Quick Search

Individual Databases

Unless otherwise noted, these resources are available at all Chicago Public Library locations and from home, school, or work with a Chicago Public Library card.

Directories and Public Records

*Business & Company Resource Center »
Find company profiles from Ward's Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies as well as numerous other directories covering companies in the U.S. and abroad. Company profiles are linked to histories, articles from business magazines and newspapers, financials, rankings, product and brand information, and industry overviews.

*Hoover's Company Records »
Find brief information on more than 40,000 public and private companies. Hoover's Company Records delivers information on a company's location, summary financials, top competitors, top officers, and more.

Illinois Public Records »
Find information on new homeowners, new businesses, foreclosures, and bankruptcy filings in Chicago-area counties as well as selected other counties in the state.

ReferenceUSA »
ReferenceUSA offers listings for over 14 million U. S. companies. Listings include company name, address, phone number, contact names, sales volume, employee size, and business description. Search by name to find an individual company or by criteria such as industry, location, size, etc. to build a list of companies of interest.
Available at the Harold Washington Library Center, Sulzer Regional Library, and Woodson Regional Library.

Encyclopedias and Handbooks

Business Plans Handbooks »
This collection offer entrepreneurs over 280 actual business plans to use as models in developing their own.

Career Information Center »
Find descriptions of over 700 careers, including salary information, employment outlook, education and training requirements, and more.

Encyclopedia of Business and Finance »
The Encyclopedia of Business and Finance provides brief introductions to topics in finance and banking, accounting, marketing, management, and information systems.

Business Newspapers, Magazines, and Journals

*ABI/INFORM »
Find articles from a wide range of business publications: from local business magazines to publications focusing on a specific trade or industry to scholarly journals. Over 3,000 publications are covered, including Crain's Chicago Business and the Wall Street Journal.

Promt »
Find information on companies, products, and markets taken from business and trade journals, industry newsletters, newspapers, market research studies, news releases, and brokerage and investment reports.
Available at the Harold Washington Library Center.

Wall Street Journal »
Search for articles from the nation's financial newspaper of record. The database includes articles from 1984 to the present.

WilsonSelectPlus »
This resource is no longer available. Use ProQuest Magazines & Journals.

Investors' Tools

Morningstar »
Morningstar provides comprehensive analysis opinions for over 1,800 stocks and 2,000 mutual funds. It also provides data reports for over 20,000 companies. Investors use the stock screener to help them choose stocks and funds and the portfolio X-ray to manage the diversity of their portfolios. The Help & Education section offers an overview of how to use the site as well as numerous tutorials on investing.
Available at the Harold Washington Library Center, Sulzer Regional Library, and Woodson Regional Library.

Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage »
This collection of online reference works offers company directory and financial and investment information from numerous Standard & Poor's publications, including the Bond Guide; Industry Surveys; Register of Corporations, Directors, and Executives; Security Dealers of North America; and the Stock Reports.
Available at the Harold Washington Library Center, Sulzer Regional Library, and Woodson Regional Library.

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