ShareThisBy STEPHEN WINDHAUS
Monday, October 30, 2006
The Internet has certainly become an extremely convenient source of data about all types of subjects. I dare say that it has resulted in the loss of visitors to the local libraries. In fact, it has likely made a lot of us very lazy in matters of research. Still, there remains a vast amount of research data to be found between the covers of books and burned onto CD's that either is not available online, or requires a significant fee to purchase.
BUSINESS DIRECTORIES:
In the last few years, it has become quite evident to many organizations that some researchers surfing the Internet are willing to pay a fee for information about their membership, including names, contact numbers, and addresses. In some cases, unless you are qualified for membership, the organization's Web site will not give you access to that information, either free or for a fee. However, local libraries have a wealth of business directories, including publications and newsletters of many national and international trade, industry and business associations. They even have CD libraries that can be accessed by on-site computers.
TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES:
Have you ever attempted to identify competitors' storefront locations in a specific geographic region? Major metropolitan libraries store telephone directories from large metropolitan areas throughout the United States. Yes, you can attempt to locate business directories on the Internet, but I have often found many such listings are not complete.
PREMIUM RESEARCH DATA:
Not all research data is free online. In fact, the cost of some data can be staggering, befitting the budgets of major corporations. Libraries, in some cases, can offer the alternative to accessing such data. Yes, you may have to put down a few quarters to copy directly from the hard copy on the shelves, but you can access the specific data desired. And you won't have to purchase content irrelevant to your needs. In addition, when reviewing the library data you may find important information that you may not have considered in the first place.
SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE:
Increasingly, libraries throughout the U.S. have become proactive to small business needs. Workshops are provided on business planning, advertising, marketing, the use of technology, patents, trademarks and more. Some Small Business Development Centers and SCORE are known to use libraries sites to present their own workshops. Of course, if you just don't want to get out of your office and drive to the library there are resources made available online.
Personally, I abandoned libraries years ago for the convenience of the Internet, but I recently changed my mind. The quiet atmosphere is conducive to intelligent thinking without distractions, and unlike the Internet search engines, everything is neatly organized by subject. Even if you don't abandon the Internet, there is plenty of information that you can gather for more intelligent, time-saving search engine research.
