TRANLIB-L, originated as the SLA Transportation Division discussion list, is a discussion forum for transportation librarians and information professionals to exchange information related to transportation.
It is currently hosted at the University of Michigan. Only list subscribers are able to post to the list.
Cooperation and a collegial atmosphere have long been hallmarks of the transportation library community, and the following guidelines are intended to ensure that spirit carries over to the discussion list.
Subscription instructions
To subscribe or unsubscribe to TRANLIB-L, you may send a message to bsweet@umich.edu with “Subscribe TRANLIB-L” OR “Unsubscribe TRANLIB-L” in the subject field.
General list behavior
This list is for professional purposes. Please show respect and professional courtesy to your colleagues. If you have suggestions or feedback for someone who posted to the list, please send it privately, not to the entire list. We want everyone on the list to feel comfortable sending requests and contributing to discussions.
Scope of the list
TRANLIB-L is intended for messages of professional interest to transportation librarians and information professionals and is not limited to SLA Members.
Requests for assistance
When making requests for assistance, please check the readily available sources (WorldCat, TLCat, TRID, ROSA P, major bibliographic databases, and the Web) first, and also mention the sources you’ve checked in your e-mail.
We all enjoy a little mystery in our lives, but subject headings such as “ILL Request,” “Help!” “References,” “Looking for Document” and “Need Assistance” are unnecessarily obtuse. Be brief, but be descriptive. For example, “Need 1972 ITE Proceedings.”
Finally, requesters are expected to comply with all applicable copyright laws.
Replies
We all have overflowing in-boxes, so when replying to a message, ask yourself, “Do I want to reply to the entire list, or just the sender?” Very often it’s only the sender – don’t inundate everyone if only one person needs to see your reply. The default reply mechanism for the listserv is to reply to the list, so double-check the address before you hit “Send.”
OOPS! – If you slip, don’t compound the error by sending everyone an apology – we know what you did, and dealing with the second message is just twice as annoying.
If you are using a reply to one e-mail to start a new discussion on a different topic, please change the subject line to match the new topic.
List Help
Please contact Bob Sweet at bsweet@umich.edu.
Giveaways/Duplicates
If you are posting items you want to give away, put a line near the top of the message, “Reply to me directly off-list” followed by your e-mail address so responders don’t have to look for it. While it may make sense to let everyone know when the freebies have all been given away, we don’t need to see who’s asking for what.
Concerns
Please contact a member of the Transportation Division Board with concerns regarding these guidelines.