Library needs no quiet

Here’s a bit of news that didn’t make it into the April print issue.

George Mason University’s Center for Transportation Public-Private Partnership Policy has launched an online library of research and resources on public-private partnerships (P3s).

The library will be developed in three stages:

• A database of known resource documents, many of which are available online;
• An online “reading room” with links to most documents in the library, for immediate download and review; and
• A searchable database, or knowledge management system, through which topics can be cross-referenced and like subjects explored.

Currently populated with more than 250 documents, the collection will grow from additions of existing resources and from scholarly work completed in the U.S. and abroad.

“The center was designed as a go-to resource for graduate and executive education, case study development and new research supporting objective evaluation of public-private partnerships as a transportation infrastructure funding and management mechanism,” said center director Jonathan Gifford.

“Sound policy in this dynamic field will depend upon our ability to capture and disseminate knowledge gained through rapidly expanding experience and research,” he added. “The center’s online P3 library will serve as a valuable repository, easily accessible by anyone with an interest in P3s, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”