Business Reference 101

Next Session: October 13-November 7, 2008

Register online now!

Register by mail or fax

Registration deadlines

Course Objectives and Description

Do you wish you felt more confident when faced with a business reference question? Want to demystify SIC and NAICS codes, ROI and 10k's? Then Business Reference 101 is for you! This four-week, Web-based professional development course is designed for academic, special or public librarians and other researchers and library staff who have a basic understanding of some business resources but who do not work with them often enough to build expertise. The course will provide students with a framework for understanding the business reference process as well as an overview of business reference sources specific to each of the course modules (see below). Business Reference 101 participants will also have access to proprietary business reference databases such as Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage, Thomson/Gale's Business & Company Resource Center, Ebsco's Business Source Complete and Morningstar, among others.

Business Reference 101 is a distance education, Web-based course tailored for public, special and academic librarians and other researchers and library staff who may feel somewhat intimidated when faced with business reference questions. It is a "101" approach, meaning that it is primarily targeted at those who are not very familiar with this subject area. Seasoned business researchers could take Business Reference 101 as a refresher course to brush up on their skills.

Course Outline

• Week 1: Introduction (1-2 hours)
  The introduction will include an overview of the Business Reference 101 course objectives as well as provide a framework for understanding business reference questions and business reference resources. This introductory week will provide context for the remaining weeks. Week 1 includes a quiz and one optional chat session. Participants will also be asked to submit a personal profile as well as post some "Business Reference Stumpers" to the discussion board.
• Week 2: Company Module & Industry Module (2-4 hours)
  The Company Module will introduce some of the basics of company information search strategies. Corporate finance and accounting will also be addressed briefly. This module also includes a section on Small Business issues. The Industry Module covers how to approach an industry research question and how to work with industries that aren't easily defined or made up of small, private companies. Industry codes are also explained. Week 2 includes two quizzes.
• Week 3: International Module & Marketing/Demographics/Statistics. Module (2-4 hours)
  The International Module discusses some of the issues involved when a business reference question involves a foreign company or industry. The Marketing/Demographics/Statistics Module presents some strategies on digging for marketing and demographic information and how to approach statistical questions creatively. Week 3 includes 2 quizzes.
• Week 4: Investing/Stock Market & Course Wrap-up (2-4 hours)
  The Investing/Stock Market Module introduces the basics of investing and strategies for finding market information, including historical data and data on defunct entities. The Course Wrap-up reviews the highlights of the course and points to additional business reference resources that aren't included in the earlier modules. Week 4 contains one quiz and an evaluation as well as one optional chat session.

Course Format

• Beginning in 2008, ALA will use Moodle for all online educational courses. Learn more about Moodle at www.moodle.org.
• The course site will open one week prior to the start date for students to access Moodle instructions and set their browsers appropriately. The course site will remain open one week after the end date for students to complete any assignments and submit the course evaluation survey.

Instructor

Celia Ross has gained over a decade of practical business reference experience in a variety of settings, including a venture capital firm, a large public library, a global consulting firm and academic libraries. She has conducted business reference workshops for Chicago-area library groups since 2002. Ross developed Business Reference 101 for RUSA in 2005 and has been teaching it to sold-out crowds since March of 2006. She is active in ALA and was recently elected chair of RUSA's BRASS division.  She is also a member of the Special Libraries Association and the Association of Independent Information Professionals.  She is working on a book, "Making Sense of Business Reference," which is forthcoming from ALA Editions.

After the birth of her daughter in early 2008, Ross started Stratham Research, an independent information search firm.  She also puts her business reference skills to use as a part-time researcher for an innovation strategy firm. 

Registration Information

Registration limit for each session: 30
Registrations for this session will no longer be accepted once the 30 student limit is reached.

Registration Fees:

• $130 for RUSA members
• $160 for ALA members
• $190 for non-ALA members
• $100 for students/retirees

How to Register:

• Online
• By Fax: download, complete, and fax form to (312) 280-1538
• By Mail: download, complete, and mail form to American Library Association, ATTN: MACS/Online CE Registration, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL  60611

Registration Deadlines for Next Session:

• Online: August 22, 2008
• By Fax: August 20, 2008
• By Mail: postmarked by August 6, 2008