliates Program also have access to Library materials as do members of the general public who have purchased an Affiliate Membership from the Library. More information regarding library circulation policy can be found on the circulation policy page.

For a low annual fee of $300, corporations can use the Library collections and borrow material in-house.

The Library Affiliates card is valid for 12 months from issue date and gives authorized staff in-person loan privileges for the ITS Library. Books and technical reports circulate to cardholders for one month; journals and magazines for one week. While most all material is available for loan, some items are restricted.

Library Affiliates receive a discounted rate for Interlibrary Loan requests. All loans are $15 per item and photocopies of up to 50 pages are $15 per request. Rush service is an additional $10.

Library staff will provide instruction and assistance in using resources such as the catalog and transportation databases. We will also help you locating material in the stacks.

ITS Library Affiliates will receive regular announcements of Library and Institute-sponsored events and acknowledgement on the Library's website.

To receive your corporate library card, fill out our application and return it with a check for $300 payable to "UC Regents" to the Library. By return mail you will receive confirmation of your borrowing privileges.

If you have any questions, please call us, 510-642-3604, or e-mail us at itslib@berkeley.edu.

The ITS Library provides interlibrary loans and photocopies. Requests for loans of material must be made through a local library, such as an academic, special, corporate, or public library. Requests for photocopies may be made directly to the ITS library.

Interlibrary Loan Order Options:

• OCLC, Code CBT
• Fax: 510-642-9180
• Email: itslib@berkeley.edu
• Mail: ITS Library, 412 McLaughlin Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1720

Interlibrary Loan Charges:

California

Public libraries, UC, CSU and community college system libraries
• Loans - Free
• Photocopies - Free, up to 50 pages
  
  

Public transportation agencies, including federal agencies located in-state*
• Loans - Free
• Photocopies - Free, up to 50 pages
  
  

ITS students at UC Davis, UC Irvine and UCLA should contact Outreach Librarian John Gallwey directly
• Loans - Free
• Photocopies - Free
  
  

UCB ITS alumni
• Loans - $15 per item
• Photocopies - $15 per item, up to 50 pages
• Rush handling - $10 per item
  
  

Private sector, including private colleges and universities
• Loans - $30 per item
• Photocopies - $25 per item, up to 50 pages
• Rush handling - $25 per item
  
  
  

Outside California (US and International)

• Loans - $30 per item
• Photocopies - $25 per item, up to 50 pages
• Rush handling - $25 per item
  
  

Reference service is individualized help in finding a specific piece of information, or locating specific items or materials on a topic. The ITS Library provides reference and research assistance for ITS and UCB students, faculty and staff and public agencies involved in transportation. Additionally, members of the ITS Affiliates Program are entitled to up to 4 hours of reference assistance by a professional librarian per month.

Limited service is available to other students and the general public. The library does not provide assistance with requests related to litigation or traffic violations. As a U.S. government depository library, the library's collection of U.S. government documents is available to all users.

For reference assistance, visit the ITS Library at 412 McLaughlin Hall, call 510-642-3604, or Ask a Transportation Question.

Service is available from 1:00-5:00, Monday through Friday, and by appointment. If you're doing a group project in transportation, your group is encouraged to meet together with the reference librarian.

Instruction in using the Melvyl catalog, which contains records for all material in the ITS Library, is generally available on a drop-in basis. The librarian can also help you get the most from your Melvyl search by formulating effective search strategies and identifying relevant subject headings.

Depending on the nature of your information needs, you may be referred to specialized databases and indexes including TRIS/Transport, a bibliographic database, and PATH, the index to information in intelligent transportation systems. Instruction and assistance in using these and other databases will be provided.

If resources outside the ITS Library are needed, the librarian can suggest other libraries, such as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's collection, for further research, or you may be directed to UCB's Interlibrary Borrowing Service.

The library will be closed Tuesday, January 15 and Wednesday, January 16.

Spring Semester Hours (January 9 - May 18):

• 9am-5pm M-F for UC students, faculty, staff, and Corporate Sponsors
• 1pm-5pm M-F for all other students and general public
• Saturday hours for UC students are often available by appointment. Call John Gallwey at 510-642-4973 to make arrangements.

You can meet the staff on the staff page.