Standards & Specifications: A How-To Guide

Requesting Standards Not Owned by the ISU Library

While the standards collection at Parks Library is large, the library does not own copies of all standards. Below are some options you can try if the standard you need is not part of our collection.

Check other sources

1. Check Google. A very few industry standards are available free on the web, but the one you need could be one of them.
2. Try Interlibrary Loan (ILL). We can sometimes borrow standards from other libraries that own them. This option is not ideal for those with looming deadlines, as it can take several weeks to find a lending library, if one is found at all.

Request a purchase

A purchase on-demand service is available for ISU affiliates. Iowa State University students, staff, and faculty may request that the library purchase standards needed for their research or the functioning of their campus unit. An ISU Net ID is required.

Purchased standards:

• Will be hard copies (on paper), not digital. PDFs are generally restricted to one user, while a paper copy can be reused by multiple researchers.
• Typically arrive at the library and are ready for use within 2-3 weeks. If you need it sooner, you may need to purchase a PDF.
• Will become part of the library's non-lending standards collection. You will need to review them or scan the portions you need within the library building.

If you have an ISU Net ID and this service (as described above) will meet your needs, you may proceed to request a purchase.

To request a standards purchase, email the librarian shown on the right side of this page, using your ISU email address and providing the following:

1. The standard number (e.g., ASHRAE standard 113)
2. The full title (e.g. "Method of Testing for Room Air Diffusion")
3. Date of publication or edition number
4. (Optional) a link to the standard or where it can be purchased (such as from the ANSI webstore)

If you do not have an ISU ID, you are not eligible to use the purchase on-demand process. You will need to purchase the standard directly from the document supplier such as IHS Global, TechStreet, or the ANSI webstore.