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- 2. Getting a Standard -- From Somewhere Else
Getting Standards Not Owned by JHU
Search the Accuris (formerly TechStreet) store here to find more information about the standard you want, before you try these methods of getting it.
(1) Try BorrowDirect
- Library home page --> Get Materials (on top) --> Borrow Direct
(2) Try Interlibrary Loan
- Look in WorldCat to see whether any library has cataloged the standard you want
- If so, request it through Interlibrary Loan (on library home page --> Get Materials, as shown above)
(3) Military Standards
- ASSIST has some military standards that are free -- it allows anyone to download standards and specs that are Distribution A, which is unlimited/unclassified
- The FAQ is attached below
(4) ANSI University Outreach Program
ANSI (American National Standards Institute) now offers standards from ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) under certain conditions.
NOTES:
-- Only FACULTY can request standards, which they can then distribute to students, for classroom use only
-- Participating faculty and students may have only one copy each
Here's how it works:
1. Faculty choose specific ISO and IEC standards, and complete and return the University Outreach Project enrollment form (attached)
2. ANSI sends an e-mail to the faculty member with a unique URL to register for ANSI Standards Connect, where the faculty member will create a username and password for their students to access the standards online
3. ANSI provides faculty with the University Outreach Project License Agreement for distribution to all students given access to the free standards (attached)
4. Faculty distribute the URL, user name, password and the License Agreement to their students
5. At the end of the semester, faculty participate in a brief evaluation of the pilot
If you have questions, please contact kbullock@ansi.org.
Library of Congress (check for COVID rules)
- You must go there to use their standards
- Call their Technical Reports and Standards division: 202-707-5655
- Open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM -4:00 PM
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) has a public standards information center.
This page will lead you to information about NIST's standards ((check for COVID rules).
- Note: Due to licensing restrictions, NIST cannot provide full-text copies. However, you can make an appointment to visit their office to look at standards. You may photocopy sections of standards (but not the complete item).
Here are some places from which to buy standards, if you can't get them any other way.
Look at the web site of the organization whose standard you want, because they often have other good information. ISO's online FAQ is helpful, and includes answers to common questions, including the list of products, services, and the many varied things for which there are standards.
- ANSI (American National Standards Institute) online store
- Accuris (formerly known as IHS, and bought TechStreet in 2023) -- It sells many kinds of standards and codes from many organizations. The web site isn't very intuitive, but search for standards in the box on top.
- Nimonik (formerly Document Center; changed in 2025) -- It also sells many kinds of standards and codes from many organizations.This page of their site has a brief primer about standards.