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Engineering (Basic)

A introductory guide to engineering and technology resources. Directed primarily at engineering undergraduates in ASU101 and lower-level engineering courses.

What is a Standard?

A standard is "a recognized unit of comparison by which the correctness of others can be determined" or it's "a set of characteristics or qualities that describes features of a product, process, or service." (ANSI Course "Why Standards Matter")

Scientific and professional organizations such as the ASTM, ASME, IEEE, trade organizations, and governments create and produce standards. Standards may be national or international.  In the United States, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) coordinates many standards producing organizations. ANSI is also the sole US representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

How to Identify What Standards are Available

You can identify what standards are available by using the following database:

For other databases and resources that cover standards, see the "Finding Standards" page on our Standards library guide.

How to Determine If a Standard is Available in the ASU Library

The majority of the ASU Library's standards collection is available in print in the Noble Library on the Tempe campus, however, some standards have been cataloged and placed in the regular collections of the Noble, Architecture and Polytechnic campus libraries.   Also, although we have a few IEEE standards in paper, all approved IEEE standards are available online via IEEExplore.

To determine if the ASU Library has a copy of specific standard, and to determine in which library it is located, see our library guide:

ASU Faculty - if The ASU Library does not have the standard you need for class or research, please contact Jenny Mueller-Alexander 480-965-3084 or Sam Dyal 602-496-0315

The ASU Library acknowledges the twenty-three Native Nations that have inhabited this land for centuries. Arizona State University's four campuses are located in the Salt River Valley on ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. ASU Library acknowledges the sovereignty of these nations and seeks to foster an environment of success and possibility for Native American students and patrons. We are advocates for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and research methodologies within contemporary library practice. ASU Library welcomes members of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh, and all Native nations to the Library.