SMACNA Technical Subscriptions FAQ

SMACNA members are entitled to one free subscription. Tell me more.

SMACNA member companies receive free access for one simultaneous-user to SMACNA's 37 Standards and CAD drawings. This free subscription is for SMACNA member companies for the duration of their memberships. With this free subscription, at any given time, any employee of a SMACNA member company can access each of the 37 SMACNA Standards, one user at a time. If the member company would like more than one employee to be able to view the same standard at the same time, they can purchase access for more concurrent users from the SMACNA Subscription Store

How does the SMACNA Subscription service work?

SMACNA's Subscription service is web-based so there are no downloads, no installations and no PDFs. You use your web-browser to access, view, copy/paste and print titles and standards that you are subscribed to. Since this is a web-based service, you can access your library from any device with an internet connection, including smartphones and tablets. 

What are simultaneous users?

You can designate the number of simultaneous (simo) users for each title or package. While every person at your company has access to your SMACNA Subscription, pricing is based on the number of users that are able to view each title/package at the same time. You may have an unlimited number of users in the eLibrary at any given time, but only the designated number of users within each specific title or package at a time. 

For example, if you have 2 simultaneous users designated for a title, only 2 people can enter that title at a time. If a third user tries to view the title, they will receive a message that the title is full. Once one of the users logs out of that title, the third user will be able to enter.

Packages are groups of titles that are purchased together. These packages come at a lower cost, as simulataneous users are based on the package as a whole. This means if there are 5 titles in the package with 1 simultaneous user assigned, only one person will be able to view any of those 5 titles at a time. There must be no users viewing any of the 5 titles in order for a new users to view the content. 

Can we print?

Employees of SMACNA Member companies can print full copies of SMACNA Standards. Users can also copy/paste and print content to use in their work-flow, reports or emails. 

What happens if a user forgets to log out of a title?

The SMACNA Subscription eLibrary has a default inactivity feature which signs users off after 30 minutes of inactivity. 

Can we add more titles over the course of our subscription?

At any time during the subscription year, users are able to add new titles and standards, and additional simultaneous users. These additions can be made by the company admin directly from the SMACNA Subscription Store or with a SMACNA Subscription sales representative. Additions can be made for annual access beginning from the current date, or may be prorated so that all subscriptions are on the same renewal cycle. Titles become available for immediate access after they are added. 

Do you offer older editions of standards and titles?

Older editions of SMACNA Standards are available in the SMACNA Subscription Store

What about errata?

Whenever errata or addenda are released, your library will automatically update with the new content for free, ensuring that you are always viewing the latest versions. Errata can be viewed by clicking the + button to right of a title. 

Can we track usage?

We offer a powerful usage statistics tool. The Primary Contact (or designated administrator) can log in to see how many times each resource has been accessed, check exceeds (when a user is denied access to a resource because there are not enough simultaneous users assigned) and turn away data (employees trying to access non-subscribed content). This information allows the company to give better decisions for best ROI when renewing their accounts. 

What are eNotes?

eNotes allow users to add comments and notes to sections of content. Users may designate whether notes are personal, and visible only to them, or if they are visible to all team members on that account. This can be useful to remember how a code is applicable, or when working on project company-wide. 

How do we access the SMACNA Subscription Library?

Depending on your needs, there are various ways to access the library:

Username/password access. Your smacna.org login works as your SMACNA Subscriptions log in as well. You can either login at smacna.org and click on the Subscriptions button, or login with your smacna.org credentials at http://www.smacna.org/subscriptions

Direct access from company intranet. If your company has an intranet, we can provide a login script for your convenience. This script will display a SMACNA Subscriptions button which employees will be able to click, allowing them to log in automatically without a username and password.

IP based access. With this method, we collect the IP ranges of company offices and authenticate them. This allows any computer from the authenticated IP range to access the SMACNA Subscription eLibrary directly without a username and password. The IP range can include offices from multiple locations.

In cases where users are not in the office or do not have access to the intranet, they will still be able to login with a username/password via smacna.org/subscriptions. 

Do you provide training?

While our system is quite intuitive, we do offer training. Once your account is established, we offer free training webinars to introduce employees to the SMACNA Subscription eLibrary and answer any questions that they may have. These sessions can be recorded and included in a company's knowledgebase to view at a later time. 

Do you have an app to access content from mobile devices?

You do not need an app to access your SMACNA Subscription account. Use the web-browser on your mobile device to access your library.