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Facilities Manager | november/december 2014 | 13 The online FPI survey and report offers member institutions the ability to trend and benchmark their data, while also providing summary information for APPA staff, officers, and researchers about educational facilities and facilities departments. Over time, as part of our continuous improvement efforts, the committee members developed the now common definitions used in the FPI. These definitions have allowed our mem- bers to more clearly describe, understand, explain, and manage our educational institutions' physical assets. Now, the committee is looking into expanding this effort into energy and sustainability with the Energy and Sustainability Assessment Tool (ESAT), which we are developing in conjunction with a business partner. APPA provides educational facilities information in various forms, not just online. APPA has books, e-books, other publications, and newsletters. The e- mail APPAinfo discussion list rounds out the current methods APPA uses to share educational facilities information and research. Is something missing? While we have amassed an impressive body of informa- tion and research, we need to make sure we stay current and fill in any gaps that may exist. To that end, the Information and Research Committee encourages all APPA members to consider writing or researching topics of interest and shar- ing their insights, practices, and find- ings through articles, publications, and research. In fact, the Center for Facili- ties Research (CFaR) is set up to help individuals complete research projects that will add to our knowledge base. TIME WELL SPENT During the past decade or so, I have had a number of roles that have involved information and research, from writer to editor, researcher to reviewer, and committee member to elected officer. In each of these roles, I found that the time I spent was dwarfed by the amount of useful information that I gained from the experience. If you are interested in the work of the Information and Research Committee, please seek out your regional representa- tive to find out more. The committee is always on the lookout for writers and re- searchers. We also invite you to consider volunteering to serve on the Information and Research Committee. From my perspective, anything you do with APPA information and research will be time well spent. Jeri King is APPA's Vice President for Infor- mation and Research, and senior facilities services specialist at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. She can be reached at jeri-king@uiowa.edu. © 2014 Veritiv Corporation. All rights reserved. 6iÀÌÛÃ>ÌÀ>`i>Àv6iÀÌÛ À«À>ÌÀÌÃ>vw>Ìið a new distribution company leading the way in facility solutions.