Charlotte A. Erdmann
Purdue University
ASEE Annual Conference
June 22, 2010
ABET Criterion
Related to
Standards
Standards
Availability in
Libraries
Standards Use and
Awareness in
Academia
Educational
Materials
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

Standards
Specifications
Recommended Practices
Codes
Fires
Computer
Codes
Screws and
Bolts
Buildings
Environmental
Issues
Home
Products
Bridges
Earthquakes
Boilers
Engineering
Standards in
capstone
design class
Engineering
Technology
Knowledge of
technical
literature
Engineering
Engineering
Technology
• Major design experience –
based… “on earlier course work
and incorporating appropriate
engineering standards…”
• Communications content –
“Utilize appropriate technical
literature and use it as a principle
means of staying current.”
Design
Problem Solving
Ethical Decision-Making
Commitment to Quality
Life-Long Learning
Design a system, component, or process to meet needs
within reasonable constraints… (3c)
Identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems (3e)
Understand ethical and professional responsibility (3f)
Engage in life-long learning (3i)
Apply current knowledge… (3b)
Apply creativity to design of a systems, component, or
process… (3d)
Identify, analyze, and solve technical problems (3f)
Understand professional, ethical & social responsibilities (3i)
Engage in life-long learning (3h)
Commit to quality, timeliness and continuous improvement (3k)
Subramanyan (1981) wrote an excellent chapter
in Scientific and Technical Information Resources.
Osif, et al (2006) also included a good overview.
Musser (1990 ) and Taylor (1999) gave thorough
guidance on standards collection development.
• Libraries buy standards that best meet the needs of
their customers. Subscriptions, selected
purchasing, interlibrary loan are used.
Pellack (2004) surveyed libraries that are members of the
Association of Research Libraries while Matthews (2006)
surveyed Top Engineering Schools Libraries
Results of both discussed splits between print and electronic
subscriptions and on-demand purchasing
• Pellack asked more questions about Library Guides,
Local Databases, and Interlibrary Loan while
Matthews detailed Document Suppliers
One size does not fit all
Larger libraries have more programs to support
and more resources to spent for standards but
they may have limits as well
Smaller universities cannot support standards
at the same level as larger libraries
Hunter, Robert D. (2009) Standards,
Conformity Assessment, and
Accreditation for Engineers. Boca
Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Batik, Albert L. (1992) The
Engineering Standard: A Most Useful
Tool. Ashland, OH: BookMaster/El
Rancho.
Involvement
Written publications
Research
Journal articles
Standards Creation
Conference papers
University Operation
Dissertations and
Theses
Professor Mete Sozen, member of the review
committee, helped to investigate the structural
damage to the Pentagon.
• The committee’s report mentioned standards from
• American Concrete Institute (ACI)
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
• European Committee for Standardization (Eurocode)
William Kahan, University of California, Berkeley,
spent more than 30 years contributing to IEEE 754
Standard emphasizes the “reliability and
portability” of computer programs that use binary
floating arithmetic
Created in 1985
Revised in 2008
Propose a new SAE standard which
agricultural workers with disabilities
Serve as members of committees that
propose and revise standards
Critique standards that have errors
and need improvement
Specification for Procurement and
Projects
Natural Gas Fired
Package Boiler
Concrete Paving
projects
American
Association of
State Highway
and
Transportation
Officials
(AASHTO)
American
National
Standards
Institute
(ANSI)
American
Society for
Testing and
Materials
(ASTM)
Databases for References to Journal Articles &
Conference Papers
40000
35000
Axis Title
30000
25000
20000
15000
AASHTO
10000
ANSI
5000
0
ASTM
App Science
Compendex
& Tech
inspec
Materials
Research
Database
TRIS
Web of
Science w/
Proc
Excerpt of Table 3: Google Results for References to
Standards on University Websites
8000
6000
4000
AASHTO
2000
ANSI
ASTM
0
Drexel
MIT
Penn
Purdue
State w/o
CiteSeerX
Stanford
Texas A
&M
Univ. of
Wash.
Identify
Course(s)
Work with
your
librarian
• Subject
• Objectives
• Potential standards uses & needs
• Current collection
• Possible purchase
• Potential instruction session
Materials
Assignments
(Individual or Group)
Book
Chapters
Learning
Outcomes
Websites
Deliverables
Case
Studies
Grading
Hose Connections to Fire Hydrants
Why problem?
One size does not fit all
No standard size for fire hose couplings
to connect to a hydrant
City has big fire
Fire chief call for help from
neighboring cities
Neighboring fire department
arrives in city
Firemen can not attach hose
to hydrant.
Great Boston Fire in 1872 – Hose couplings one of
issues – 776 buildings burned (65 acres)
Convention of the Fire Engineers (later National Fire
Protection Association)
• approved a resolution that there should be a
standard in 1873
National Fire Protection Association, American Water
Works Association, American Society for Mechanical
Engineers
• created and approved the first standard in 1891

1904 - Great Baltimore fire of 1904
▪ (Most sources start history here)
▪ 1526 buildings burned (70 city blocks)
 Hose couplings again a major problem
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National Bureau of Standards got involved
Albert Merrill gathering data on 600
variations on hose couplings
A joint standard from multiple organizations
was approved
Seek and Evan’s 2004 Major U.S. Cities
Using National Standard Fire
Hydrants, One Century After the Great
Baltimore Fire (NISTIR 7158 report)
ABET Criterion
Related to
Standards
Standards
Availability in
Libraries
Standards Use and
Awareness in
Academia
Educational
Materials
Thank you
Charlotte Erdmann
Associate Professor of Library Science
Siesgesmund Engineering Library
Purdue University
erdmann@purdue.edu