New York SBDC Research Network

Many of our clients are setting up or growing businesses in rural settings. A source that looks at rural economics is the USDA’s Economic Research Service: Key Topics: Rural America . It looks at rural industry including farm labor, issues facing farms, how many farms are set up and federal funding distribution. You will also find Characteristics and Production Costs which looks at how production costs vary among producers. Agricultural Outlook: Statistical Indicators includes data on specific commodities, prices and expenditures. Rural America at a Glance is at http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/AIB793/ and State Fact Sheets: New York is a summary of farm income and employment for NYS.

Everyone in the country should soon be able to get a FREE copy of his or her credit report from each of the credit reporting companies once every 12 months . The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a brochure, Your Access to Free Credit Reports , explaining your rights and how to order a free annual credit report. The free reports have been phased in during a nine-month period, starting on the West Coast last December 1, to the Midwest on March 1, to the South on June 1. Starting September 1, the free reports will be accessible to everybody, including those in CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY , NC, PA, RI, VT, VA, WV, DC, PR, and all U.S. territories. There’s a toll-free number to order the report: 877-322-8228, or complete the request form on the FTC site and mail it. The instructions read: "When you order, you need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. To verify your identity, you may need to provide some information that only you would know, lik

When doing research on non-profits, I often check GuideStar.org . GuideStar provides data on more than 1.5 million non-profit organizations. When you search the GuideStar database without registering, you find a non-profit by its name, city, and state. You'll see its NTEE (National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities) code, and whether contributions to it are tax deductible. If you register (for free), however, you get much more, including: Address Mission and program descriptions Goals and results Three most recent Forms 990 received from the IRS* for an organization Any documents a nonprofit has posted through the eDocs service *Form 990 is an annual reporting return that certain federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS. It provides information on the filing organization's mission, programs, and finances. If you're looking to work with a non-profit or thinking about donating to an organization, GuideStar.org can help you become better-informed, and make more ef

To follow on Darrin's earlier post... No doubt everyone has visited the DOL site for data at some time for employment law or other tips and stats. I tend to get in and out, going straight for what I need without really looking around, especially since there is such an alarming amount of information jammed in there. A few spots that are worth a visit if you haven’t been recently are: OSHA - Injury and Illness: Recordkeeping Reports on Computer and Internet Use at Work Temporary help agency workers report Occupational Outlook Quarterly We often go straight to Occupational Outlook Handbook and certainly you will recognize the reports from that source from enquiry packets. A source you may not check as often is the Occupational Outlook Quarterly Online. While poking around I came upon the You’re a What? feature. This quarter they focus on a modelmaker , past issues have been flavorist , and perfusionist . But they also covered acupuncturist , corporate concierge , dog walker , and gree

I was looking for more cool resources for you when I came across a November 2003 article in Entrepreneur magazine online , with the title shown. While the other librarians and I have cited some of the sources they've included, there are a few others that you might want to check out. Business Basics Business.gov : "Sponsored by the SBA, this site asserts that its purpose is to make the relationship between business and government more productive." U.S. Postal Service : "The USPS delivers when it comes to helping you figure out the ins and outs of shipping your precious letters and packages. Of particular interest: a section on direct mail—how to do it, rates and mailing info, templates, FAQs and more." Also in this section: SCORE and something called the Small Business Development Centers . Business Opportunities Cited here: Export.gov : "Register to receive the Export.gov newsletter, and you'll get monthly updates on feature articles, trade events and n

Sometimes, a library is improved by what it removes, rather than what it adds. Since 1992, the Research Network has been buying, cataloging, and lending Business Start-Up Guides, as published by Entrpreneur magazine. These are guides that are regularly borrowed by you on behalf of our clients. At the beginning of 2005, we had exactly 200 guides in the collection. However, a recent review of our holdings shows that 75% are more than 10 years old. I knew we had some dated guides on the shelves - however, I didn't realize it was that prevalent. In traditional public & academic library settings, items that are this old are kept as a matter of historical record. We don't have that luxury here - there's simply not enough space, nor are these guides of any practical value to the clients we serve. (In fact, they can do more harm than good. A recent evaluation came back to the Central office, specifically noting a client's disappointment with "very old" info

You have by now likely seen or used a wiki . A wiki is a simple but useful web tool to learn about any number of things. A natural outgrowth of email and blogs, it is server software that lets users to communally control content. A group of people can edit parts of text on the wiki, tweaking the information found there. The strength of the wiki comes from so many eyes constantly improving it. It is the closest thing to the original concept of what the web should be – an open tool for people to share information. While abuse does exist, moderators can correct incidents. One highly visible wiki is wikipedia , there is also wiktionary , wikiquotes , but they are well suited to collaborative projects. Organizations that are interested in knowledge management may be looking in this direction for information sharing. For more information on wikis check out HowStuffWorks.com for an article by Marshall Brain entitled “ How Wikis Work ”.

As a librarian, I tend to be cognizant of, and pulled by, two often conflicting values, the widespread distribution of information versus the desire to honor intellectual property rights (copyright, trademark, patent), the latter so the creators will be willing and able to "do it again." So, I was very interested in reading an article in the July/August 2005 Searcher, "The Magazine for Database Professionals" . The article, "Generosity and Copyright" by Laura Gordon-Murname , asked the question, "How can you help patrons identify public domain content...?" The copyright law has become more skewed towards the copyright holder over time, with longer periods and more lenient applications, so that the doodle on a napkin or a quick e-mail becomes copyrightable. According to Gordon-Murname, there are many critics who believe these changes fly in the face of the law as envisioned by Jefferson and others. She quotes Larry Lessig, who says this "per

I frequently prepare usage statistics for presentation at meetings. A blog seems a good place to present them, too. Here's a few items of note: As most of you know, the Research Network has been serving the SBDC community since September 1992. On May 31st of this year, we received our 20,000th request for information. Thanks to John Narciso at our Farmingdale SBDC for being the one to help us reach this milestone! We answered 146 requests asked during the month of June. This is about right - we've averaged exactly 146 for every June since 1993. To put that number in perspective, know that our busiest month ever was April 2002, when a whopping 217 requests came to our doors. The lowest? October 1998, when there were but 74. Generally, March is our busiest month of the year, and (unsurprisingly) December is the slowest. In June, we devoted 1.4 hours of prep time per question. This isn't unusual - historically, we've spent 1.5 hours on a request. I'll try to re

In this age of rising costs for proprietary information, the Research Network librarians have to be creative in their research strategies. One of the ways we track down industry trends is to look at Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings . Maybe your client sells a product in a retail establishment. Check out the manufacturer's filing for a discussion of the industry as well as competitors. Form 10-K is a good place to start. The 10-K is the annual report to the SEC, however, it's generally different from the Annual Report to Stockholders . The 10-K follows a standard format as mandated by the SEC and doesn't contain the colorful charts and graphs found in the glossy Annual Report to Stockholders. The 10-K describes how the firm does business, lists ownership and management, may provide estimates of market share and competition, discusses research and development activities, lists subsidiaries, and reveals legal proceedings and other matters that affect the compa

While working on a question for an advisor, I came across a term I had not heard before: ‘ home-shoring’ . At a time when there is so much written about out-sourcing and off-shoring, it piqued my interest. We come across a lot of buzz words, and this was a new one on me. Naturally coined here in the US, home-shoring refers to the outsourcing of functions in this case to those working from their homes. Off-shoring has not worked out in many cases, particularly for call and customer services, and with increasing security fears, this seems to be a viable alternative. And apparently about as cost effective as off-shoring to India, while employing those within the market they serve. Not that we haven’t seen many home-based businesses offering outsourced services to industry, but now we have the lingo. Star Tribune Let's hear it for 'homeshoring' October 7, 2004 at 11:46 AM By Nick Eian September 19, 2004 FORUM0919 http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/4983779.html CNet News 

There's a U.S. Census activity now taking place that will eliminate the need for the long form in the 2010 Census, and beyond. The American Community Survey is a nationwide survey designed to provide information more quickly, rather than having users wait for 10 years. Yet it it has received very little publicity, because the Bureau has little or no budget for promotion. "The decennial census has two parts: 1) the short form, which counts the population; and 2) the long form, which obtains demographic, housing, social, and economic information from a 1-in-6 sample of households. Information from the long form is used for the administration of federal programs and the distribution of billions of federal dollars. "Planners and other data users are reluctant to rely on [out-of-date data] for decisions that are expensive and affect the quality of life of thousands of people. The American Community Survey is a way to provide the data communities need every year instead of once

We receive a number of requests for average wages paid - either hourly or per year - for a given occupation within a given geographic region. If this is something you're asked repeatedly, then you should bookmark this site: http://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_data.htm It presents wage estimate data generated by the Occupational Employment Statistics division within the U.S. Department of Labor. Right now, the most current data is available from May 2004. Data can be generated by a) the U.S. in general, b) an individual state, and/or c) selected metropolitan areas. (Metropolitan areas are usually defined as a collection of one or more contiguous counties, not necessarily within the same state. However, not all counties are part of a metro area. To find out, visit this section: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/msa_def.htm .) Back to the wage tables. You'll notice the far-left column is titled "SOC Code Number". Occupations are organized according to the Standard Occupationa

At a librarian conference in June, I learned about this free service from MelissaData. Go to the Free Home Sales Alert by ZIP Code page . Sign up to receive a weekly email with the home sales in a ZIP Code for the previous 7 days. You'll get information on the sales price, street and date the sale was recorded. You must be a registered user to take advantage of this service. The Lookups section of MelissaData has lots of other free services (up to a daily limit) including: Campaign Contributors - Contributors to federal campaigns by ZIP Code Climate Averages - Monthly low, average and high temperatures by ZIP Code ZIP Codes in a County - List of ZIP Codes in any county in the United States Fatal Accidents - Number of fatal vehicle accidents by county People Finder -Locate anyone nationwide. Search public records. Try it out for yourself and post a comment when you do.

Rainey, W.T. 10th Annual Disaster Resource Guide 2005/2006 2004 Automatic Carwash Operations Benchmarking Report. 2004 Self-Serve CarwashingBenchmarking Survey Report. Alpaca Owners & Breeders Association AOBA Farm & Ranch Guide 2005-2006 Hall, Stephen F. From Kitchen To Market: Selling Your Gourmet Food Specialty 4th Ed. 2005 Getzips: Zip Codes By County. 2001. Morrison, David A. Marketing To The Campus Crowd: Everything You Need To Know To Capture the $200 Billion College Market. 2004 Barletta, Martha Marketing To Women: How To Understand, Reach, And Increase Your Share Of The World’s Largest Market Segment. 2003 Valuationresources.com Small Business Valuation Formula Multiples. 2004 Gross, T. Scott When Customers Talk... Turn What They Tell You Into Sales. 2005 Based On A National Survey Of 100,000 Customers

Here are some recreational and entertainment sites to check out. While some of them (notably SGMA) sell a lot of material, there is something of use, and FREE, to recommend the site. The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association has a number of expensive reports, but the Sports Participation Topline Report , delineating how many play various sports, is free. Clients seeking to compete with the big music chains should check out the site of The Coalition of Independent Music Stores . Speaking of music, there are great demographic statistics at the Recording Industry Association of America webpage. Paul Rapp is a lawyer dealing with intellectual property issues, especially in the areas of art and music. He was also the drummer in the legendary Albany band Blotto. He's put out a series of articles about copyright myths, trademark infringement, work for hire, fair use and similar topics. If you fill out the form on the Motion Picture Association of America website, you will be se

Recently, I came across an article that might be of interest to clients of yours who run e-commerce businesses. It explains the results of recent studies of how visitors to the Web go about searching for what they need. It answers such questions as "How do they phrase their searches?" "At what sites do they begin their search?" "How many results are they willing to wade through before choosing a destination?" Very useful for those businesses with a significant customer base in cyberspace. (By the way, this article was found on a Web site called Search Engine Watch . If it sounds familiar, Mary Beth cited this in her blog of June 23rd.)

When you call the Research Network, you may ask for a list of competitors in a certain region, say, Western New York. When a librarian starts work on your question, (s)he needs to define what counties make up that region. To do this, I use Empire State Development's definitions : (1) Western New York : Niagara, Erie, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany (2) Finger Lakes : Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Ontario, Yates, Seneca (3) Southern Tier : Steuben, Schuyler, Chemung, Tompkins, Tioga, Broome, Chenango, Otsego, Delaware (4) Central NY : Cayuga, Oswego, Onondaga, Cortland, Madison (5) North Country : Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, Essex (6) Mohawk Valley : Oneida, Herkimer, Hamilton, Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie (7) Capital Region : Warren, Saratoga, Washington, Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer, Greene, Columbia (8) Mid-Hudson : Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester (9) New York City : Bronx, Kings, New York, Que

Every small business owner will at some point realize the need for competitive intelligence. We often get requests for lists of competitors in a given area but the real questions concerning the competition: how much of a threat they pose to the business owner is one that requires closer attention. They will likely learn a fair amount about the competition from their own clients. Besides the typical sources of information: annual reports, corporate web sites, national and local papers; there are also job postings, legal filings, patents and interviews with people to gather the pieces that will come together into a fuller picture of the market. Clients could take advantage of tracking services, join professional associations, and attend trade shows and network. Clipping competitors ads can help keep on top of what their offerings are. Business owners should also be aware of competitors from new corners – those with aligned products or services. Approach the competition as a customer to s

Sometimes, you or your client need to make contacts with state and local governments, perhaps out of state. There are a number of different strategies to achieve your informational needs: You can use Google or Yahoo! or another search engine. Be aware, however, that you might hit the commercial, rather than governmental site for the entity. The ending .com will generally be the tipoff, but not always. You can access state web pages by using the formula http://www.state.xx.us/ , where xx stands for the two-letter postal code of the state. (Need the postal code? Check with the U.S. Postal Service .) This methodology can be helpful when you want to look at several aspects of a state's governance. These sites also tend to have links to the localities within their respective states. You can go to a portal of state and local government sites, regularly updated, such as the one here . FirstGov.gov , "the U.S. Government's Official Web Portal," not only has alphabetical