The purpose of this publication is to provide you with a starting point to finding resources in facilities management.
- Reference sources
- Books
- Journals
- Journal databases
- Internet resources
- Related guides and information
Reference sources
Reference sources are a good starting point for any assignment topic, as they can help to clarify concepts and keywords, as well as provide an overview of a topic. They include dictionaries, encyclopaedias, directories, handbooks, manuals, etc. Reference books are not available for loan, but can instead be used in the library.
| Call Number | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
GP REF |
Handbook of facility management : tools and techniques, formulas and tables |
This handbook provides a wide range of practical data and procedures used to evaluate and improve maintenance operation. |
GP REF 658.20203 1 |
Glossary of reliability and maintenance terms |
Definitions of maintenance and reliability terms. |
GP REF 690.014 2 |
Glossary of facility management terms |
A glossary of facility management terms compiled by Standards Australia. |
Books
To find books on a topic, the best starting point is to perform a keyword search on the library catalogue. Once you have found an item that looks relevant, you can then use the subject headings assigned to that record to find other items. Alternatively, you can browse the shelves at the following locations:
| Call number | Major subject headings |
|---|---|
658.2 |
facility management |
| 658.2 | plant engineering |
| 620 | reliability engineering |
Journals
(Also referred to as magazines, serials or periodicals.)
The library subscribes to a large number of print and electronic journals. Journals cover articles about current developments and research in a subject area. Browsing relevant journals is a good way of keeping up to date in your area, and often your lecturer will recommend certain journals.
For a list of print and electronic facilities management journals, perform a Subject search for “facility management” on the Library Catalogue (using the Periodicals option). Journals are not available for loan.
Journal databases
Locating journal articles is different from locating books. The Library Catalogue will tell you if QUT Library holds a particular journal but it will not provide information about individual journal articles. However, the journal databases will help you to locate references to journal articles, and sometimes the abstract and full-text of the articles.
The journal databases vary in the amount of information which they provide. If you find a reference to a journal article, but not the full text, then you will need to perform a Title search, using the Title of the journal (NOT the article) on the library catalogue. The library catalogue will provide the print and/or electronic holding details if the journal is available to QUT staff and students.
Effective use of the databases requires an understanding of search techniques and the Pilot Information Literacy tutorial provides help on developing search strategies.
In addition, library staff offer training sessions on how to use databases throughout each semester. The Tours & workshops page provides further information.
QUT staff and students can access the databases from within QUT libraries or remotely from your School, home or office via the Internet. Most databases require your QUT username and password. Access to the databases is available from the Databases page.
A selection of Environmental Engineering related databases are listed below.
| Database title | Coverage | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SmartBIX.pro | 1981 - |
Contains more than one million citations to business, financial and economic news items on companies and industries covered in the Australian financial press. |
| Building Code of Australia plus related Australian Standards Online |
Current, updated bi-annually |
Published by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB). Provides the complete Building Code of Australia, the Guide, and approximately 150 fulltext standards referred to in the Code. |
| Compendex via Engineering Village | 1884- |
The Compendex database holds over three million summaries from more than 2,600 international journals, conference papers and technical reports. Approximately 22% of the database is conference literature, and 90% of the source documents are in English. Each year over 220,000 new abstracts are added from 175 disciplines and major specialties within broad engineering areas. |
| ENGINE : Australian Engineering Database |
|
Contains more than 18,500 on Australian engineering. Produced by the Information Resource Centre of the Institution of Engineers, Australia. |
For more recommended databases, see the Databases Subject Guide (Built Environment and Engineering):
/find/databases/subjectguide_index.jsp#002000000
Internet resources
The Internet provides access to a large range of resources in the Environmental Engineering area. However, the quality of the resources varies, and as part of your research process, you will need to evaluate each web site. There are guidelines for evaluating information which can help you with the evaluation process.
A selection of authoritative facilities management related web sites are listed below.
| Website | Type of resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Facility City http://www.facilitycity.com |
Subject directory |
Contains links to facilities management organisations, associations, and conferences, facility related products and services. |
Subject gateway |
Provides current facilities management news, has links to forums, professional development, online journals and industry research. | |
Subject gateway |
Online facilities management resources. |
|
| International Facility Management Association http://www.ifma.com |
Professional association | Homepage of the International Management Association (IFMA). Provides details about association membership, charter, publications, etc. |
Professional association
|
Homepage for the Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE). Provides details about association membership, publications, current awareness, etc. |
Related guides and information
For further information about using libraries and the principles of searching the Library Databases and the Internet, try Pilot. It is a series of short interactive tutorials on finding information in the library and on the Internet.
There are also guides to citing information (in both APA and Harvard format), and how to find standards in your research area.