Posts by Madeleine Cohen

Creating a business plan? Get step-by-step search tips to better understand your industry, via business databases now available at the Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL).

Industry and market research is an important piece of any business plan, and SIBL provides access to specialized information that is not available on the internet.

ScienceDirect is a portal to science journal articles. Find out the search refinements that will limit your results to only the articles you can access and download free at the Library.

NYPL's small business website, smallbiz.nypl.org, can link you to hundreds of free and low-cost assistance programs through its Services Directory. New York City is one of the best places to start a business, and a wealth of small business services is available to entrepreneurs through local & state government, non-profit organizations, economic development corporations and neighborhood community groups. There are hundreds of programs, funded separately, not connected to each other, so 

If you're thinking of starting your own business, or you're in business and need to keep up with trends, you can save time by using the industry and market research databases at NYPL's business library, SIBL. The library provides access to a range of premium information which is not available free on the Internet. At SIBL, you can research an industry or market sector to get the background and data you need for a business plan or for a marketing plan.

Two of the best industry databases are First Research and Plunkett's Research 

Do you own a business? Work as designer, distributer, or manage a retail boutique? Maybe you're a buyer for a large store? You need to find reliable suppliers for your business.

Panjiva, a new database you can access at SIBL, NYPL's business library, can help you identify suppliers and manufacturers in over 190 countries. A search in Panjiva for a keyword such as sweaters, coffee beans, or guitars, returns results from the database of over 1 miilion suppliers 

Trade Associations exist for nearly every industry and can be valuable sources of information for new business owners and those doing industry research. Some trade associations offer continuing professional training and certifications, and many conduct market research, to keep their members up to date with industry data, reports and statistics.

Beverage Industry • Apparel • Tea & Coffee Trade JournalIf you’re writing a business plan or have recently started a new business, you need to keep up with industry news and trends. One way to do this is with trade journals.

Trade journals are written for people involved in an industry or sector, and offer a view from inside the industry. Some are restricted “to the trade,” but many can be accessed online through NYPL.

So how can you find these publications? One quick way is to go to the

At the suggestion of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce (MCC), SIBL recently hosted a lively orientation for NYC-based foreign trade commissioners and their staff. The attendees learned effective and efficient ways to mine business-to-business (B2B) contacts from online business directories accessible at NYPL's Science, Industry and Business Library.

Trade commission staff from 

Are you planning to start a business? Are you interested in doing something you really love? Perhaps it's using your expertise to start a service business — maybe you’re a chef with a unique restaurant concept. Do you know who your competition is? You’ll need to find out.

A great place to research competitors is Reference USA, an online directory available on site at SIBL and several other NYPL libraries. Use the