British standards

We have a subscription to a custom collection of 10 core British Standards available on the BSI Knowledge Platform. These standards have been specifically selected to support module reading lists.  

How to access BSI Knowledge:

• Link to login to the BSI Knowledge Platform
• Whether you are on or off-campus, you must use the institutional login option to view the subscribed standards on this platform.  Click on the login button from the top right of the screen, select the 'Institutional' option and then select Abertay from the list of institutions in the drop-down and click the 'Continue to login' button.  
• Once logged in, you will see all standards in the Abertay collection on the home screen.  You can also view them from the top left 'hamburger' menu option and selecting 'My Collection'
• You can also access BSI Knowledge via the link on our Library Resources A-Z 

BSI Knowledge and Reading Lists:

• If a British Standard from the BSI Knowledge collection is a required resource for a module, you must add a platform link to your reading list with an access note.  If you need any assistance with this please email library@abertay.ac.uk 
• Please note that according to BSI Knowledge license requirements, no parts or extracts from this material (including PDFs or any other content) can be included on course packs or other teaching or learning materials such as reading lists.  No parts or extracts from this material can be added to the VLE (MyLearningSpace or Canvas) - you may only include links to the platform.

BSI Knowledge and LibrarySearch:

• The Standards available via the BSI Knowledge platform are not discoverable via LibrarySearch.  You will be directed to specific Standards via your module reading list and they can only be found on the platform itself.

FileOpen Viewer Requirement:

To download British Standards from BSI Knowledge, you will need to install FileOpen, a plugin that enables viewing of secured documents. 

British Standards has implemented Digital Rights Management (DRM) across its documents so they will appear to be password protected even though you have logged in via the Institutional option. You can read online but if you wish to download a copy, you need to install the plugin FileOpen to be able to read the documents in Adobe Reader.

Note: Please see the FileOpen Installation Guide for full details on how to install the plugin on both personal and University managed devices.

BSI Knowledge Accessibility Statement:

Accessibility statement

Construction Information Service includes British Standards and other technical information relevant to construction. Some material may also be useful for engineering and related subjects.

Abertay subscribes to its core collection, but not the additional supplement. Open the service through Library Resources A–Z and search using the standard’s reference number, title or relevant keywords.

License note: This resource is limited to one user at a time, so please log out when you have finished, and if you don't get in first time, try again later. Please note you are only allowed to print out up to 5% of the British Standards held in CIS for your own collection. 

Discovery note: This resource is not discoverable via LibrarySearch

It is possible to use our Interlibrary Loan Service to obtain copies of British Standards that the Library does not hold. You will need to provide the Standard Number, title and date of publication. Please see our information on this service for students and staff here.

British Standards are protected by copyright law and their use is strictly regulated. These documents may only be accessed and used for individual educational and research purposes, regardless of how they are obtained. Each user must access their own authorised copy of a standard, and redistribution or sharing with others is strictly prohibited. 

When accessing British Standards through any platform or service, including but not limited to BSI Knowledge, Construction Information Service, or interlibrary loans, users must comply with the following restrictions: 

• Standards must not be used for university business purposes (such as Health & Safety or Estate Management).
• Standards must not be used for any activities resulting in monetary gain, including but not limited to knowledge transfer partnerships or commercial applications.
• Only authorised copies may be accessed through official channels and subscriptions.
• Printing, downloading, and storage of standards must comply with the specific terms of the platform or service being used. 
• No parts or extracts from the material may be hosted on the institution's virtual learning environment (VLE) or intranet or be included in course packs.

Failure to comply with these copyright requirements may result in legal action and/or loss of access privileges.