Facility Management Guide

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This guide will help you find books, videos, articles and websites about Facility Management. Use the tabs below and the menus on your right to start searching for different types of materials.
If you need additional help, come to the Library Reference Desk or Ask A Librarian.

  1. Books & Videos
  2. Databases
  3. Websites

Use the Library catalog to search the COD Library's collection of books, videos, e-books, and streaming media. Use your COD Library card to check these items out or access them online.

The best way to start searching the Library catalog is to do a keyword search for words that describe your topic. Try to choose specific keywords. You may need to experiment with keywords to find ones that work for your topic. Once you find some items, you can use subject headings to find other items that cover the same topic. Library catalog

Call Number Ranges

Use these call number ranges to browse the General Collection and the Reference Collection.

TS155 - TS194 Facilities Management
TH880 / TJ163.5 Buildings--Energy Conservation
TH6014 - TH6081 Buildings--Environmental Engineering
TH6010 - TH6013 Buildings--Mechanical Equipment
TH7005 - TH7699 Heating and Ventilation
KF5701 - KF5710 Building Laws (Codes)

Reference Books in the Library

The Library holds all of the recent national codes, standards and building management guidelines from the International Code Council and the U.S. Green Building Council in the reference collection. Some older iterations of these materials are available for check-out in the general collection. For fire codes, electrical codes and safety standards, consult this online resource: NFPA Codes Online. You'll need a current library card to access the NFPA from off-campus.

ASHRAE Standards
Includes the current ASHRAE Standards and Guidelines and also includes a breakout of "Essential Standards" that is useful for students. Also included are User's Guides for the Standards, and Spanish-language guidebooks. A username and password is required to access the ASHRAE Standards. Please see your HVAC instructor or visit the Library Reference Desk for assistance. TechStreet user guide

E-Books and Streaming Videos

These online books and videos can be accessed from the COD network or anywhere on the internet if you have a Library card.

Knovel Library
This database is a cross-searchable collection of electronic books covering many subjects in technology, engineering, applied technology, science, chemistry and physics and much more. This collection contains a large selection of materials about Manufacturing, including:
Films on Demand: Technology & Trade Education Collection
This collection of online streaming videos includes a variety of subjects related to Buildings, Building Management, and Construction. Look under the category: Building & Technical Trades.

Using I-Share

The library is a part of a consortium of academic libraries known as I-Share. As COD students, you can request items from other libraries online by creating an I-Share account. For more information, visit our I-Share Information Web Page.

Databases

Use databases to locate journal, magazine, newspaper or specialized articles. You can use your COD Library card to access articles from off-campus.

Databases are organized collections of information that you can search on a variety of fields, like title and author's name. iTunes is a database and so is Amazon. Even your contacts list in your phone is a type of mini database. The Library has databases of articles from newspapers, magazines and journals. We also have databases of streaming videos, music and e-books. The difference between our databases and iTunes or Amazon is that our stuff is free for you to use. You can browse the library's databases here: http://codlrc.org/databases


Facilities Management topics are usually found in Business Databases and in Technology Databases. Some Best Bets for starting your research are below.

Best Bets

Associates Program Source Plus
Associates Programs Source Plus is designed specifically for junior & community colleges with a primary focus on disciplines of study within associate degrees and certification programs. Areas explored include accounting, agricultural sciences, child care services, cosmetology, culinary arts, forestry, food service management, graphic arts, hair dressing, hospitality management, interior design, journalism, plumbing, heating & air conditioning, veterinary technology and welding to name a few.
Business Source Complete
Business Source Complete provides access to content and indexing for 1,300 journals. It covers all disciplines of business, including management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. Additional full-text, non-journal content includes financial data, books, monographs, major reference works, conference proceedings, case studies, investment research reports, industry reports, market research reports, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses. BSC also contains the Regional Business News which provides comprehensive full text for regional US and Canadian business publications (including titles from Crain Communications). Regional Business News has full text for more than 80 sources.
NFPA Codes
Includes the National Fire Codes, the National Electrical Codes, the Life Safety Code and many more National codes from the NFPA.

Other Database Choices

See the Facility Management Research Databases page for other useful databases.

There are several tools available for searching the Internet. Using a variety of tools is always a good rule of thumb when looking for information on the web. Google is a great resource but also try some of the other tools on the Library's Web Search Tools pages.

It is also very important to evaluate the information that you find on the web before you use it.

Its important to evaluate the information from websites. When reviewing information, ask the following questions:

  • How old is this material? Is there a date of publication? Is the material out-of-date?
  • Who wrote this information? Is the company or person who sponsors the website reputable?
  • Is the website trying to sell you something?
  • Is the information biased? Does it seem like the author is just giving his/her opinion? Is the author making a one-sided argument? (not offering an alternate point-of-view?)
  • Is the information backed up with facts that you can confirm using other sources?
  • Be sure to check out the library's Evaluating Web Sources Guide


Here's a small selection of quality websites for facility management:
ASHRAE Standards & Guidelines
ASHRAE sets the industry standards for a variety of facility management concerns.Check out the student section.
International Facility Management Association
An international source of professional development resources for facility managers
Today's Facility Manager
This is a trade magazine for professionals in the field.
Building Codes Reference Library--Illinois
This is a handy reference but always check your local municipality to confirm the code version!
OSHA Building Operations Documents
Codes for protecting the safety of persons using the building, and for the people who manage the builiding!
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