[Libs-Or] News from the Business Information Center

[Jill Adams]

July 31, 2003

Hello Readers, The Business Information Center is located at the Beaverton City Library, a WCCLS library. Feel free to distribute this to other business librarians or info specialists.

1. NEWS
2. EXCITING NEW REFERENCE TITLES
3. NOTABLE NEW CIRCULATING TITLES
4. URLS
5. THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO

1. NEWS
The Business Information Center at Beaverton City Library has almost concluded another "Be an Entrepreneur" series of programs. The last event will be August 5th, ANATOMY OF A BUSINESS PLAN. See http://www.ci.beaverton.or.us/departments/library/calendar.cfm for our events calendar.

Also, I visited the Washington County Law Library and, in Washington County, we are advised not to keep old Do-Your-Own Divorce books. When a person files an old form from a book like that which is now updated, they still have to pay a filing fee, even if it is the old form. Save your patrons some time and money. Only keep the latest possible publications from Nolo or Self Counsel around or, better yet, send them to http://www.zyworld.com/wshcntyfamlawforms . This is the website of the most current family law forms for Washington County. Or, please refer people to Family Law Washington County Courts 145 NE 2nd Ave Rm 102C because they will provide the most up to date forms. Sue Gerhardt is a contact person there. You may live in a different county, so this might not apply to you. :)
Same goes for old SAT books. http://www.collegeboard.com/about/newsat/commentary/press.html makes us wonder if we should begin diligently pulling old pre 2002 SAT books. Mary Wise, who handles this area, is looking into it.

2. NEW REFERENCE TITLES

*       Lace Quarterly Financial Institutions Ratings Service (QFIR)for Banks and Thrifts (WE ARE DROPPING WEISS RATINGS GUIDE TO BANKS and THRIFTS)
People want bank ratings more and more, and had expressed dissatisfaction with Weiss. So we are stepping up to the plate with this one. The first issue should arrive any week now.
provides LACE Ratings on:
commercial and state-chartered savings banks
savings and loans
credit unions
includes a Funds Manager's List of the top-rated banks with over $300 million in assets
ranks the 100 largest banks and bank holding companies by financial soundness
lists banks with large changes in their LACE Ratings by peer group.

*    AV Marketplace (In Process)
"Recommended for all libraries in which there is more than a minimum interest in audio-video material." -ACADEMIC LIBRARY BOOK REVIEW
"An exhaustive, cross-referenced directory blanketing ... the AV industry's manufacturers, producers, distributors, services, techniques and applications." -BACKSTAGE
"You could find a manufacturer and distributor for any AV product you can think of from the information included." -THE BIG REEL

*    This Business of Television (In Process)
>From Book News, Inc.
A comprehensive, practical guide to the TV/video industries for producers, directors, writers, performers, agents, and executives. Examines how television programming is financed, produced, and distributed; how FCC regulations and federal law shape the form and content of broadcast and cable television; and how producers, networks, cable companies, and local stations work together to create or acquire programming. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

*    China in the World Economy
The Domestic Policy Challenges (Emerging Economies Transition ) IN PROCESS
Comprehensive current facts and statistics for anyone planning on the trading with China and would like some information to use in planning or studying this opportunity.

*    Alcohol Beverage Sourcebook
http://www.alcoholbev.com/ We JUST ordered this. Not Here Yet. It ought to help everyone from breweries who are looking to distribute, all the way to restaurant and bar entrepreneurs, anyone who deals in any way with places that serve or sell beer, wine or liquor. It would also help with market research for any of those kinds of businesses.
2,500 companies covering nearly 500,000 on- and off-premise outlets selling beer, wine and spirits
Over 10,000 key executives buyers, buying location and decision makers
Number of outlets operated
Type and banner name of stores
Advertising media used
Email addresses, Fax numbers, websites

*    Big Book
Index Table REF BUS 338.1749 BIG
(Random Lengths publishers) Forest products industry directory. http://www.randomlengths.com/ (not yet in catalog)
The 2003 Big Book is the most current, the most accurate, and the most used buyer's and seller's guide in the North American softwood products industry. It's more than 1,000 pages, with up-to-date listings of more than 7,800 companies and 30,500 key personnel, including products, services, and capabilities. Included this year are hundreds of brand-new listings.
There are 16 tabbed sections, with 50 subdivisions, divided by product and region for instant access and reference. West Coast sawmills. Canadian shingle mills. Southern Pine plywood plants. Wholesalers. Remanufacturers. Exporters. Consultants. Reloads. And much, much more. You'll find them all quickly in the Big Book.

*    American Mines Handbook
REF BUS 338.2 AME If you're thinking of investing in an American mining company or doing business with one, you'll need information - financial statements, economic plans, key personnel, mine productivity rates, etc. You can find it conveniently grouped, displayed and indexed in one place - the American Mines Handbook.

*       Plunketts ECommerce & Internet Business Handbook 2003-2004 (IN PROCESS)
http://www.plunkettresearch.com/technology/ecommerce_contents.htm Market analysis, industry information, business statistics, financial histories, technology trends, corporate profiles, executive contacts and much more--these are just a few of the business analysis tools you'll find in our reports and almanacs.

3. NOTABLE NEW CIRCULATING MATERIALS

     Oregon C.U.R.E Publications (Search Browse Author: "Oregon CURE") These unique items fill such an important gap that other libraries may want to contact Dana Anderson of CURE (503) 287-9258 PO BOX 4712 SALEM OR 97302 and recieve these booklets too:
    Advocating with the incarcerated in Oregon
    Getting through Oregon's parole process
    Free-ER--but not free : getting along on parole or post-prison supervision in Oregon
    An orientation to the Oregon Department of Corrections for family and friends of inmates
    Visitor's handbook : a guide to visiting in Oregon prisons: the process and what to expect

Start your own medical claims billing service : a step by step guide to success / Adams, Rob, 1950-, Irvine, CA : Entrepreneur Media, 2003.

The art of risk management : alternative risk transfer, capital structure, and the convergence of insurance and capital markets /John Wiley 2002

Facilities management : towards best practice / Barrett, Peter, professor. Blackwell Science, 2003. 2nd ed.

The Job Training Charade / Gordon Lafer Cornell University Press 2002 (Gordon Lafer is faculty at the University of Oregon, Labor Education and Research Center, and has written a provocative book!)

4. URLS
*    FileExt
www.filext.com is helpful for determining what kind of file something is. We have all of us helped someone and their file cannot open. They can see that barbeque.vsl file in their hotmail, but when they double click on it, nothing happens. Is that because it is a file format that is not supported? This website makes inroads at helping you determine what kind of file something is and whether or not your computer will open it. Just type in vsl into that blank (Or whatever the three letter extension is the .vsl part) and you can find out what kind of file it is. I'd also appreciate feedback for other sites like this.

*    Oregon Microenterprise Development Resource Guide
http://www.oregon-microbiz.org/2003%20OMEN%20Directory.pdf
we printed out the adobe file here and had it made into a handy reference book. On the bibliographic record for it, we included the URL. Talk about access!
"Can you help me find $ support for I am starting a small business"

*    Oregon capital resources directory Christine Lewis, editor; Robert L. Newhart II, associate editor.
Same with this one.
http://ftp.i2m.org/iGear/results.php?id=646
"Can you help me find $ support for I am starting a small business"

*    USBank Economic Update
Do you have an old collection of "US Bank's Economic Barometer." John Mitchell, the chief economist is it's contributing editor. And are you wondering what happened to it? It dropped off in print and quietly vanished. The Economists at the US Bank Portland office still does a report, but now.. like almost all business resources, the thing has become better, faster, and online. Mr. Mitchell publishes an "in bank" email driven Economic Update. What this means is that you have to request to receive it in your email, or you could also visit the online edition regularly at http://www.usbank.com/westernupdate . I'll try to request updates to the bib record in Polaris reflecting that new information about this interesting publication.

*    Zip+4 news, SEC,
Reflecting the better, faster, and online principle again is the fact that the Government has dropped the publication of Zip+4. Naturally the solution is to use www.usps.gov for finding  a zip+4 . So, the question is, if people have become accustomed to using the print, what we'll be there for is to steer them to the online format. The patron who blazes a trail to the book may never know unless you intervene!

*    On that note, the same goes for "Directory of companies required to file annual reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, alphabetically and by industry groups" Many libraries have this, and a bib record with an open set, but hey, SEC never plans to issue another print edition, I know because I asked them. Intervene! Send that patron to Edgar. http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml

5. THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Subscribing to www.specialissues.com and dropping most SRDS products. I'm not looking forward to dropping SRDS, but... Cuts happen. The trade off is that we do subscribe to Bacon's which has some pricing guidelines, and special issues will help with editorial content. And we won't drop Direct Marketing List Source.

As always I welcome any feedback or ideas.

Thanks,


Jill Adams
Business Reference Librarian
Beaverton City Library
WCCLS
503 350-3613


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