Capstone Opportunities

Thank you for considering our library for your Capstone project. If interested, please submit your résumé and description of your idea to both the Library Manager and Library Technical Associate. We are open to modifications of the below project ideas and new project proposals.

Digital projects

1. Purpose: Create a metadata crosswalk between our library’a Presto-generated XML or Inmagic DB/Text Tagged Format or XML to one or more of the following schemas in order to prepare us for a linked data environment and/or moving to a new digital repository or content management platform:
   • Texas State Library and Archive (TSLAC) TRAIL service format for state agency depository program
   • Dublin Core or Qualified Dublin Core
   • MARC
   • Possible deliverable(s): A mapping document, a metadata crosswalk, and/or recommendations for cleaning current metadata to
2. Purpose: Investigate Linked Data opportunities with related agencies and make recommendations for implementing a linked data project.
   • //www.data.gov/semantic/
   • //id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79066431.html
3. Purpose: Create data visualizations showing use of the library’s website resources over time or for a geographic area.
   • See an example dashboard created by a previous library GRA.
4. Purpose: Data mine TxDOT research projects and OPAC navigation/download logs to find patterns that can be used for ontology.
   Possible deliverable(s): a new taxonomy for TxDOT research or a visualization of TxDOT’s most-researched topics and most-downloaded research deliverables.
   • See Das, 2019: //twitter.com/subasish_das/status/1153820793245065217?s=20
   • See Sun & Yin, 2017a, 2017b: //doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2017.01.013 and //doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.04.011

Website design and UI/UX projects

1. Purpose: Create an electronic version of the library’s Stacks Guide. The product needs to be easily updated for future collection shifting, accessibility meeting Section 508 standards, and responsive.
   Possible deliverable(s): A digital base graphic for the stacks, graphics highlighting the location of specific collections in the stacks, an interactive stacks guide web page, and/or an app for locating items in the stacks.
2. Purpose: Conduct a usability study for the library’s OPAC as a comparison with a 2011 Capstone usability study.
   Possible deliverable(s): Results and recommendations report.

Reference projects

1. Purpose: Community Asset Mapping. Identify Texas institutions, associations, research centers, etc. that would benefit from could contribute to our library’s unique collection and services. This mapping could be used to target surveys, PR, and hot topics.
   Possible deliverable(s): Community Asset Map, list, or web page of Texas transportation information resources and stakeholders in Texas. (MPOs, COGs, committees, associations, etc.).
2. Purpose: Create a modern newsletter showcasing library resources, and services, new research results, and research tips.
   Possible Deliverable(s): Newsletter template, instructions for importing content from Inmagic’s DB/TextWorks or Lucidea’s Presto products, and/or content recommendations.
3. Purpose: Instructional videos to show patrons how to use different features of our OPAC such as automated alerts, saved searches, and advanced searches such as keyword proximity searching (Word1 within 3 words of Word2).

Digitization projects

1. Purpose: Digitize & create online display of slideshows (multiple trays of slides) from archived TxDOT research projects. Recommendations for online display.
2. Purpose: Digitize, or create a recommended workflow to digitize, a collection of internal state agency videotapes (VHS) containing conference presentations. Process would need to consider evaluation of the VHS tapes to prioritize digitization, guidelines for identifying the core bibliographic metadata for cataloging, recommended digitization equipment and software, platforms for video playback, recommendations for ensuring proper closed captioning and other digital accessibility considerations.
3. Purpose: Improving Section 508 accessibility of digitized reports. Conduct an analysis by random sampling of the library’s digitized assets to determine steps needed to retroactively bring PDFs up to current accessibility standards (WCAG 2.0) and estimate work hours needed to accomplish task. We have approximately 2,500 digitized documents hosted on our website.

Misc.

1. Purpose: Create instructional videos for our OPAC to post on our website via YouTube or videos of recurring staff tasks to include in our internal staff Wiki.