The Business Team Liaison Librarians thank the many VSB faculty that  completed a survey on their use of and attitudes toward library subscription sources.  The library will use this data to inform future collection development efforts.  Key takeaways gleaned from the survey are as follows:

• Several databases could benefit from concerted marketing.
• Two low cost-low use databases are candidates for cancellation.
• There is unmet faculty demand for research databases that needs to be sustainably satisfied.

Villanova community members are invited to view the summary report.

The library is pleased to be running a trial to Stratfor for Enterprises. The trial was requested for Global Political Economy students, but is likely to be of interest to students of international politics as well. Statfor offers indepth analysis of economic, energy, political and military developments with forecasts. Content is delivered via reports, news briefs, videos, maps and timelines. The trial runs through June, 2015. Check it out and let is know if you think we need a subscription. linda.hauck@villanova.edu

Do you dislike ferreting out reliable data as much as you delight in using statistics, facts, figure and info-graphics to support your ideas?  Statista may be the database for you!

Statista offers quality statistics on a wide range of topics gleaned from government and private sources.  Industries, companies and business are stand out areas of coverage, but there are data graphs for everyone’s interests here (see the survey of poetry reading). Precise links to underlying sources are always provided to empower you to make intelligent decisions about quality and appropriate use of the data.  Keyword searching with filters and browsing features make finding what you need painless.  Flexible options are available for customizing the look of data and there are a full suite of download options with built in citation generators to make incorporating data into papers very simple.

Other statistical sources in our collection include Data-Planet & Statistical Insight.  Concurrent trials for data sources include Sage Statistics and PolicyMap.

Let us know what you think! linda.hauck@villanova.edu

The library is pleased to host a month long trial to PolicyMap.  PolicyMap is an easy to use platform for mapping data, and generating data tables or reports.  Depending on the source data, you can get as granular (census blocks or zip codes), global (states) or particular as you like by drawing and defining custom areas.  Layered mapping allows you to identify areas that meet multiple criteria, a function critical to site selection of businesses, services and studies.

The data PolicyMap draws from are primarily a federal alphabet soup.  Think HUD, BLS, CDFI, CDC, NCES, NOAA, USDA, IRS, BEA, USGS, SSA to name a few.  Of course the Census Bureau serves as the backbone.  Some nonprofit and community organizations have contributed data as well.  In fact PolicyMap was developed by a local nonprofit, The Reinvestment Fund (TRF), a lending organization devoted to community redevelopment.

To learn more about how to use PolicyMap you can signup for a webinar or view their video tutorials: Quick Start, Maps, 3-Layer Maps, Reports and Data Loader.

Villanova has subscriptions to three other resources incorporating similar mapping features, Social Explorer, ESRI Business & Community Analyst and Data-Planet.  Social Explorer presents the ability to do deep historical dives into Census demographic data with mapping capabilities.  ESRI Business & Community Analyst closely parallels the sophisticated functionality and broad range of data sources offered by PolicyMap, but requires individual account administration.  Data-Planet’s mapping and analytic tools may not be as compelling, but its data sources have the broadest appeal for academics and scholars.

Let me know what you think about PolicyMap!  Linda.hauck@villanova.edu

Are you one of the introverted but creative leaders championed by Susan Cain’s recent book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking?  Don’t let your naturally restrained style impede the flow of conversation in a job interview or exploratory career interview.  Coming to the interview prepared to ask thoughtful and probing questions can go a long way toward keeping the conversation lively.  And for those extroverts out there, never at a loss for words, being well prepared can keep the conversation on track and drive home the impression that you’re a curious, but focused person.

The library has two resources to help you jump start or sustain engaging conversations with professionals in a wide variety of industries:  IBISWorld iExpert Summaries and ABI/Inform (Proquest) First Research Industry Profiles.  These industry reports describe the industry structure, market share, competitors, outlook and issues.  The feature that sets them apart from other industry reports and makes them particularly useful for job seekers is their prep questions.  These reports list questions and conversation starters calibrated to the industry and phrased to make you sound your best.

To find IBISWorld iExpert reports simply search by keyword or browse the list of iExpert Industry Summaries or iExpert Specialized Industry Summaries.  To find First Research Industry Profiles, login to ABI Inform, link to Data & Reports, check Industry Reports and search by keyword.

Heading to the People’s Climate March in NYC on Sunday and need a good read for the trip?  Consider these books about the economic impacts of global warming and how businesses and industries are responding to the challenges posed by climate change.  Here’s just a sample of books in our collection, many available for immediate download to your ipad.

	The economics of climate change and the change of climate in economics by K. Marachel
	Global warming and the world trading system by G.C. Hufbauer
	Green collar jobs:  Environmental careers for the 21st Century
	Windfall:  The booming business of global warming by M. Funk
	Climate change:  What’s your business strategy? by A.J. Hoffman
	Climate change justice and sustainability linking climate and development policy by O. Edenhofer
	Carbon coalitions: Business, politics and the rise of emissions trading by J. Meckling

The library is offering trial access to Human Resource Management Online an Alexander Street Press collection of practice-professional oriented material as well as academic works. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is a major contributor to this collection of sample policies, case studies, sample documents and reports.  Topics covered include compensation & benefits, recruitment, training & development, equal opportunity, job analysis & design, health and safety and more.

The trial is running through November 2.  Let us know how you like it!

Until now Value Line company reports were only dished up as static pdf documents. No more!  Value Line just released a fully digital site retaining the best of the old content (and pdfs), while enhancing the user experience.

From the Dashboard landing page you can browse current market commentary or use Quick Links to get Value Line Investment Surveys or the Small and Mid-Cap Report and others. Use the Company Name or Ticker search in the top banner for pulling company reports. The stock screener is below the Find Ideas tab. The Markets tab houses industry analysis and commentary.

This initial release and our academic subscription do have a few limitations.  For example, at present modules not included in our subscription are not masked, so you may encounter locked down content.  The “Quote” button searches the entire web page rather than company reports as would be intuited.  These flaws will be remedied in the near future.  Other bothersome features such as the inability to download data are not on deck for correction.

ValueLine has prepared several nice videos on  site navigation, using the screener and charting functions.  Check them out to learn how to take full advantage of the new digital interface.

Factiva is a pricey but powerful current news, company, markets and industry information database.  Much of the content is also available in Lexis-Nexis, ABI Inform and Business Source Premier. But by using Factiva you can search the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Financial Times and many others simultaneously. Factiva has built in and customizable news browsing functionality. Whereas Lexis-Nexis, ABI Inform and Business Source Premier’s default is for searching.  The current trial running through July 5 was requested by one of Villanova’s  Assistant Professors of Accounting specializing in financial research.  The top U.S. News & World Report ten best business schools subscribe,  should VSB?

My colleague wrote this side splitting blog about what you’ll miss about Villanova after graduation. It usually takes a little while before you miss easy access to library resources,  but when when you do, here is what you can do:

• Alumni are eligible for free courtesy borrower cards which enable you to borrow books, enter the library during all open hours (which vary depending on the season), and use most databases on-site only. Unfortunately our license agreements only allow remote access for current students, staff and faculty.
• To obtain a courtesy borrowers card you will need to complete a Courtesy Card Application (only available in paper at the library front desk) and show identification. Library staff will confirm your alumni status and UNIT will mail the card ( I cannot accurately estimate the time frame for this).
• Before the card is received, you will be able to use databases in the library by logging in with a public user name and password.
• By all means, get a public library card!  Most public libraries offer remote access to databases.  Their holdings may not be as scholarly or extensive as what you’ve become used to at Falvey Memorial Library, but you can’t beat the convenience!