Skip to Content

Home / Research & Reference / Research Guides / Business Research

Business and Financial Research

Mount Prospect Public Library has a wide selection of business resources in print and online. Browse journals, newspapers, and newsletters found in the Business Reading Room, or use the Business Reference collection for research. The Business Reference Librarian can help with special research questions.

Please contact Patricia Smolin at psmolin@mppl.org.


Databases

Subscription databases are accessible from within the library or if noted, at home or remotely with a registered MPPL library card.

Business eBook Collection (Gale Virtual Reference Library)     access from home use at home   access from library use in library
Searches business plans, company and industry information, management, finance, national and international economics, and small business information.

Legal Forms (Gale / Cengage) access from home use at home   access from library use in library
Thousands of legal forms available with more forms being added daily. Official, State Specific, Federal, Business, Personal, Real Estate and General forms covering hundreds of legal subjects and issues.

LexisNexis Library Express access from home use at home   access from library use in library

Access over 1,000 national, regional and international news publications, information on over 44 million U.S. and international companies, legal information including case law, statues and regulations, and biographical information. (Access outside Library excludes Legal infomation.)

Morningstar Investment Research Center access from home use at home access from library use in library
Provides access to information on stocks and mutual funds for potential investors and researchers.

NetAdvantage (Standard and Poor's)   access from home use at home   access from library use in library
A comprehensive source of business and investment information, offering on-line access to popular Standard & Poor's research products such as Stock Reports, Corporation Records, The Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives, The Outlook, Mutual Fund Reports, and Bond Reports.

Plunkett Research Online    access from home use at home   access from library use in library
Company profiles and comprehensive information on industry trends and statistics for over 30 key industries. Includes a special section for job seekers.

ReferenceUSA    access from home use at home   access from library use in library
Search for businesses, as well as residential listings. Users can locate businesses by a number of criteria, including geographic details, company size and revenue.

Stat-USA      access from library use in library
Stat-USA, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is a single point of access to authoritative business, trade, and economic information from across the Federal Government.

Ward's Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies access from home use at home   access from library use in library
Ward's lists basic information on more than 112,000 companies, 90% of which are private.  Great for finding company contacts and generating lists.

The following sites are Free Web Resources Free Web Resources

General Resources

Associations & Organizations

Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce (Village of Mount Prospect)
SCORE (Chicagoland Chapter)   more info » The SCORE Association is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, "Counselors to America's Small Business".
Small Business Association (United States Small Business Administration)

Business News

CNBC on MSN Money (Microsoft and NBC)
CBS Market Watch
Crain's Chicago Business (Crain Communications)
MSN News (MSN)   more info » Business and financial news.
SEC Investor Information Site (U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission)   

Business Portals

Commerce Clearinghouse [CCH] Business Owners Toolkit (a Wolters Kluwer Business)   more info » Guides, business tools, and current news information.
Illinois Real Time Corporate/LLC Information Search (State of Illinois)   more info » State of Illinois Business Portal with links to guides, forms, and more.

Company Research

The Directory of Online Annual Reports (Annual Report Service)   more info » Over 4,500 annual reports and 10-K filings for online viewing with additional companies added daily. Free registration required.
SEC Filings & Forms EDGAR (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)   more info » Free access to company disclosure files of all forms.


Directories and Marketing

Thomas Register of American Manufacturers (Thomas Register)   more info » Products, services, and supplier listings link industrial sellers to buyers. CAD drawings and product news also available.
Advertising World : a marketing communications directory (University of Texas at Austin Department of Advertising)   more info » Marketing communications directory portal.


Legal

Everyday Law for Everyday People (Nolo)   more info » Wills & estate planning, property & money, and more do-it-yourself legal solutions for individuals and small business.
FindLaw for Business (Part of the West Group)   more info » 'Comprehensive guide to legal information including more than 5,000 human-edited site listings in more than 30 practice areas, as well as state-specific, federal, and international materials.'
EPA Small Business Gateway (Environmental Protection Agency)
Illinois Business Forms (Cyberdrive Illinois: State of Illinois)   more info » Forms in PDF format.

Small Business

Startup & Development

Illinois Entrepreneurship Network (Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity - DCEO)
SBA Small Business Startup Toolkit (United States Small Business ADministration)
SBDCNet (National Information Clearinghouse)   more info » A full service site with tools, resources, and advisor info.
Small Business Help: kits and free news (AllBusiness.com)   more info »'AllBusiness is based in San Francisco, California and backed by VantagePoint Venture Partnets, Sutter Hill Ventures and Reed Elsevier Ventures.
Step-by-Step Guide to Starting a Business in Illinois (State of Illinois)   more info» Large site; click on the Site Map and then on "Business Start-Up Guides" to find a link to the complete, 47 page "Starting a Business in Illinois Handbook", in PDF format.
Illinois Small Business Development Center at Harper College (Harper College)   more info» Receive free counseling at the Illinois Small Business Development Center site associated with William Rainey Harper College.

Business Plans

BPlans.com (Palo Alto Software Inc.)   more info » Free business plans online, along with tools and help about managing your business.
Business Owner's Toolkit (Commerce Clearing House)   more info » Planning, financing, managing, and more on this comprehensive site.

Franchising

Franchise Finder (Franchise Solutions, Inc.)
Franchise Handbook (Enterprise Magazines)   more info » Database of franchises; directories, articles, events calendar and more

Finance and Investment

Investment Sites, Stock Symbols, and Quotes

Big Charts (Market Watch)   more info » ews, markets, historical quotes, interactive charting
Financial Planning Toolkit (Commerce Clearing House: Wolters Kluwer)
News, Quotes, Research (Microsoft Money)
Pink Sheets
Ticker Symbol Lookup (Yahoo Finance)

Exchanges Online

NASDAQ
New York Stock Exchange
"How to Read Stock Tables" (New York Stock Exchange)
Learn How to Read Financial Reports (IBM)   more info » Click on 'Investor Tools', then 'Investment Guides' to find the guide.


Research Guides

Small Businesses Can Get Help   more info » Resources, local and state, guides and counseling.
Marketing Resources   more info »Key resources for marketing and advertising research.
Jobs and Career Development

Last Updated On March 10, 2010

Home / Research & Reference / Research Guides / Business Research

Skip to Top