There are some powerful and free resources offered by the Pima County Public Library. You can access these tools remotely from your office or your home. All you need is a library card, according to Kassy Rodeheaver, business librarian II.
Reference USA is a database with information on more than 52 million businesses. You can find company information, executive leadership, sales volume, number of employees and so much more. This is a great tool to do market research, competitive analysis and to identify strategic partners. You can export your search results to print mailing labels or to form a call list.
Reference USA also offers data on consumer buying habits, income levels, demographics and much more. The database gives you the ability to search on a micro-level, too. For example, you can filter results by Zip code or by neighborhood.
Every business needs a business plan, but developing one can be time-consuming and costly. At least thatβs they way it used to be. The library now offers a database of complete business plans for a variety of industries. These business plans are not generic samples, they are actual plans submitted by existing businesses. These plans were good enough to help those businesses obtain funding from banks and the Small Business Administration.
Another useful tool is called Kanopy, which is a platform where users can stream videos and films from a vast collection. Kanopy can be used for entertainment or educational purposes. The educational videos are from some of the brightest minds on the planet on a variety of topics like business case studies, leadership and career development.
Finally, if you are looking for free digital books, magazines, newspapers or audio books, their e-library is your go-to source for all things entertainment.
These are just a few of the resources offered by the library. It also offers free workshops to teach you how to use these tools and others.
For more information, contact the Pima County library at 791-4010.
