Category: databases & e-resources

Database of the Month: NBER / National Bureau of Economic Research

Hope Houston

Founded in 1920, the National Bureau of Economic Research is the leading private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of how the economy works. The NBER is committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic community.

The National Bureau of Economic Research highlights recent projects, publications, and new working papers on all aspects of economics and the economy.  Daily updates are posted on the front page.  Searching for specific topics ranging from the global financial crisis to incentive pay and employee performance is quick and easy using the search box located in the upper right hand corner of the database screen.

The database is divided into five distinct report activities –

  • Working Papers & Publications where you may access reports and chapters from books in process
  • Activities which report on NBER’s programs and working groups (e.g. Development of the American Economy, Entrepreneurship, Health Economics, etc.)
  • Meetings – summaries of meetings on a spectrum of economics topics
  • Data – Boston Census Research Data, Current Population Survey, New Economic Releases, Vital Statistics are some of the frequently requested data sources through NBER

 The most frequently searched for data are:

  •  US Business Cycle Expansions and Contractions
  • The NBER Business Cycle Dating Committee Report
  • The Latest NBER Working Papers and Chapters for Forthcoming NBER Books

Some of the available papers listed the Week of March 12, 2012 include:

Target-Date Funds in 401(k) Retirement Plans
Olivia S. Mitchell and Stephen Utkus

On the Road: Access to Transportation Infrastructure and Economic Growth in China
Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Nancy Qian

Gasoline Taxes and Consumer Behavior
Shanjun Li, Joshua Linn, and Erich Muehlegger

Does Universal Coverage Improve Health? The Massachusetts Experience
Charles J. Courtemanche and Daniela Zapata

 Connect to this Database:

You may find NBER listed on the library’s Databases A-Z page, as well as under the Economics Databases subject page.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please contact the Reference Desk.  If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

March is Women’s History Month

Liz
Strikers ca. 1910-1915

Since 1987, March has been proclaimed National Women’s History Month in the United States. March 8 has also been observed  as International Women’s Day since the early 1900s, born out of the suffrage movements of that era. Learn more about women’s history by delving into the wealth of materials the Bentley Library and the Internet have on the topic!

Starting places on the library’s website include our research guides on both Gender Issues and History, which will point you toward key databases, books, videos, and websites in those areas.

Take a look at the Women’s Studies section of one of our latest databases, Films on Demand, to see videos ranging from a history of women at West Point to speeches given by key figures in women’s rights to a full-length PBS film on the introduction of birth control.

Singer/songwriter Billie Holiday

Our library catalog is packed with books, films, and electronic documents about women’s history; this is just a sampling:

Meanwhile, Bentley’s Women’s Center has its own library of books. Search it right from the Bentley Library’s catalog, or stop by LaCava 120 to browse for yourself. Keep your women’s history local by keeping up with the Women’s Center on Twitter and Facebook, and look for events on HerCampus Bentley, too.

Also locally, you may want to check out the centennial events going on this year at Orchard House in Concord, historic home of writer Louisa May Alcott and her family. More information can be found in this Boston Globe article.*

Learn more about Women’s History Month at the websites of the National Women’s History Project and womenshistorymonth.gov, both of which contain images, histories, and chances to test your knowledge.

The photos on this page came from a Library of Congress flickr set called “Women Striving Forward, 1910s-1940s.”

 

*(Thanks for the tip, Barb!)

Database of the Month: American FactFinder

Kimberly

American FactFinder is a web tool provided by the United States Census Bureau that offers access to some of the Bureau’s largest data sets, including information from the Decennial Census, American Community Survey, Economic Census and Population Estimates Program. American FactFinder helps you find population, economic, housing, industry, and business data about the United States, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. Many of these statistics are broken down at the national, state, county and place levels.

On January 20, 2012, American FactFinder went through a major upgrade and now has a new look and features.

Searching American FactFinder

You can use the Quick Start box located in the middle of the screen to pull up tables or data files that meet your search criteria. You can search by topic or table or for a specific state, county or place.  You may use the links on the left side of the page (under Search Using the Options Below) to browse topics, geographies, race and ethnic groups, or industry codes associated with the many different statistical data sets contained in the site.

The data in American FactFinder comes from several censuses and surveys. To learn more about the individual surveys click on the symbol next to each table on the search results page.

Learn More About this Resource

Click here to discover more information about the new American FactFinder or to view an excellent (5 minute) virtual tour of this new service.  If you need any assistance using American FactFinder or any other library resources, please contact a Reference Librarian.

Connect to American FactFinder

American FactFinder is available at http://factfinder2.census.gov/. Please note: American FactFinder works best with Mozilla Firefox 3.6 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7. Other browsers may not perform as expected.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please contact the Reference Desk.  If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Database of the Month: Web of Science

Stephen

Web of Science Web of Science (WoS) is a cited reference index, which is one of the best tools for discovering and retrieving accurate citation information from as far back as 1956. WoS allows researchers to trace particular research forward in time or backward in time to see how published scholarship grows and helps researchers focus on a wide array of published scholarship. WoS is published on Thomson Reuters’ Web of Knowledge research platform.  Bentley subscribes to three WoS citation indexes:

  • Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) — 1956-present
  • Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI) — 1975-present
  • Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) — 1977-present

WoS lets users search for topics, authors and publications, as well as, eleven other indexes.  Users can search for and limit data based in times span (within a date range, from a date, or before a particular date).  Lemmatization allows users to find alternative forms of the search term, for example, tooth and teeth.   Results can be limited by publication date, relevance, times cited, source, author, and publication.  The Web of Knowledge platform provides a number of useful tools that work with WoS including the Journal Citation Reports (JCR).  The learn more about JCR please see Database of the Month for June 2011.

Citation Mapping:

WoS citation mapping tool tracks an article’s cited and citing references through two generations, allowing researchers to visually discover an article’s wider relationships.

  • Go forward and backward in time to track citing and cited references
  • Color code, re-configure and organize your citation maps to discover trends in citation activity
  • Completely interactive!
  • Access via any Web of Science full record

To learn more about citation mapping please visit the citation mapping tutorial from WoS.

Registering with WoS and Remote Access:

Users can click on the “Sign In” link at the top of any WoS webpage to register become a registered user.  To register one should be on-campus with a Bentley University I.P. address.  Once registered, users will be able to access WoS from off-campus.  Registering with WoS will also allow users to set up search alerts, save custom searches and search histories, and select a starting application that enables them to start their session in a specific database rather than on the All Databases (default) page.

Connect to this Database:

Users will find each of the WoS databases (Social Sciences Citation Index, Arts and Humanities Citation Index and Science Citation Index) listed under their individual names on our Databases A-Z page as well as on any applicable databases by subject pages.  The databases can be searched individually or cross-searched in any combination.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please contact the Reference Desk.  If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Database of the Month: MathSciNet

Colleen

MathSciNet is the major search tool – and most comprehensive resource – for the international literature of mathematics and statistics. MathSciNetCreated and maintained by the American Mathematical Society (AMS), MathSciNet provides access to citations, abstracts, and limited linking to full-text for articles and reviews from 1940 to the present. The database offers subject indexing of historical, recent, and forthcoming mathematical publications with over 100,000 new items added annually.

More than Just Journals and Citations

As of this writing, MathSciNet indexes more than 1,900 current journals from the American Mathematical Monthly to the Journal of Difference Equations and Applications, and links to the full-text in databases such as JSTOR and Science Direct are available for some articles. But the database also contains a wealth of other resources including:

  • full-text access to Mathematical Reviews (MR) –the AMS journal reviewing the world’s mathematical literature
  • full-text access to Current Mathematical Publications (CMR) – the AMS early awareness journal, a subject index of recent and forthcoming mathematical publications
  • indexing of conference proceedings
  • indexing of books
  • indexing of Ph.D. theses with direct links to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database

At present, MathSciNet contains records for over 2.7 million total publications. Starting in 2000, reference lists from the original articles have been added for a select list of journals called Reference List Journals. The Citations Block for each publication provides links to citations from reference lists and to citations from reviews.

Advanced Searching

In addition to the standard keyword, author, title, and subject searches, users can search for highly cited articles by year or by subject using the mathematical subject classification codes (MSC). To search using MSC, reference the classification schedule found from the Free Tools link in the upper right corner of the home page. While there, use the search tab Collaboration Distance to research connections and collaborations between authors. Free Tools has two additional browsing features of interest – Current Journals and Current Publications – to learn about recently published works.

Learn More

In response to requests from MathSciNet users and librarians, MathSciNet now offers tutorials on how to get the most out of searching. These tutorials treat each of the tabbed areas of MathSciNet – Publications, Authors, Journals, and Citations – as well as Free Tools and Preferences. Users are helped to take advantage of the rich structure of the databases underlying MathSciNet. Every user is likely to find a feature or search that they have not previously used.

Connect to this Database

Please visit MathSciNet to explore this valuable database further, or visit our Databases page to view a complete list of our resources.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please contact the Reference Desk. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Database of the Month: Plunkett Research Online

Macee

Plunkett Research Online (PRO) offers business intelligence information including industry/market trends and statistics, company profiles, professional organizations, and job prospects, making it ideal for industry/market researchers, for prospect/sales management projects, and for job seekers.

Plunkett Research analysts profile approximately 8,000 companies in 28 industries, with 1,000 new companies added to the list yearly. Each industry receives a complete update once per year. The previous year’s data is archived and available to users.

Industry/Market Research

The home page provides a clickable list of 28 industries for which Plunkett’s analysts supply a mix of proprietary data and data from government sources. In addition, Plunkett provides information for groupings of companies by geographic location, revenue size, and/or company type. All types of companies are included; for example, about 20% of the companies are privately held and about 30% are headquartered outside of the U.S. Data is searchable within and across industries.

Each “Industry Research Center” offers detailed information about:

  • Industry market research and trends
  • Industry statistics
  • Company profiles
  • Definitions of terms used in particular industries and for business in general
  • Industry associations, trade organizations and professional societies

The information is cross-searchable by keyword and can also be searched using advanced options. Where available, archived data is presented as a print-style Almanac in PDF format. Depending on the industry, data goes back seven years or more.

Reporting Tools

Plunkett enables users to export company contacts and/or lists of professional organizations and societies, in Excel or plain text format.

Also, using Plunkett’s Build-a-Report ℠, the user can create a custom PDF-formatted industry report for printing, emailing and/or saving.

You’ll be able to select exactly the companies you want to target. Criteria you may select by include annual revenues, size by employee count, specific industry sector by NAICS code, city, state or country of headquarters location and more. Directory information includes corporate address, phone, fax, website, revenues, profits, number of employees, subsidiaries, and up to 27 executive names by title.

Job Seeker Resources & Tools

For job seekers, in addition to the industry and company tools discussed above, Plunkett Research offers:

  • A separate Employer Search by major (U.S.-based, 2,500+ employees) and mid-size (U.S.-based, 150 to 2,500 employees) companies, with export and print functionality in Excel or plain text
  • Job market trends and statistics
  • Tips on the job search process
  • External links to the government publications Occupational Outlook Handbook and the Career Guide to Industries
  • Links to career websites and temporary employment agencies

MyResearchAccount

Sign up for a free research account and receive the following benefits:

  • Set up your own personal research profile and create a history of your searches
  • Save your searches and save comments about the search results
  • Receive alerts about new data posted to Plunkett Research Online

Connect to this Database

Please visit http://ezp.bentley.edu/login?url=http://plunkettresearchonline.com to start your research. Begin with the video tutorials at http://www.plunkettresearchonline.com/ResearchCenter/videos/tutorial.aspx, or explore what the database has to offer on your own.

This database is included in the following Library Research Guides:  Company Research,  Careers,  Industry & Market Research,  Researching Employers, and Residential Real Estate Market.  You can also visit our Databases A-Z page to view a complete list of our resources.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please contact the Reference Desk.  If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Database of the Month: SBRnet (Sport Business Research Network)

Lisa

Faculty and students doing research on the sports market or the sporting goods industry will find SBRnet (Sport Business Research Network) to be a valuable source of market segmentation data on sports participants, fans and consumers; venue information for professional and college facilities; and market and industry news. 

SBRnet combines market research from the National Sporting Goods Association, government sources and various sports governing bodies with full-text articles from trade magazines and newsletters to produce a unique database of sports market research.  SBRnet includes:

Sports Participation: 

  • Demographic data and analysis (by age, gender, income, region and state) of sports participants for 75 sports back to 1993.
  • Cumulative statistical tables show Sport-by-Sport Summaries (total, by age, and by frequency).
  • Participants and teams data for intercollegiate (NCAA) and interscholastic (high school) sports.

Sports Fans:

SBRnet provides access to the Sports Fan Market 2010 report, a statistical study of sports fans based on a survey in which respondents were asked to report on their attendance or viewership of 14 professional and college sports.

Sporting Goods Equipment & Footwear:

  • Consumer expenditures data and analysis for  sporting goods equipment (by age, education, gender, geographic region, income, outlet type, brand and price point).
  • Consumer demographics and expenditures data for logo sports apparel and footwear.
  • Sporting goods import statistics for selected products.

Venue Reports:

SBRnet provides access to the RSV (Revenues from Sports Venues) College Facilities Report and RSV Pro Facilties Report, which includes information on attendance, ticket prices, naming rights, luxury and club seats, ownership, concessions, and financing for college (NCAA Div I football and basketball) and major professional sports (baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, lacrosse and soccer).

College Athletics Revenues & Expenditures:

  • Total revenues and expenditures by Division.
  • Football NCAA Division I revenues and expenditures by school (including game day expenditures).
  • Basketball NCAA Division I revenues and expenditures by school (including game day expenditures).

Sports News:

SBRnet’s full-text publication database includes articles from trade and industry publications dealing with all aspects of the sports industry, dating back to 1996.

Directories:

  • Professional sports teams
  • College sports teams
  • Sports organizations (youth, coaching, etc.)
  • Sport Management Programs
  • Employment agencies
  • Marketing agencies
  • State-by-state directory of all organizations

Connect to this Database

Please visit SBRnet to explore this valuable database further, visit our Marketing Databases/Resources page to see more marketing databases, or view a complete list of our resources on our Databases A-Z page.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please contact the Reference Desk.  If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Electronic Textbooks But Were Afraid to Ask

Katy

Recently we’ve gotten some questions in the Library about electronic textbooks, so we’re keeping an eye on developments in this evolving market. A recent survey suggests that 75 percent of college students still prefer print textbooks, while 12 percent prefer electronic versions. Regardless of the format you prefer, here’s what you should know about etextbooks as you prepare for the start of the 2011-2012 school year.

Be prepared to do some research and legwork to find what you need. No one site has every etextbook that’s available, so don’t be surprised if you have to check with a few vendors to find what you need. The Barnes & Noble at Bentley Bookstore has electronic versions of some of the books assigned in classes, so you might begin your search there. When you go to the bookstore (in person or online) you’ll be shown if the textbook you need is available in digital form. Campusbooks, a price-comparison website, has a database covering several of the largest textbook vendors, including CourseSmart, Barnes & Noble, Kno, and Textbooks.com. The Campusbooks database doesn’t cover all of the vendors out there, and it also doesn’t include academic repositories and open learning sites, so don’t give up if you don’t find what you’re looking for right away.

Free books are hard to come by. Expect to do some extra digging if you want to find free textbooks. Free textbooks are titles that are either in the public domain or have been made available under an open source license allowing you to use the book for free with some conditions, but many free textbooks are hard to find because they are available through an author’s website rather than an academic repository or a publisher. You can browse MERLOT and College Open Textbooks for listings of free textbooks. WikiEducator also offers links to free and open textbooks available on the web, and Connexions has a variety of free academic materials, including textbooks. Flatworld sells etextbooks but also allows you to read any book for free online. Bear in mind that the specific textbook your professor has assigned—or if you’re a professor, the book you want your class to read—might not be available on a free site because of the restrictions publishers place on availability.

Rentals are common. If you’re about to click “checkout” on a site selling etextbooks, make sure you understand what you’re paying for. In many cases, you’re not buying the book to own it permanently—you’re paying for a rental, often for about six months. You’ll have the book for a semester or so, but you won’t be able to use it in subsequent semesters, whether it’s assigned in another class or you simply want to refer back to it for a paper or to refresh your memory, without paying for it again. CourseSmart, Amazon’s Kindle textbook rental service, and Kno are among the sites operating on the rental model. Consider your needs and whether a rental will meet them.

Know what you’re getting. Make sure you understand what you’re downloading, whether it’s a free textbook or one you’ve purchased. Are you getting the correct file format for the device you’ll be using to read the book? Have you read and understood the terms of service for the site or service you’re using, and do you know your rights as the end user of the textbook? Even if you’re purchasing an electronic textbook rather than renting it, your rights are probably more limited than they would be with a printed book—you’re likely limited in your ability to lend the book, for example, and you can’t resell it after you’re done using it. Also, make sure you’re aware of what’s included in the download. Flatworld offers packages including audiobooks, flashcards, and other study aids in addition to the electronic textbook itself. Again, it’s wise to consider your needs before purchasing additional electronic materials, just as you would do with printed items.

What’s happening at Bentley? While the Library staff has started to hear some buzz about etextbooks on campus, we haven’t seen widespread adoption of them by students or faculty members. Nicole Dube, manager of the Barnes & Noble at Bentley Bookstore, confirmed this, telling us that etextbooks make up a small but growing percentage of textbook sales—currently about 10 percent. Although the library purchases ebooks covering a wide variety of business topics from Books 24×7, EBSCO eBooks, and Safari Books Online, we do not typically buy print or electronic textbooks for our collections. Some faculty members place their own copies of a textbook on reserve for a class, so ask your professor or check the library website’s course reserves section or Blackboard to see if your class is one of these.

As always, please feel free to contact a librarian if you have questions about textbooks or any other subject. We’re here to help and are happy to answer your questions.