I wanted to get a free copy of the ASTM 404 standard so I searched on Google, came across this thread and tried the steps suggested by a number of people with no success; I am not sure if the suggestions here were based on hypothetical or real search but I actually did some footwork and managed to lay my hands on the book that contained all the ASTM standards. All I had to do then was either to copy all 36 pages to two standards, one of which has 26 pages and the other 10 pages. $3.60 or scan them for free—yes free—and I scanned 36 pages for free. The ASTM and the middlemen charge anywhere from $45 to $99 each (for just a few pages for each standard, what a rip off!). This is the actual, real-life example. Here is how I did it and you can too:
Method A:
1) I called my county library in my town; the town reference librarian searched for the ASTM standards and found that a local university library has a disc that contains all the ASTM standards on a disc. The local town libraries usually have an arrangement with the local university library for the local town library members to borrow materials for free. If you are not a town library member, you can be one in about 5 minutes. The skillful librarians at the local libraries give you access to and materials from many libraries in the US including the library of Congress.
2) I went to my local university library, a librarian there searched https://www.worldcat.org -- you can search this site from home—for ASTM standards. Enter ASTM standards and click on ‘Everything’ button. The first two results were all I needed: a) ASTM standards on disc; and b) ASTM standards; there were many more results.
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3) The librarian clicked on ASTM standards on a disc that took her to the next page, https://www.worldcat.org/title/a... where she entered the library zip code and BAM. . .she got the local university (a small university with 8000 students that has an engineering school), her own library, where I was during this search, listed as the very first source of info. The 2nd column listed the formats held by the university. Unfortunately, the disc format was not available but the ‘other format’ was available. This format was ‘books’ in this particular case.
4) She clicked on the ‘other format’ link that took us to its library catalog that listed: ‘Author: ASTM International’ and ‘Title: Annual book of ASTM standards.’ This page had a huge list of technical publications by ASTM.
5) She scrolled down and looked for the entry ‘index’. An easier way is to enter control + F keys on your keyboard, enter the word ‘index’ to avoid the manual search for ‘index’. She located the latest index result by year of publication. This gave her index for 2014 because this small university library did not carry the 2018 or 2019 index. She ordered the 2014 index and a robot brought out the book to me in about 10 minutes. The Index turned out to be a fat, some 700-page book that has nothing but the list of publications and turned out to be useless.
6) Next, to carry on the search, the librarian clicked on the latest year ‘index’ link and found—and this is important, you are almost home—‘Annual book of ASTM standards. ASTM International’ as one of the entries with the location of the book in the library.
7) Click on the link, —the ‘Annual book of ASTM standards. ASTM International’ and you go to the next page that lists all the ASTM standards by the sections; there are 15 sections of standards based on maybe, SIC divisions.
8) The actual title of the book is ‘2014 ANNUAL BOOK OF ASTM STANDARDS. SECTION XX’ (XX = 2 digit number depending on your product category which you should know). She ordered this book and the robot brought the book to me literally in about 1 minute.
9) The ‘Annual book of ASTM standards. ASTM International’ is a 1583 page book with all the ASTM standards you need.
10) I needed two ASTM standards; the first one consists of 26 pages and the 2nd standard consists of 10 pages. I saved anywhere from $90 to $198!
Note: The university library allowed me to borrow this book based on my town library card so brought the book home as a temporary trophy even though I scanned the pages in the library for free in my thumb drive! You can do the same search from home but getting the actual book could be very difficult. What you can do though is, do the search and find out the nearest university listed on the https://www.worldcat.org. Then go there, get the book and copy the pages right in the library or bring the book home.
I have all 36 pages of two standards in my possession.
But I need the 2018 standards, so off I am to the larger library in the neighboring town.
Method B:
Since I wanted 2018 ASTM standards and started thinking, and remembered that the Federal Government has a program called the Federal Library Depository Program (FLDP). Under this program—I suspect this can happen only in America—all government and government supported agency documents are stored in the Library of Congress because they are generated from taxpayer money. Further, these docs are shared with all the Depository Libraries, mostly university libraries, scattered throughout America, visit, Federal Depository Libraries - Fdlp, https://www.fdlp.gov/about-the-f.... Choose your state from the US map, sort library list in a way you like, choose your town or your favorite library, etc. and call them for the ‘Annual book of ASTM standards’ for the edition year you want and the section you want. Each book contains one section of standards—I think there are 15 sections that cover standards in all the fields of our lives—and each book can be several hundred pages with nothing but the text of the standards. You just copy or scan the ASTM standards you want and earn something back from your tax dollars.
Note: When I did this some 30 years ago at Stanford University, it charged me $10 for a day which I now think was a ripoff. The university I went to get 2014 ASTM standards did not charge me anything!
METHOD C:
An Update 3/23/2019: Finally a success
Alright, you did all those things I suggested above and you hit a roadblock as I did. What do you do now?
My roadblock was that the standards I got were the old edition—2014 and the lab I called to test my product said I must comply with the current edition which is 2018.
So off I go, where else, but to the library by a telephone call.
This time I went to the local library of my town which is a part of my County Library system. Note that a County library system may have multiple libraries. Ask if the County library system or any of its library if it has a partnership with any college library or the university library. In my county, two libraries in the County library system have a partnership with one local university each. That means that you can go to the partner university, find a book and borrow from the university using your County library card. As in the case within the County I live in, a city may also have its own library and this library may also have a partnership with a university. The more you ask the more pleasantly surprising info you will get making your search that much easier.
It is important to note that the university library may not borrow the book for you from a depository library for you if you are not a university student or just for plain personal reasons. Or the university library may only let you use the book in their library premises.
Generally, your local library is more lenient on their terms since they feel that they are there to serve you, the County resident!
With the knowledge gained above, that is, knowing what exactly, precisely, I wanted, I spoke to the librarian in the library in my town which was a part of the County library system and she immediately responded that the town library will borrow the book I need from one of the depository libraries found on the https://www.worldcat.org. She then forwarded my request to, and this is important to know, the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) librarian whose job it is to borrow books from other libraries.
The librarian told me that the fee for borrowing a book on ILL is $4. I agreed to pay the fee.
Now, here is the important part and the outcome and what you can do with the borrowed book and the cost to you depends on the ILL librarian and the lender depository library: A depository library may decide not to lend the book or a depository library, the lender library, may decide to either lend the book or copy the pages you want for you at no charge or for a fee as they determine. This fee will vary from one depository library to another depository library. Every depository library procedures and fees are different. Some depository libraries will allow your local library to let you borrow the book, other depository libraries may restrict the use of the book by you only in your local library premises.
And here is where your ILL librarian’s skills, persistence, and the amount of time available to her are critical.
The ILL librarian in my County was caring, smart, skilled, persistence, effective, cost-conscious, and communicative. She sorted depository libraries by which ones had the ‘2018 Annual Book of ASTM standards’ Section 15.11’ I wanted. Then she sorted which ones will lend the book or copy the pages and how much they will charge.
And my County ILL librarian found a depository library that copied for free the three ASTM standards, I wanted and emailed them to her and then she emailed them to me. My cost for the standards was free. I use these three ASTM standards to test my invention shown at https://babyleela.com. I am mentioning this here so that the readers know this is a factual search, story and the work and that they can get the standards they need in a similar manner. And if you like what you see there, answer a 2-question survey on Leela Highchair on my product/invention.
Generally, your town library may let you borrow the book if the depository library allows your local library to lend and you can bring it home but the university library may not allow you to take it home—try it out you never know your university library may or may not allow you to borrow the book. Note that if your library borrows the same book from the Library of Congress (LOC), you cannot borrow it. You must use it in the library.
Also note that if you are not sure which section you need, call LOC and speak to the librarian for her help you identify the exact book/volume you need and then go to your town library to make things easy for you and the librarian.
Aren’t you glad, you are in America?
Ain’t this fun!