A New Year… New Opportunities in Your Library

Good bye 2008, hello 2009. Let’s all hope the economy this year will be better than the last! Just had to get that off my chest…

One great thing to look forward to in the library is our fantastic databases. One resource in particular comes to mind. Reference USA is absolutely fantastic for locating people and businesses. It’s available free of charge at Kansas City, Kansas Public Library too. This can be a vital resource for locating new business start-ups and finding potential competitors. Oftentimes, one of the most difficult things for a budding new entrepreneur is locating the current competition. The vast majority of new businesses have similarities with other pre-existing corporate entities. That being said, it makes sense to know where the competition is before investing time and money into a new business.

Speaking of which, one of the things Reference USA can do is help with creating a successful business plan. It’s best to create a business plan before the business is started and adjust it as needed.

Think of it like driving in an unknown city. Say you’re on a business trip. Your rental car has no navigation system; you forgot to pack your Garmin, etc. It’s way better to stop and ask directions than potentially continue down the wrong path. Think of Reference USA as computerized navigation for the educated business-person. The faster an entrepreneur senses that he’s on the wrong path, the easier it is to fix things.

At the very least, every new business should have some planning, direction and foresight behind it. Remember most businesses fail within their first year. That’s not exactly great odds but there are ways to improve your chances. As they say, “success just doesn’t happen, you plan it.”

The other great application for Reference USA is looking up residential phone numbers. Okay, I’m not suggesting you use these lists for robo-calling (I can’t stand those calls, by the way) but it does have many applications. I’ve seen patrons use it for genealogy research. They’ll contact a long-lost relative. Oftentimes, they’ll find that breakthrough with their family tree simply by contacting other living relatives. Working in a public library, it seems that they’re always people researching their family history. Don’t discount the possibility that someone else might have done family research and neglected to post it online. I’ve seen it happen more than a few times.

One last thing -learn how to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft at Kansas City, Kansas Public Library. There will be a talk on Wednesday, January 7 in the Main Library at 625 Minnesota Ave. This presentation will take place in the second floor auditorium and starts at 6:30 pm. The presentation will focus mainly on preventing thieves from stealing your identity but also present some tips for damage control once actual identity theft has occurred. Until next time, catch me in the library.