Getting the business from the library

The Newport Beach Public Library has always been known for its strong

emphasis on business resources. Investment services such as the Value

Line survey of stocks and Morningstar on mutual funds; newspapers

like the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and Orange County

Business Journal; and specialized directories such as the Thomas

Register of American Manufacturers are among the most heavily used

items in the library.

In addition to these fine print resources, the library also

subscribes to several online business databases. While many people

are turning to the Internet for business information, these databases

include authoritative content that can’t be found by using popular

search engines like Google. They have the additional advantage over

traditional print materials of being searchable. Access is available

from computers within the library, and some are also available from

home. A Newport Beach Public Library card (which can be obtained for

free by California residents) is all that is required.

ProQuest, while not strictly a business database, has much to

offer to the business-minded. It contains full-text articles from

more than 6,000 periodicals. Its coverage includes popular magazines,

newspapers and journals from trade and professional sources. The

database is both current, with daily updates, and deep, with back

files to 1986. ProQuest offers added content such as ABI/Inform, a

premier source of business information; Hoover’s Company Records,

which profiles large public and private companies; and EIU Viewswire,

which features business, economic and political reports by the

Financial Times on countries of the world.

Mergent Online provides detailed financial information about

publicly traded companies in the United States and abroad. Each

company profile includes a narrative section on the corporate

history, a description of the business and a list of the company’s

key officers. The financial section includes balance sheets and

income statements, which can be downloaded as spreadsheets. Links are

included to news articles, SEC filings and the company’s annual

report. The advanced search screen allows the user to search by a

range of criteria and then generate specific reports. Mergent also

includes industry reports and statistical data on various sectors and

countries.

Reference USA is a directory of more than 11 million businesses in

the United States. Each listing includes the company’s name, address,

phone number and a contact person. Estimates are given for annual

revenues and number of employees. The user can search by a wide range

of criteria. The results can be printed or downloaded to a disk for

importing to a spreadsheet or database program.

While not yet available, the library will soon provide access to

the online version of Inside Prospects, a database of Orange County

businesses. Widely used as a source for sales and marketing leads

locally, Inside Prospects online offers significant advantages over

the print version. The enhanced searching capability makes it easy to

create customized lists.

So, when you’re in the market for business information, don’t

forget that the Newport Beach Public Library has much to offer.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Steven Short. All titles may be

reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at

https://www.newportbeach

library.org. For more information on the Central Library or any of

the branch locations, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library

at (949) 717-3800, option 2.