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Standards are used by producers of goods and
services. They specify how an item should be made by providing exact
measurements and specifications about the materials. One example of a
standardized product is the light bulb. No matter what brand you purchase,
the screw threads of the light bulb will probably fit your lamp. Standards
ensure that there is consistency and uniformity in items being produced. The
Iowa State University Library owns numerous standards. They can be found in
many forms, including major sets (e.g. the ANSI and ASTM standards),
individually, within industry handbooks or manuals, and within journals.
Below are some general strategies for locating standards.
Finding Standards at the ISU Library
The bulk of the ISU Library-owned standards are located in the Standards
Center, Room 161 Library, Parks Library. If you need assistance locating
standards, or the Standards Center, please ask at the Reference Desk.
The citation to a standard typically has at least two parts, a number and a
title. It may include more information, such as a date of revision or the
number of pages. The alphabetic section of the standard number is often an
acronym for the issuing body. For example, the following standard was issued
by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) in 1990: ASTM
F1299-90, "Standard Specification for Food Service Equipment Hoods for
Cooking Appliances."
If you have a specific number:
If the number is an ANSI number, e.g. ANSI B154.1-1995, first check
the
ANSI Standards Search--ISU Holdings page in the e-Library. If you have a
standard number that is not found by this search, check the "Major Catalogs
and Indexes" listed below to see if the standard was published individually
or as part of a book or serial; then look for the individual standard title,
the book, or the serial in the ISU Library Catalog.
If you want to find the standards of a specific
organization:
Be aware that the organization’s name may appear in the ISU Library Catalog
in one of three ways--as the full name (e.g. American Concrete Institute),
as the acronym (e.g. ACI) or as the acronym with punctuation (e.g. A.C.I.).
Some organizations also have published hundreds of other types of
publications, so you may need to do a keyword search combining a form of the
organization’s name with the term "standards." Some other terms to try if
the "standards" search does not work are "code," "specifications,"
"standardization," "manual," "handbook" and "standard methods."
If you have the title of a specific standard:
Search one of the "Major Catalogs and Indexes" listed below for a book or
serial containing the standard title needed, then check the ISU Library
Catalog for that book or serial. Few individual standards are listed under
their own titles in the ISU Library Catalog. If the standard you need is an
ANSI standard, look up the ANSI number as described above.
If you need a standard on a very specific topic:
Search one of the "Major Catalogs and Indexes" listed below by subject,
looking for a standard title that corresponds to that specific topic. You
may have to start your search under a broader subject category or try
keyword variations.
If you need a standard on a general topic from a specific
organization:
Find an index for the standards of that organization (may be one listed
below, part of the organization's Web page, or a printed index for the
organization's standards) and check the table of contents, subject index or
keyword index for your topic.
Major Catalogs & Indexes
Global Engineering Documents
(IHS Engineering)
Global Engineering Documents allows online ordering of standards. The site
provides standard number and title keyword searching for citations to over
235,000 technical standards from more than 460 standards developing
organizations.
NSSN: A
National Resource for Global Standards
(American National Standards Institute)
NSSN contains over 250,000 references to standards from more than 600
developers worldwide. It can be searched by title keyword, other
keyword, document number, or organization acronym. Keyword searches may
give results from multiple sources including standards that are feely
available on the Web. The "Developers" section of the site includes an
extensive list of standards developing organizations.
Selected Standards
ANSI Standards (American
National Standards Institute)
ANSI standards are located in the Standards Center, Room 161 Library of
Parks Library. These standards cannot be checked out of the library. The
library’s ANSI standards collection dates from the 1970s. However, this
collection is not complete and the library does not own all superseded
editions of ANSI standards. When ANSI adopts an existing standard, it
retains the original standard number of the issuing agency and assigns an
"ANSI" prefix. For example, the standard UL68 developed by Underwriters
Laboratories (UL), when adopted by the American National Standards
Institute, would be identified as ANSI/UL68. A comprehensive list of ANSI
standards held by the ISU Library is found on the
ANSI Standards Search -- ISU Holdings.
AASHTO Standards (American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials)
Some of the major AASHTO publications which include standards are
Standard Specifications for Transportation Materials and Methods of Sampling
and Testing (Reference TE200 Am351x), Standard Specifications for
Highway Bridges (Reference TG310 A6), and Guide Specifications for
Highway Construction (General Collection TE180 G85x). Other AASHTO
standards can be identified with the "Major Catalogs and Indexes" or through
the AASHTO online bookstore at
http://www.aashto.org
ACI Standards (American
Concrete Institute)
The ACI Manual of Concrete Practice (TA439 A45 Standards Center, Room
161 Library ) is one of the most frequently used publications of the
American Concrete Institute. The standards and recommended practices
included here also appear in the ACI Materials Journal and the
ACI Structural Journal. ACI publications are generally
well-indexed in the major standards catalogs, and recent publications can be
found at
http://www.aci-int.org
ASAE or ASABE Standards
(American Society of Agricultural Engineers;
now called American Society of
Agricultural and Biological Engineers)
Standards of the ASAE up to 2002 are available in the General Collection
(S671 .Ag847), with newer editions available online through the
ASABE Technical Library.
ASHRAE Standards(American Society
of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers)
Many ASHRAE standards are adopted by the American National Standards
Institute, and can be found in ISU’s ANSI standards collection. Each of the
four volumes of the ASHRAE Handbook (Reference and Design Reference
TH7222 .Am351x), which itself includes no standards, contains a subject
index to standards published by various groups, including ASHRAE, that focus
on heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration. ASHRAE standards can be
searched in the bookstore on the society's website.
ASME Standards (American Society of Mechanical
Engineers)
The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (TJ281 .A45
Standards Center, Room 161 Library), no longer received on a current
subscription, is still the largest set of ASME standards owned by the ISU
Library. The library also owns individual ASME standards adopted by the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI). These can be found in ISU’s
ANSI standards collection. A searchable index of ASME standards is available
at the society’s website.
ASTM Standards (American Society for Testing
and Materials)
The ASTM standards are located in a single set called The
Annual Book of ASTM Standards (Reference Tables TA405 .Am35a). The
first
volume of the set, volume 00.01, is a subject and numerical index to the
entire set. The ISU Library currently receives every other edition of this
annually published standards set. Older ASTM standards are available in the
General Collection. A searchable index of ASTM standards is also available
in the "ASTM Store" section of the society’s website.
Building Codes - see ICC (International
Code Council)
Federal Government Standards
The General Services Administration is charged with the responsibility for
preparing standards, often called government specifications, government
specs, or government standards, for common items used by U. S.
Government agencies. The standards volumes Federal Specifications - US
Federal Supply Service (T53 .Un3f) and Federal Test Method Standard
(T53 .Unf3ft) are housed at the ISU Library in the Standards Center, Room
161 Library. Some of these standards can also be located online through the
DoD web page at
http://assist.daps.dla.mil/quicksearch/
or the Index of Federal Specifications and Standards at
http://apps.fss.gsa.gov/pub/fedspecs/index.cfm
Federal Regulations
Many standards are incorporated into the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) (Reference KF70 .A33). The Code of Federal
Regulations
is indexed by the CFR Index and Finding Aids (Reference KF70
.A33) and the Index to the Code of Federal Regulations (Reference
KF70 .A34 I46). The CFR is kept up to date between revisions by
individual issues of the Federal Register (Reference KF70 .A2). These
two publications must be used together to ascertain the latest date of any
given regulation. Federal regulations are available through the World Wide
Web at the following address:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html
ICC (International Code Council) The ISU
Library maintains current subscriptions to a number of building codes from
the International Code Council (ICC) formed in 1994 by the consolidation of
three earlier standards developing organizations (BOCA, ICBO, SBCCI). These
codes include the International Building Code
(Reference or Design TH223 .I57x), the International Mechanical
Code (Reference TH6010 .I58x), the International Plumbing Code
(Reference K3542 .I58), and the International Energy
Conservation Code (latest ed. Design Reference, next-to-latest ed.
Parks Reference K2538 .I5835). There are also building codes and standards
not held by the ISU Library, many of which are indexed in the "Major Indexes
and Catalogs" listed above.
IEEE Standards (Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers) Many of the IEEE standards, though not all, have been
adopted by the American National Standards Institute, e.g., the National
Electrical Safety Code, ANSI C2. ANSI/IEEE standards and other IEEE
standards can also be identified and accessed in full text through the
IEEE/IEE Electronic Library (IEL), available to ISU faculty, staff and
students through the ISU Library web site.
ISO and IEC Standards (International
Organization for Standardization and International Electrotechnical
Commission) The ISO was formed in 1947 as a non-governmental federation of
standardization bodies, and includes the national standards institutes of
nearly 150 countries. The United States is represented by the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI). The ISO publishes international
standards and technical reports on all subjects except those involved with
electrical and electrotechnical industries. The best known ISO standards are
the 9000 series, for quality management and quality assurance, and the 14000
series, for environmental management systems and environmental auditing. The
ISU Library has a number of books on implementing ISO 9000 and ISO 14000
series standards, which can be found with a keyword search for "ISO 9000" or
"ISO 14000" in the
Library Catalog.
Other International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards owned
by Parks Library can be found in the ANSI standards collection under the
heading "ANSI/ISO". The ISU Library owns the ISO Catalogue (Reference
T59 .A11 I5), which is an index to all ISO standards. The ISO Catalogue
is also part of the ISO Web site at
http://www.iso.ch/. The library also has reprints of ISO standards as
part of a series called ISO Standards Handbook. Use the "Series Title"
search in the library catalog to find information-specific volumes in the
series. With few exceptions, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
standards are generally not held in the ISU Library. The IEC standards that
are owned are filed with the ANSI standards collection under the heading
"ANSI/ISO/IEC." The IEC is affiliated with the ISO as its electrical
division, but retains financial and technical autonomy. The IEC issues
recommendations which are intended to serve as the basis for national
standards. Most IEC standards are not listed in the ISO Catalogue,
but the IEC Webstore lists them all at
http://www.iec.ch/.
Military Standards
Military procurement specifications and standards are generally not
available at the ISU Library. However, they can be acquired for a nominal
fee from the Department of Defense Single Stock Point: DODSSP, Building
4/Section D, 700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111 (215-697-2179). The
library does have a printed index to all specifications and standards
adopted by the Department of Defense called the Index of Specifications
and Standards--Department of Defense, or DODISS (UC263 Un295i, Standards
Center, Room 161 Library). Part I is a numerical Listing; Part II is an
alphabetical listing; Part III consists of the Federal Supply
Classification Listing, and Part IV consists of a listing of canceled
standards. An electronic index to more than 100,000 specifications and
standards, many linked in full text for free, is available at:
http://assist.daps.dla.mil/quicksearch/. MilSpecs are official
Department of Defense and DoD-Adopted Federal agency design and performance
standardization documents contained in the DoD
Index of Specifications and Standards (DODISS).
National Aerospace Standards (Aerospace
Industries Association) Developed and updated by the National Aerospace
Standards Committee of the AIA, the National Aerospace Standards (TL671.1
N36x 1900z) and Metric National Aerospace Standards (TL521 N37x 1978)
include many standards on precision fasteners as well as other aerospace
hardware. Also searchable online at:
http://www.techstreet.com/aiagate.html
National Electrical Code see National Fire
Codes.
National Fire Codes
This compilation of National Fire Protection Association codes, standards,
recommended practice and guides (TH9115 .N213n, Standards Center Room 161
Library) is published annually in multiple volumes, which include an index
volume. The National Electrical Code, also known as NFPA 70 or
ANSI/NFPA 70 is included in this set.
NISO Standards
NISO "identifies, develops, maintains, and publishes technical standards
to manage information in our changing and ever more digital environment."
NISO standards such as Z39.50 are available as ANSI standards and are also
in free full text online format at:
NIST Standards - National Institute of Standards
and Technology, formerly the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) The Library
has several dozen NIST and NSB serials titles listed in the ISU Library
Catalog. The NIST Standards and Technical Regulations home page can be found
at:
http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/ssd.htm
The site contains some full text standards (organized under various
"programs").
OSHA Standards (Occupational Safety and Health
Administration) These safety and health standards are located in Title 29,
Part 1910 of the Code of Federal Regulations (Reference Tables KF70
A3), which includes a comprehensive subject index. An electronic version of
the standards with a searchable index is available at:
http://www.osha.gov/comp-links.html
SAE Standards (Society of Automotive Engineers)
SAE groups its standards into three sections: Ground Vehicle Standards,
Aerospace Standards, and Aerospace Material Specifications. Full text of SAE
Ground Vehicle Standards, Recommended Practices, and Information Reports can
be found in the SAE Handbook (on CDROM in the Standards Center, Room
161 Library). The volume Aerospace Material Specifications
(AMS) is in the General Collection (TL950 .A37x). The ISU Library
has an index to the SAE Aerospace Standards, SAE Aerospace Standards
Index (on CDROM in the Standards Center, Room 161 Library), but
does not own the aerospace standards set. Individual SAE standards adopted
by the American National Standards Institute can be found on the ANSI
standards shelves and are listed in the Catalog of American National
Standards. Descriptions of individual SAE standards are available
through subject groupings at the society’s website:
http://www.sae.org/products/standards/stdsinfo/individu.htm.
Standard Specifications for Construction of Roads
and Bridges on Federal Highway Projects
These specifications (TE180 U65, Standards Center Room 161 Library) are
published by the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation. The most recent edition is also online at
http://www.efl.fhwa.dot.gov/design/design.htm.
UL Standards (Underwriters Laboratories) The
ISU Library does not have a current subscription to the UL Standards. UL
standards adopted by the American National Standards Institute are filed in
the ANSI standards cabinets (Standards Center, Room 161 Library), and listed
in the Catalog of American National Standards. The UL
Standards for Safety Catalog can be accessed online at
http://ulstandardsinfonet.ul.com.
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) W3C contributes
to efforts to standardize Web technologies by producing specifications
(called "Recommendations") that describe the building blocks of the Web,
such as HTML and XML. W3C makes these recommendations and other technical
reports freely available thorough
http://www.w3.org/.
REQUESTING STANDARDS NOT OWNED BY THE ISU LIBRARY
It is sometimes possible to use Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to borrow standards
not owned by the ISU Library and/or have the library purchase a standard you
need. Work with the Reference Desk staff to be sure that the needed standard
is not already owned by the ISU Library. If the standard cannot be located
in the ISU collection, the Reference Desk staff will check WorldCat to see
how likely it will be to get it on ILL. Those not listed in WorldCat may be
better to request through our purchase on-demand process instead of ILL -
contact Lorrie Pellack (pellack@iastate.edu) with the
requester's name, ISUCard ID number (required to verify ISU affiliation) and
a citation for the standard. The full title and the number of the individual
standard are the most important pieces of information to provide (e.g.
ASHRAE standard 113 - "Method of Testing for Room Air Diffusion"). The date
of publication of the standard and the number of pages are also useful.
If you do not have an ISU ID, you are not eligible to use ILL or the
purchase on-demand process. You will need to purchase the standard directly
from the document supplier. We recommend using IHS Global Engineering. Be
sure to check their website (http://www.global.ihs.com)
to find purchase cost and verify your standard is available. Orders can be
placed by calling them at 800-854-7179.
Original, Kris Stacy-Bates, 1998
Last update: August 2006
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