About the Library

The Montana Department of Transportation's (MDT) Library functions within the Department’s Research Section to capture and make accessible transportation-related information, especially that which relates to the needs of MDT staff. MDT employs a professional librarian to curate its collection and to assist employees with various library needs. The library’s collection contains nearly 30,000 titles in various formats, including:

  • All of MDT’s final research reports.
  • A comprehensive collection of publications from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
  • Reports from state, national, and international transportation organizations.
  • Engineering standards and specifications manuals.
  • Professional development and PE study materials for employees.
  • Works on the history of transportation locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Catalog

Search our library catalog to find resources in our collection. Many of our collection’s resources are freely available online and can be directly accessed through the catalog.

Search the Catalog

Circulation Policy

You must be a registered patron to check out print or audiovisual materials. MDT Staff are automatically registered for library cards upon hire. Members of the public can register for a library card using the Library Patron Registration Form. Physical materials can be mailed to MDT employees who do not work in Helena.

Library Resource Guide

The MDT library resource guide highlights various library and research-related resources in our own collection and beyond. Explore the guide to learn more about:

  • Transportation journals and research databases.
  • Historical resources in the library’s collection.
  • Recent research on different transportation topics.
  • New library acquisitions.

Technology Transfer

The U.S. Department of Transportation defines technology transfer as “the process by which the transportation community receives and applies the results of research” to ensure that transportation research “reaches practitioners and does not languish unused.” Technology transfer encompasses all practices that lead to the sharing and implementation of research findings to facilitate change and promote a better way of doing something.

The MDT library assists with technology transfer through activities such as:

  • Collection development and organization, to ensure research is discoverable and accessible to users.
  • Literature searches and literature reviews, to find existing or ongoing research which may be transferable to new contexts and meet specific user’s needs.
  • The curation of subject-specific resource guides, to promote the reception of significant research findings.
  • Digitization and data management, to ensure research results are preserved and made easily available to practitioners.
  • Outreach activities—including blogs, research feeds, and news alerts—to disseminate new publications and to communicate new research findings.

If you are having trouble finding what you need, contact us at MDT Library.