Standards, UM Libraries



Engineering and Physical Sciences Library > Guides > Standards
Last revised: August 2008 Standards Scope This guide assists users in selecting print and electronic resources that can be used to identify and locate standards. For further assistance email Jim Miller at jmiller2(@umd.edu) or call 301-405-9152. EPSL Information Hours For assistance, visit or contact the library during Information Desk Hours. For an in depth consultation, contact Jim Miller (jmiller2@umd.edu) to set up an appointment. Location Printing and Photocopying Interlibrary loan (ILL) Unfortunately, interlibrary loan is generally not an option because most libraries do not circulate their standards. If you can not find the standard you need at the University of Maryland, you may want to try another library in the area. The most extensive collection of standards can be found in the standards library at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) http://www.nist.gov/ Standards Information Program 820 West Diamond Ave. Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1070 Telephone: 301-975-4040 E-mail: library@nist.gov Directions Visitors to NIST must call ahead to: Make sure the library has a copy of the standard Schedule an appointment for a visit Table of Contents What Is a Standard? UM Resources Indexes and Directories Organization Specific Resources Periodicals Locating Standards Online Full-Text on the Web Databases Purchasing Standards What is a Standard? Definition According to the National Standards Policy Advisory Committee a standard is: "A prescribed set of rules, conditions, or requirements concerning definitions of terms; classification of components; specification of materials, performance, or operations; delineation of procedures; or measurement of quantity and quality in describing materials, products, systems, services, or practices."[1] Who uses standards? Standards are used by producers and consumers of goods and services. Engineers generally need to consult the appropriate standards when creating new products, processes, or designs. Why are standards necessary? They specify how an item should be made by providing exact measurements and specifications about materials and processes. Standards are responsible for ensuring safety, reliability, quality, interchangeability of parts, and consistency of products and processes within and across national borders. Standards ensure that any brand of light bulb can fit a lamp or any brand appliance can be plugged into an electrical socket. Who issues standards? Standards are formulated by standard developing organizations (SDOs), which can be a government agency, trade association, professional society, international or regional organization, or a private company. [List of Acronyms of Standard Developing Organizations (PDF file)] [Index of Standard Developing Organizations] What does a standard reference look like? References to standards usually look like one of the following. Notice that all references generally contain the name of the issuing body and the standard number. [2] return to top University of Maryland Resources EPSL has an incomplete collection of ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards and a complete collection of ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards. ANSI (American National Standards Institute) LOCATION: EPSL Reference CALL NUMBER: TA368.A4 ASTM (American Society for Testing Materials) LOCATION: EPSL Reference CALL NUMBER: TA401.A653 While individual standards are not cataloged in the library's online catalog, the titles and abstracts of most standards can be easily found by searching the website of the standard developing organization (i.e. ASTM, ASCE, SAE) or a standards supplier (such as Tech Street). The library also has a variety of print resources (listed below) that can help you locate standards. Indexes and Directories Directory of international and regional organizations conducting standards-related activities LOCATION: EPSL Reference CALL NUMBER: TA368 .D57 1989 Index and directory of industry standards LOCATION: EPSL Reference CALL NUMBER: T59.2.U6 I5 1996 Standards activities of organizations in the United States LOCATION: McKeldin Library Government Documents Microfiche CALL NUMBER: C 13.10:806/996 Standards and specifications information sources; a guide to literature and to public and private agencies concerned with technological uniformities LOCATION: McKeldin Library Stacks CALL NUMBER: Z7914. A22 S87 Standards: A resource guide for identification, selection and acquisition LOCATION: McKeldin Library Stacks CALL NUMBER: T59 .R35 1990 return to top Organization Specific Resources ACI (American Concrete Institute) manual of concrete practice LOCATION: EPSL Periodical Stacks CALL NUMBER: TA439.A358 Annual book of ASTM (American Society for Testing & Materials)standards LOCATION: EPSL Stacks CALL NUMBER: TA401 .A653 ASAE (American Society of Agricultural Engineers) standards LOCATION: EPSL Stacks CALL NUMBER: S671 .A322 National Institute of Standards and Technology standard reference materials catalog LOCATION: EPSL Reference CALL NUMBER: TA404.5 .U561 NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Handbook LOCATION: McKeldin Library Government Documents SU Docs CALL NUMBER: C 13.11: LOCATION: EPSL Stacks CALL NUMBER: QC100 .U566 SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) handbook LOCATION: EPSL Stacks CALL NUMBER: TL151 .S62 Standard for use of the International System of Units (SI) LOCATION: EPSL Reference CALL NUMBER: QC91 .S82 1997 U.S. department of defense: index of specifications and standards LOCATION: McKeldin Library Government Documents SU Docs CALL NUMBER: D 1.76: return to top Periodicals Information standards quarterly : a publication of the National Information Standards Organization. LOCATION: McKeldin Library Periodical Stacks; EPSL Current Periodicals CALL NUMBER: Z678.85 .I54 Journal of research of the National Institute for Standards and Technology LOCATION: McKeldin Library Government Documents SU Docs; Also available online CALL NUMBER: C 13.22: Standardization News LOCATION: EPSL Periodical Stacks CALL NUMBER: A368. A517 return to top Locating Standards Online Free and Full-Text Standards on the Web Although few in number, some standards are available on the internet. Click here (pdf file) for a list of web resources with free and full-text standards. return to top Databases The following are UM subscription databases with full-text standards. These databases are accessible through Research Port. ASCE Database (American Society of Civil Engineers) Database of ASCE publications, including technical reports and standards. For the Document Type Field on the search screen, select "books - standards". IEEE Xplore (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Searchable database of IEEE standards and publications. return to top Purchasing Standards If all else fails, your final option would be to purchase the standard online. You can purchase standards directly from an SDO (Index of SDOs) or through an online vendor. The following is a list of online vendors: American National Standards Institute (ANSI) http://www.ansi.org Document Center http://www.document-center.com Document Engineering Co., Inc. (DECO) http://www.doceng.com/home.php IHS/Global Engineering Documents http://global.ihs.com Linda Hall Library Document Delivery Service http://www.lindahall.org/collections/engineering/specs.shtml National Standards System Network (NSSN) http://www.nssn.org Normas http://www.normas.com Tech Street http://www.techstreet.com World Standard Services Network (WSSN) http://www.wssn.net return to top [1]National Policy on Standards for the United States and a Recommended Implementation Plan. National Standards Policy Advisory Committee, Washington, D.C., December, 1978, p.6. [2]Library Guide, No. 1.5 Finding References in the Library http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/libguides/1-5/index.html (Copyright © University of Waterloo)


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