UVM Libraries Research Guides: Standards: Find standards

Searching vs obtaining

Use the sites on this page if (a) you are searching for standards that may be relevant to your project or (b) you are seeking more information about a standard, such as a table of contents, scope note, or preview.

If (c) you know the specific standard that you need and you want to obtain a copy, jump ahead to Standards Infobase.

Search: multiple organizations

ANSI Webstore
The ANSI Webstore indexes a wide range of US, foreign and international standards. It also provides better descriptive information than Standards Infobase. Consider searching for standards in the ANSI Webstore, then placing any requests via Standards Infobase.
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
A database of "consensus" (ie. voluntary) standards endorsed by the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), which has responsibility for the premarket approval of all medical devices.

Hathi Trust Digital Library
This resource contains many historical standards and standards-related documents.

Search: individual organizations

Identify relevant standards agencies for your projects and check the standards information on their websites. For example:

AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials)
Develops standards related to highways and public transportation.
ACI (American Concrete Institute)
ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers)
Develops codes and standards related to all areas of civil engineering.
ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers)
Develops standards related to indoor air quality and energy conservation.
ASTM International
Issues standards pertaining to a wide range of materials, products, systems and test procedures. Another convenient way to browse ASTM standards is the print index of ASTM standards (available at the library Reference desk).
AWWA (American Water Works Association)
Develops standards related to water quality and supply.
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
A database of "consensus" (ie. voluntary) standards endorsed by the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), which has responsibility for the premarket approval of all medical devices.
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
UVM affiliates have direct access to the full text of IEEE standards via the IEEE Xplore Digital Library.
NFPA (National Fire Protection Association)
Provides free access to NFPA codes and standards. (Requires registration.)
SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)
The website of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) offers previews of the first 1-3 pages of each of its standards documents.

Key standards

A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets 2011
Call Number: Howe (3rd Floor) TE175 .A55 2011
ASCE 7-16: Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures
ASCE 7-10: Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures
Call Number: Howe (1st Floor-Reference) TH851 .M56 2013
Wind Loads: Guide to the Wind Load Provisions of ASCE 7-10
Snow loads: guide to the snow load provisions of ASCE 7-10
Seismic Loads : guide to the seismic load provisions of ASCE 7-10
Call Number: Howe (3rd Floor) TA658.44 .C3824 2015

Additional resources

Annual book of ASTM standards: Index by American Society for Testing and Materials
Call Number: BH Bailey/Howe Reference (ready ref) (1st Floor) (TA401 .A653 v.00.01 )
Publication Date: 2015
Use this print volume to find current ASTM standards on a type of product or system, or to look up the details for a specific standard document code. Available from the Howe Library Reference Desk.
Compilation of ASTM Standard Definitions
Call Number: REF TA401 .A652
Defines terms used in ASTM standards.

IEEE standards dictionary online
This resource is a searchable dictionary of terms used in standards issued by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Note: this edition of the dictionary (7th) is the most recent, but it is not maintained. It can be used for general reference, but entries are not guaranteed to be up to date.