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Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely. We welcome college students, professors, and others doing research in the cement and concrete fields. We ask only that you contact us to make an appointment in advance to avoid possible schedule conflicts. We can also retrieve relevant materials in advance to make your visit more time-efficient.
Unfortunately, standards and specifications are copyrighted, and we cannot provide copies of these. However, we can give you guidance on what  resources are available for you to discover and purchase them.
The library does not sell current PCA publications. These may be purchased from the PCA Online Bookstore or by contacting PCA Customer Service.
We ask that you first consult your college library resources and library reference staff. Then, if additional guidance is needed, you are welcome to contact us.
Please see our Copyright Permissions page for more information and to request permissions.

About the PCA Library

PCA Sand LibraryFounded in 1938, the PCA Library holds one of the world's largest collections of information on cement and concrete. The library continually updates and expands its collections with important materials on cement chemistry, concrete technologies, manufacturing processes, environmental solutions, and health/safety issues related to the industry.

For a handy overview of library resources and services, download the print brochure:

PCA Member Services

Member companies enjoy access to a continually updating and expanding collection of research on all aspects of the cement and concrete value chain.
The following are exclusive library services for PCA member company employees (unless otherwise noted):

  • Extensive literature searching on a variety of databases
  • Information look-up
  • Delivery of full-text articles or book chapters (within copyright guidelines)
  • Compendex database access (PCA Board & Committee Members only)
  • ProQuest EBook Central & Proquest Major Dailies Newspapers access (PCA Board & Committee Members only)
  • Book loans (via local public or academic library on the OCLC Worldshare network)

Related Service Request Forms:

Non-Member/Community Services

The PCA Library is open to the wider community for onsite research and study. Please contact us to set up a date and time to visit the library.

Services that are offered freely to the wider community:

  • Onsite study and research during library open hours
  • Quick look-up of information
  • Search requests (limited to < 15 minutes)
  • Copyright permissions for PCA copyrighted materials
  • PCA Library Catalog (linked below; includes links to full text of PCA publications when available)
  • PCA Online Repositories (linked below; includes: Archival Literature, Concrete Library, Cement Library)

Related links:

PCA Resources Available to All:

Library eBrochure (scroll or swipe down)

Contact: (626) 691-2458 library@cement.org