Issue link: http://digital.corporatepress.com/i/186210
knowledge builders knowledge builders APPA's BOK: Are You Ready to Participate? By Gary L. Reynolds, APPA Fellow LOOKING BACK I t is hard to believe that it has been nearly five years since we started the daunting task of putting our "handbook" online. Renamed the Body of Knowledge (BOK for short) the goal for updating APPA's Facilities Management manual was to provide information that would be readily available anywhere and anytime. Web media would allow the BOK to be updated as needed, and include links to additional resources. It was an ambitious project, and while the online approach faced many challenges, through the hard work of many, it is a reality today. And with the recent approval by the APPA Board, the BOK is now a membership benefit available to all at our institutions, making it not only anywhere and anytime but for anyone as well. As you may know, the BOK is the basis for a number of other APPA programs. For instance, the Institute for Facilities Management four-week program aligns with the four sections of the BOK. Many of the chapters within the BOK are the basis for the core courses that are part of the Institute. Also, a number of the concepts in the Leadership Academy are documented in the BOK. In addition, and probably most important, the EFP and the CEFP required knowledge and exams are based on BOK material. LOOKING FORWARD Because the BOK has become an important part of APPA's knowledge base, and in keeping with the original goal of updating the BOK as needed, APPA recently launched an effort to update every chapter. Authors are being contacted and asked to review their chapters and to let their section editors know whether their chapters are still up to date and relevant, need some minor revision, or a major revision. Look for announcements of updated chapters. As a section editor/content coordinator, and as part of the review and update process, I decided it was time to look through the chapters in the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) section. As I read some of the chapters I was reminded of just how talented and knowledgeable our members are. I have to admit that some of it is way beyond me (what is a var?), but I know that, for those who need to know about these things, a "var" may be very important. I recently participated in a discussion with an interior designer on one of our projects, and we started talking about fluorescent lamp colors (warm white versus cool white) and the impact it has on our perceptions of color in a space. Well, it just so happens, that in the chapter on interior design in the BOK there is a great set of comparison photos showing the same space lit with different color fluorescent lamps. The difference is dramatic and it convinced the interior designer to work with the electrical engineer to specify appropriate lamp colors for the various spaces. It was a great practical example of "just-in-time" learning that the BOK provides (anywhere/anytime). I am truly appreciative of our members' knowledge and expertise in areas where my knowledge is limited. YOUR TURN So what does this mean to you? First, while each chapter has a specific author, Facilities Manager | september/october 2013 | 59