Five Free Business Resources for small business at local libraries

The current economic climate has made it more critical than ever for businesses to make the best use of all available resources. Today business professionals are expected to do more with less money and time. The library’s free business resources are a breath of fresh air for business people who need valuable information but often don’t have the resources at their disposal.
 
 “We’re finding that business people, in general, have been pleasantly surprised to learn that libraries offer state-of-the-art technology, sophisticated databases and other tools free-of-charge right at their fingertips,” states Norma Blake, State Librarian.
 
Top 5 Business Services

The library provides hundreds of business services. The top five amongst them are:

  1.  Access to premium databases that you won’t find on Google or Bing. Search engines search what’s free on the Web, but the most accurate and verified information resides in expensive licensed databases such as Ref USA or EBSCO. Ref USA provides detailed profiles on 14 million businesses. The EBSCO Database offers articles from over 1,000 business, management, and trade magazines on companies, markets, accounting, finance, customer service and economics.

  2.  Access to marketing and business plan templates readily available at local libraries. Librarians will also meet with businesses to help in developing a business plan.

  3.  Training sessions on using research tools and databases as well as training on software such as PowerPoint, Excel, Microsoft Word and social media tools for networking, marketing and blogging. Many libraries bring in U.S. Census trainers for more in depth business research.

  4.  Collection of books, directories, handbooks, and magazines to keep business up to speed. Several guides and how to books are available for new business owners on financing, law, marketing, personnel, accounting, taxation, ethics, technology tools and their application, and general everyday business management.

  5.  One-on-one business consultations are also offered at many libraries. Personal appointments can be made with the business reference librarian for special research or training.

Local business reference librarians are available for calls, e-mails, live chats and in-person meetings. The key to obtaining this information is simply your local library card.

If you would like to schedule a business reference presentation for your business group or company, please contact Alka Bhatnagar at 609-278-2640 ext 133 or abhatnagar@njstatelib.org.