Let me know if you’ve heard this one:

Last week, this undergraduate finance major comes by my office. “I’ve been searching in IBISWorld for hours and hours trying to find an excel-downloadable balance sheet for Estee Lauder. By the way, I need a ten-year spread. I’ve looked in every corner, every pocket of IBISWorld and I can’t find it.” So I say to this undergraduate finance major, “The reason you can’t find it is that you’re searching in the wrong database. Mergent Online will have what you’re looking for.” People, I can’t make this stuff up!

Here’s another:

So, this student team all visits me at the reference desk. “Emily,” they moan, “we have spent three DAYS combing through ABI/Inform and Business Source Premier, looking for the perfect statistical chart on HDTV purchasing by demographics. We don’t sleep. We don’t eat. All we do is research, but we can’t find the statistics we need.” “First of all, you can’t do good research when you’re starving and exhausted,” I explain to them. “Next time, don’t wait for three days to talk to me. You can find just what you need in a database called Tablebase.” Seriously! Can you believe it?

Ok! Ok! Just one more:

I answer the phone, and there’s this MBA on the line. He’s actually crying! I mean totally sobbing and hiccupping. “What’s the matter?” I ask him. “All I want to do is create a list of veterinarians in the Philadelphia area,” he weeps, “but I can’t do it! I’ve been fighting with the Business and Industry database all day.” “Dry your tears,” I order, “and try D&B Million Dollar Database. You can create a list based on industry, location, and even size, all in a spreadsheet.” I kid you not!

People, let me explain something. The right search in the wrong database is no way to get what you want. To make it easier to choose the right database, try the library’s research guides. These guides will give you the best resources to use for a variety of different business research tasks.

To find the business resource guides:
Go to www.library.drexel.edu
Click on “Research Guides”
Click on “Business”

* Originally published on May 15, 2009. For business research tips & tricks in real-time, subscribe to LIB-BIZ-KIT .

Oh, it’s snowy, grey February. And we’ve got six more weeks of winter. Sigh.

Now is the time to make yourself a cup of tea. Now is the time to listen to some Morrissey. And, perhaps, now is the time to read IBISWorld’s Recession Updates.

The always impressive industry analysts at IBISWorld have created “Recession Updates” for all its 700 industry guides. The updates are short, and to-the-point, less than a page in length. For anyone researching particular industries, these short-term snapshots will be very useful. Each industry is given a rating as to the impact the recession will have on it. Ratings range from NOT AFFECTED (in the case of chocolate manufacturing and flour milling, for examples) to DISASTER (in the case of commercial banking and bowling alleys).

If you are feeling particularly melancholy, you may also want to check out IBISWorld’s macroeconomic briefing paper about the US recession. Economic Crisis: When Will It End? was written by IBISWorld’s chief economists along with its industry analysts. It’s a terrific 14-page overview on the effects of this recession on US industries.

You can find IBISWorld by searching for this database in the blue search book at www.library.drexel.edu.

* Originally published on Febrary 6, 2009. For business research tips & tricks in real-time, subscribe to LIB-BIZ-KIT .

First Kellogg’s had us listen to our cereal snap, crackle, and pop.

Now Factiva wants us to listen to our newspapers.

That’s right. Factiva has created a new “listen” capability that allows users to have articles read to them. This feature is available for any article in the database, as long as it has less than 4,000 words. The mellifluous voice is obviously computer-generated and, while lovely to listen to, it certainly won’t win any awards for dramatic interpretation. That being said, it’s a cool feature, and I’ve been enjoying listening to the Wall Street Journal today.

Look for the “Listen to Article” link at the top of most articles, including alerts and newsletters as well.

Find Factiva
1. go to www.library.drexel.edu
2. Search for Factiva in the blue search box
3. Factiva is limited to 11 concurrent users. If you can’t get into the database, wait a few minutes and try again.

* Originally published on May 28, 2008. For business research tips & tricks in real-time, subscribe to LIB-BIZ-KIT .

This world-wide financial crisis is really harshing my mellow.

Companies and industries are changing so quickly, and I’m finding it difficult and frustrating to do research. For example, my usual favorite for industry research is the wondrous IBISWorld. But IBISWorld is updated every four months. That’s terrific most of the time, but not useful to me these days. IBISWorld’s Real Estate Loans and Credit Lines Industry Report from July 18th, 2008? I’m, like, whatevs. Like that’s going to help me.

So what’s a library user to do?

Here are some of my current databases of choice:

Hoovers
For company information, Hoovers is really stepping up to the plate. Their company information is updated as events happen and is a reliable source for who’s buying out whom. The information isn’t all that in-depth, but it is current.

Factiva
Factiva is also leading the charge for up-to-date information. For stock prices and analysis, use the “Companies/Markets” tab at the top (and check out the interactive charts and graphs). You can also use the “News Pages” link to see the day’s major business newspapers and journals all in one place.

Business & Company Resource Center
Up-to-the-minute industry information is hard to come by these days. Business & Company Resource Center can help. Do an “articles” search within the database for the industry. For example, you can do a search for “Airline Industry” or “Real Estate Industry.” This will give you articles from newspapers, trade journals, and other publications. It’s not as quick and easy as IBISWorld’s reports, but you’ll know the information is current and correct.

For up-to-date resources and in-depth coverage from many sources, check out this pathfinder from our librarian-friend Louise Feldmann at Colorado State University:

Financial Crisis Pathfinder
http://libguides.colostate.edu/financialcrisis

* Originally published on October 17, 2008. Special archived addition of the LIB-BIZ-KIT Archives. Updates are usually added a 4-month lag. For business research tips & tricks in real-time, subscribe to LIB-BIZ-KIT .

The LIB-BIZ-KIT “WHAT’S HOT FOR SUMMER 2008” LIST!!!!

10. Miniature horses
9. Potted ferns
8. Seersucker suits (for the ladies and the gents)
7. Spinach
6. The Apu Trilogy
5. Peppermint Bon Bon ice cream
4. Tammy Wynette/George Jones duets
3. Gin gimlets
2. The Sunday Jumble
1. The Economist Historical Backfile

That is correct, LIB-BIZ-KIT-TEERS. The number one hottest item for Summer 2008 is the Drexel University Library’s new subscription to The Economist Historical Backfile!

The Economist Historical Backfile contains every issue, page, word, and image published in The Economist from 1843-2003. It’s the obvious go-to database for articles from The Economist. But it’s useful for so much more.

It can also be used to find high-definition pdfs of advertisements. I found some by doing a search like this: advertisement and general electric.

Many tables can be exported into Excel. See a chart that looks helpful to your class project? You’ll see a purple box on the right of your search results that will let you know if that particular table can be exported.

Finally, The Economist Historical Archive is Hot Hot Hot for Summer 2008 because of its awesome search feature, which manages to be both simple and powerful.

You can do a quick keyword search: Economic Monetary Union

Or you can do a fairly complicated search:
Michael Jordan and (promotion* or advertis*)

How to find The Economist Historical Archive:
1. Go to www.library.drexel.edu
2. Click on: Databases/Articles (in the green box)
3. Click on Business & Economics or browse by title

* Originally published on Friday, May 9, 2008. For business research tips & tricks in real-time, subscribe to LIB-BIZ-KIT .

What is a Global Road Warrior?

In my mind, a Global Road Warrior must look something like its cousin the American Gladiator, complete with nutty name, superhuman muscles, and, naturally, a sparkly spandex unitard.

Global Road Warrior is also the name of a new electronic resource here at the Drexel University Libraries. It’s hard to get past the name, but if you do, you’ll find some excellent and interesting information.

Created by the analysts and researchers at World Trade Press, Global Road Warrior contains detailed international trade and business travel information for 175 countries. It works well as a companion to CountryWatch. Global Road Warrior has a little more hands-on information, but it’s a little lighter on the economic indicators. For each country, Global Road Warrior provides detailed information on topics including business and societal culture, security briefings, information specifically for businesswomen, and essential terms. It’s an easy-to-use, must-see resource for international business and travel.

To find Global Road Warrior
Go to: www.library.drexel.edu
Click on Databases/Articles
Use the Databases by Title listing

* Originally published on April 4, 2008 For business research tips & tricks in real-time, subscribe to LIB-BIZ-KIT .

The Drexel University Libraries has a new subscription to the database: IBISWorld Industry Market Research Reports.

Use these reports when you want a current in-depth overview of a particular industry. I especially like these reports for their specificity. Want an industry report on Luggage and Leathergoods Stores or on Flour Milling and Malt Manufacturing? Look no further!

The reports cover over 700 US industries (at the 5-digit NAICS level) and provide key statistics (including some industry ratios), market characteristics (including market share), segmentation, industry conditions, and industry outlook. You can search by NAICS code or by keyword. It’s very easy to browse report titles as well.

Reports are about 25-40 pages in length and are updated every 4 months.

To find IBISWorld
Go to www.library.drexel.edu
Click Databases/Articles
Click Business & Economics
Click IBISWorld

Note: If you are off campus, you will be asked for your last name and your Drexel ID number.

* Originally published on May 11, 2006. For business research tips & tricks in real-time, subscribe to LIB-BIZ-KIT .

The other day, I was manning the reference desk with Drexel’s engineering librarian Jay Bhatt. Jay was helping a student learn to use library resources, and as they were finishing up, Jay asked the student, “So, what do you think about Google now?”

Music swelled and the student looked up with tears in his eyes. “As God as my witness, I’ll never use Google again,” he promised.

Or something like that happened — perhaps not quite that melodramatic.

Even though librarians are always directing our patrons to other resources, Google is an important research tool.

Here are a few effective ways to use Google for business research:

1. To look at public companies’ annual reports to share holders.
2. To find a professional association helpful to your research.
3. To make sure that you have a correct citation for an article – you’d be amazed by how many times these are slightly wrong.
4. To find a local chamber of commerce for a city you’re researching
5. To locate an image
6. To effectively navigate through online government publications, including the Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Statistics, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Google isn’t always the answer, but it certainly makes sense to use this valuable resource judiciously.

* Originally published on February 28, 2006. For business research tips & tricks in real-time, subscribe to LIB-BIZ-KIT .

I really should have thought of this before.

We’re always on the lookout for articles.

Articles about the effects of computer use on earning in Italy.

Articles from Fast Company about prediction on the next New Killer App.

Articles about online political advertising in South Dakota.

Articles from the newest Harvard Business Review about global warming.

In order make it possible for all of us to search less and find more, I’ve created a new subject guide just for finding business-related articles. Here you’ll find the best databases for academic, trade, and news articles pertaining to business-related subjects.

You can find it here:
Go to www.library.drexel.edu
Click on “Business” in the green box.
The guide is called “Business Articles”

PS. While you’re there, you may want to take a look at some of the other research guides for business. I use them all the time. And you should, too.

* Originally published on September 28, 2007. For business research tips & tricks in real-time, subscribe to LIB-BIZ-KIT .

This year, I have a very special new valentine.

My valentine is named Global Market Information Database, but I like to call him by his nickname: GMID.

GMID is the best! He is so helpful and knowledgeable!

GMID knows all about international industries, countries, and consumers. He showers me with daily articles about global news events and lovingly provides me with endless statistics and research reports from over 200 countries.

He’s the perfect blend of the quantitative and the qualitative!

I would like you to meet GMID.
He can be found at www.library.drexel.edu Click on “Find Databases/Journal Articles”
Search for Global Market Information Databases.

A few tips about getting to know GMID:

1) GMID is menu-driven. That means that you can’t really keyword search to find what you’re looking for. Take a look at the search choices on the right side of the screen and you can click-click-click away until you find the information you need.

2) You may also want to skim this handy GMID user-guide. It’s just 4 pages long, but it can be really helpful to decipher GMID’s interface. http://www.euromonitor.com/pdf/GMID_User_Guide.pdf

3) By licensing agreement, GMID is only available to current Drexel faculty, students, and staff. Sorry, Alumni — even if you come to campus, you will not be granted access to GMID.

I know that the minute you meet GMID, you’ll want this database to be your valentine, too!

* Originally published on February 14, 2008. For business research tips & tricks in real-time, subscribe to LIB-BIZ-KIT .