Engineering (Basic)

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).

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

• IHS Global Engineering

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

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:

• Industry Standards Available in the ASU Library 
  Follow directions on the "Getting Started" page.

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