Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 14:230–247, 2009

Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

ISSN: 0896-3568 print / 1547-0644 online
DOI: 10.1080/08963560802362849

Teaching Undergraduate Business Students

to Access Public Company Information:
Assessing Students’ Use of Library Resources

SUSAN P. LIEBERTHAL
Stony Brook University Libraries, Stony Brook, New York, USA

During the spring 2007 semester, a large cohort of undergraduates

enrolled in the BUS110 course offered through the Stony Brook
University College of Business. The business librarian and other
library instruction librarians provided single library sessions to
all sections of the course. Toward the end of the 1-hour library
information session, the students were asked to fill out an online
user satisfaction survey to assess how much they had learned and
to evaluate the teaching tools and methodology of the librarians.
Toward the end of the semester the business librarian posted a
follow up survey to the BUS110 Blackboard site to assess whether
the students had used the resources demonstrated by the librarians
in the library session, whether they had had follow-up interactions
with the librarians, and whether they had positive attitudes toward
the library, librarians, and business databases. The majority of
students had used the databases and had a positive attitude toward
the instruction and the library.

KEYWORDS business instruction, surveys, assessment, library in-

struction, public companies–research, library instruction–under-
graduate

INTRODUCTION

Stony Brook University Melville Library established a 1-hour course-related

lecture to teach all students enrolled in BUS110 (Business in the 21st

Submitted: 11 September 2007; Revision Submitted: 21 November 2007; Accepted: 8

January 2008.
Address correspondence to Susan P. Lieberthal, Interlibrary Loan and Business Li-
brarian at Stony Brook University Libraries, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3335. E-mail: susan.
lieberthal@stonybrook.edu

230
 Public Company Information and Library Resources 231

Century) how to use the library, and specifically how to use the business
databases. This library instruction program has now been in operation for
three semesters. In the Spring 2007 semester the instruction librarians gave
a single information session to 432 undergraduate students registered for
the BUS110 course. The instructional setting was the computer laboratory
in the College of Business Harriman Building where all students had access
to a computer during the class. The business librarian prepared a standard
handout for all the librarians to use (Appendix 1) and designed initial and
follow-up surveys to gauge whether the students had retained some of the
concepts that were imparted during the class. The goal of the first survey was
to provide a formalized way for students to tell us what they had just learned
(Appendix 2). The goal of the second follow-up survey was to see how much
information students had retained from their library session and also how
much they had used the subscription and scholarly databases and library ser-
vices in completing their assignments throughout the semester (Appendix 3).

Hypotheses
• After attending this library instruction session, students will use the sub-
scription and scholarly databases in addition to free Web sources.
• The students will use the library services for the duration of the semester.

LITERATURE REVIEW

A literature review on database instruction and the use of the free Web
reveals differing opinions on the use of the free Web in instruction. Some
faculty members are satisfied with students using only the free Web to com-
plete assignments. “All faculty respondents allow their students to use Web
sources, and a large majority . . . either requires or encourages their students
to use Web sites” (Dewald, 2005, p. 213). Other faculty members require
students to use proprietary databases as well as the free Web. “Although
faculty accept the Web as a suitable tool for their students’ research, they
do not consider it a sufficient resource in either quantity or quality of re-
search information available” (Herring, 2001, p. 6). Dewald did find that
those users of databases had a higher satisfaction with the information they
retrieved than the users of the free Web had with the information that they
had retrieved. “Despite the Web’s clear edge in ease of use and similar-
ity to databases in timeliness, databases received a higher score in overall
satisfaction among those who used them than did the Web” (Dewald &
Silvius, 2005, p. 322). The information in subscription databases is of uni-
formly high quality, and the databases have proprietary in-depth articles that
are frequently not available on the free Web. There have also been studies
that survey faculty’s satisfaction with use of the Web “because many faculty
have doubts about their students’ ability to use the Web and the information
232 S. P. Lieberthal

they find there effectively, this is an appropriate point for the introduction
of information literacy training by library faculty”(Herring, p. 255). Surveys
of students indicate that they see themselves as effective library users, but
that they also seem to value library instruction. Freeman (2004) in his sur-
vey of 40 undergraduates concluded that students tend to overrate their skill
sets: “They are rating themselves in general terms based upon the way they
perceive their ability to perform simpler tasks such as using the catalog to
find titles of interest and find items in the library using call numbers from
the catalog” (p. 44). Undergraduates need to be taught to use more compli-
cated databases before they come to the realization that not all information
is retrieved with one quick search. With instruction, however, students can
change their perception of the Web as being the only source of data gath-
ering. “[The students’] perceptions of the Web as a convenient, easy-to-use,
comprehensive research tool were not so ingrained and inflexible as to blind
them to the benefits of using other resource types to complete their research
projects” (Lombardo & Miree, 2003, p. 19).
Assessment of students and the instruction provided to them is not an
exact science. Libraries are attempting to study the impact of instruction
on information literacy. “The new role for the ‘teaching library’ calls for
assessment of teaching results. Methods for measuring outcomes . . . include
surveys after instruction” (Poll & Payne, 2006, p. 553). Assessment of students’
retention of the one-session instruction model can be done immediately
after the teaching session and also several weeks after the session or toward
the end of the semester (Wong, Chan, & Chu, 2006). Library assessment is
necessary to ensure that what we are teaching is valued, that the instruction
provides insight into resources some of our students might not know about or
be able to use and to give librarians feedback on whether they are succeeding
or not. “Outcomes assessment alerts us to what students know or do not
know about library research” (Carter, 2002, p. 41).
Another facet of the literature discusses whether instruction is useful for
business students and at which stage in their studies most of this instruction is
taking place. Cooney and Hiris (2003), among others, have studied the design
of information literacy sessions for business students, and have followed their
progress: “Educating students in information literacy is not only a worthwhile
goal but is an essential component in the development of students as lifelong
learners” (p. 213). Most business instruction is taking place with upper-
class students and graduate students in business schools. Information literacy
for business students is fairly new, and most instruction is provided on
demand: “Information literacy instruction is most often provided to business
students, who are graduate students (86 percent), or juniors or seniors (each
85 percent)” (Cooney, 2005, p. 11). Auburn University-Montgomery has been
providing bibliographic instruction for several years in close collaboration
with the business faculty (Judd, Timms, Farrow, & Periatt, 2004); however,
providing instruction for undergraduate business students in an introductory
class is not yet widespread.
 Public Company Information and Library Resources 233

METHOD

Students enrolled in BUS110 included freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and

seniors, and most of these were not Business majors. For this assignment
students would need to choose a public company trading on one of the U.S.
exchanges. They would then follow various aspects of the company, for ex-
ample, financials, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)
analysis, information technology, and so on as assigned by the faculty for
the duration of the semester. During the information session, the librarian
showed the students how to access various aspects of company information
from the many databases subscribed to by Stony Brook University Libraries,
including HooversPro, Mergent, Business & Company Resource Center (with
Investext), Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe, and Business Source Premier.
The librarian also demonstrated the benefits and the pitfalls of using free
sites on the Web such as Yahoo! Finance, CNN Business, and a public com-
pany’s Web site. After this, the librarian gave the students approximately a
half-hour to start their research and walked around the room offering assis-
tance. At the end of the session the librarian posted the URL for the survey
on the screen and had the students fill it out online before leaving the class-
room. Of the 432 students registered to take the course, 167 (39%) filled
out the first survey. Two weeks before the end of the semester the follow-
up survey was posted on the BUS110 Blackboard site. Of the 432 students
registered, 97 (22%) students filled out the follow-up survey.
The first survey differed from the second survey in that it had questions
designed to reinforce aspects of the classroom presentation that had just
taken place (Table 1). The second survey focused more heavily on whether
the students had continued to use the subscription databases throughout the
semester (Table 3).

Highlights of the First Survey

As the results of the first survey indicate, the students learned that they had
a choice of many databases. This survey showed that students already know
how to log on to the library home page and use their NetID, but they do not

TABLE 1 Classroom Instruction Short-Term Outcomes

What are the most important facts that you learned during the library
session? Check all that apply. Count Percentage

I found out where to find databases in my subject area. 136 81

I realize there are many ways to search for items. 97 58
I learned about the library home page. 76 46
I figured out how to use my NetID and password. 19 11
234 S. P. Lieberthal

TABLE 2 Students’ Short-Term Positive Feedback

What did you like most about this session?a Count Percentage

Learned about the databases. 47 44

Librarian 17 16
Other comments 12 11
Informative session 9 8
It was quick. 8 8
Handout and presentation 7 7
Hands on and interactive 6 6
Total responses 106 100
a Compilation of free text responses.

know how to find and choose an appropriate database. Of the 167 students
who filled out the first survey, 106 gave positive comments (Table 2).
Most students said that what they liked was learning about the databases
(44%). Because that was the main goal of teaching this session it was encour-
aging for the librarians and a way to assess the actual content and format
of the class. The students were also to a large extent complimentary about
the librarians. A large number of students filled out the first survey. They
were asked what they learned and also what they liked. Most students an-
swered that they learned about and liked the databases. They also learned
that there are many ways to search for company information. This positive
response indicates that the students had found the session informative and
had a positive attitude toward the session.

Highlights of the Second Survey

Results in the second survey indicate that students learned that they
needed to use the library’s subscription databases throughout the semester.
Seventy-four percent of the students thought that databases had helped
them with their research, and only 8% had not used any subscription
databases (Table 3).

TABLE 3 Students’ Long-Term Assessment of Library Services

How did the library help you with your research (databases,
librarians, handouts, etc.)?a Count Percentage

Use of databases 39 74
Librarians, handout, etc. 6 11
Didn’t use library or databases 4 8
Other comments 4 8
Total responses 53
a Compilation of free text responses.
 Public Company Information and Library Resources 235

Apparently students still felt that librarians had helped them (11%) even
though they rarely visited the library, or the chat or e-mail features on the
Web page. This could possibly mean that the library session had made
a positive impression on the students and that they equated their success
using the databases with the library and the librarians. Students have come
to accept that using the library does not necessarily mean they have to be in
the library. They have an integrated view of “library, librarians, databases” as
one service and gaining access to databases and learning how to use them
is to them as good a service, or even better than coming to the reference
desk to get help or checking out a book.
An encouraging feature of the second survey is that 96 of 432 students
actually filled it out. Success for this high response rate is probably because
the librarian posted the follow-up survey on the BUS110 Blackboard site.
Surveys posted on content management systems (CMSs) appear to elicit a
high response rate. All other attempts in the previous semester to locate stu-
dents and have them fill out a follow-up survey had failed. The survey stayed
up on the Blackboard site for about a week, and then librarians removed
the link. Twenty-two percent of students registered in BUS110 responded to
the follow-up survey. This experience of having a librarian presence on the
university’s CMS site underscores the importance of librarians actively par-
ticipating in instructors’ online syllabi. Librarians should try to embed their
handouts, tutorials, message boards, and surveys on the university’s CMS site
in partnership with instructors. Some faculty members are using only a few
features of CMS and do not have the time or energy to devote to learning
how to “embed” the librarian. Embedding the librarian takes place when a
faculty member signs the librarian up as an instructor or course builder on
his or her CMS site. Alternately, if the librarian obtains the faculty member’s
permission to ask the CMS administrator to allow the librarian access to their
particular site, the administrator can make the librarian an instructor on the
faculty member’s CMS site. This way the librarian can post handouts and
tutorials to the site. Students are already using so much material from the
university’s CMS that librarians should try whenever possible to collaborate
with faculty and be a presence on the faculty’s CMS site.

Comparison of Responses between the Two Surveys

When comparing the first survey to the follow-up survey it is interesting to
note how little the students actually used library services compared with how
they thought they would use these resources immediately after the library
session (Table 4 from first survey vs. Table 5 from second survey).
Although many of the students expressed a positive attitude toward the
library and its services initially, they did not subsequently utilize librarians
as a resource. For example, 39% of students initially said they would e-mail
236 S. P. Lieberthal

TABLE 4 First Survey

To get help from a librarian I would: (Check all that apply) Count Percentage

Use the Library’s Web pages to try and find the answer 84 50
Go to the reference desk in the Central Reading Room of the Melville 81 49
Library
Ask a fellow student 77 46
E-mail the reference desk 65 39
Call the reference desk 64 38
E-mail Susan Lieberthal, the Business Librarian 58 35
Click on the Chat button from the library’s home page and chat with 44 26
a librarian

a librarian for help (Table 4), whereas in the follow up survey only 1%
of students had actually done so (Table 5). Twenty-six percent of students
initially said they would click the Chat button to chat with a librarian whereas
only two students in the follow up survey (2%) actually used the Chat feature.
Other comparisons show that 53% of students used the databases heavily
compared to 74% who used their company’s Web pages. Seventy-six percent
said they used a combination of free Web and databases, and this is the most
encouraging result for the library. Because so much of a library’s expenditure
goes toward subscription databases, knowing that a single instruction session
can find a large majority of students using them is a sign of tremendous
success. Twenty-eight percent said they had obtained all their information
from the free Web. Yet in Table 3 only 8% of the students had not used the
databases. This discrepancy may be related to the confusion students feel
about what the term free Web sources means to them. The library might pay
for the proprietary databases, but the students themselves do not pay. So to
some of the students “free Web” might also include the databases they can
get through the library. In general, the students had used the subscription
databases quite heavily, and because they are undergraduates, the librarians
have helped them form a basis for using databases for the rest of their
college years. The instruction session also forms a foundation for building
information literacy skills at the undergraduate level.

TABLE 5 Second Survey

Please check all that apply Count Percentage

I used a combination of free Web and databases. 73 76

I went to the company home page for information. 71 74
I used the databases a lot. 51 53
I got all my information from the free Web. 27 28
I went to the library for help. 6 6
I used the Chat feature of the library’s Web page to get assistance. 2 2
I checked out a book. 1 1
I e-mailed a librarian. 1 1
 Public Company Information and Library Resources 237

TABLE 6 Students’ Long-Term Use of Databases

Most used databases Count Percentage

My company’s Web site 60 63

HooversPro 49 51
Yahoo! Finance 38 40
Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe 19 20
Business & Company Resource Center 16 17
Business Source Premier 14 15
Mergent Online 11 11

In the first survey only 44% of respondents indicated they had learned
about the use of the databases during the information session (Table 2).
In the follow-up survey 74% of those commenting about how the library
had helped them mentioned the database availability and use (Table 3).
In the first survey we had asked them what they had “liked” most about
the session. In the second survey we asked what they had actually used.
The students had retained the knowledge of the databases and possibly had
learned about them again during the course of the semester, either from
faculty, fellow students, or from remembering the library session. There was
a marked increase in knowledge and use of the databases from the time of
the information session until the end of the semester.
With so much free and accurate financial information easily available
on public companies, it is not surprising that the students gravitated toward
these Web sites, possibly to the exclusion of subscription databases. The one
cautionary piece of assessment here is the extent to which students used the
Web site of their particular company. Although the financial data are the same
on subscription databases, the free Web, and the company’s Web page, there
are no regulations that require companies to put all news including certain
negative information on their Web site. Therefore it is imperative to warn
students that they will only get the “positive spin” from a company’s Web
site, and in order to get a balanced view they would need to use one of the
subscription databases. We did not assess whether they used the subscription
databases to verify what they had obtained from their company’s Web site
or whether they searched the subscription databases for the “negative spin.”
They did still use their company’s Web site heavily. Sixty-three percent of
students used their company’s home page most heavily, and 57% of them
used their company’s Web site most heavily for obtaining financials (Tables
6 and 7).

Use of Subscription Databases at Stony Brook University

Of the subscription databases, it is interesting to note that for this cohort
of students HooversPro was the most popular paid database in general, and
238 S. P. Lieberthal

TABLE 7 Students’ Strategies for Obtaining Company Financial Data

Most useful for downloading financials Count Percentage

My company’s Web site 55 57

HooversPro 41 43
Yahoo! Finance 39 41
Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe 18 19
Mergent Online 12 13
Forbes.com 11 11
CNN 10 10

also for downloading financials (Table 6 and Table 7). It received the highest
rating of all the subscription databases. There are several possible reasons for
this. First, most of the librarians teaching the information session heavily favor
this database and feel most comfortable demonstrating its features. Another
reason could be that students had already found a free version of Hoovers
on the Web, and some of the use of Hoovers could have come from that
free version. “It showed me some useful sights. Although I actually bumped
into Hoovers before being introduced to it by the library, I now learned it
was a trusted site and could always access it confident that it could give me
some of the information I needed” (Student comment, Survey 2).
Although use of the other databases was low, students did use all of
them for company information and for downloading financials. In our li-
brary information session we had emphasized features unique to one or an-
other paid database, for example, SWOT analysis being available in Business
Source Premier, the ability to compare companies in Mergent, and invest-
ment reports in Business & Company Resource Center (with Investext). The
hope is that students found some of these unique features in each of the
databases; and although overall use was relatively low, each database was
used several times.
To see how much the business databases were used, the Stony Brook
University librarians obtained statistics for the business databases for an eight
month period, September 2006–April 2007 (Table 8). Trying to gather match-
ing statistics from the various databases was rather a challenge. Not every
company provides COUNTER compliant statistics, nor do they collect the
same types of data. “Launched in March 2002, COUNTER (Counting On-
line Usage of Networked Electronic Resources) is an international initiative
serving librarians, publishers and intermediaries by setting standards that fa-
cilitate the recording and reporting of online usage statistics in a consistent,
credible and compatible way” (About COUNTER, p. 1).
This data shows that our business databases are being used, especially
Business Source Premier, the most heavily used business database which
provided 10,284 searches in the eight month period (Table 8). The university
community, including students in other business, finance, and marketing
 Public Company Information and Library Resources 239

TABLE 8 Number of Searches September 2006–April 2007 at Stony Brook University

Business source Bus. & Co.

Searches Mergent HooversProa premier Res. center

Sep-06 1226 519 1519 874

Oct-06 422 519 1012 928
Nov-06 261 519 1252 993
Dec-06 200 519 999 648
Jan-07 17 519 472 64
Feb-07 1024 519 2024 576
Mar-07 990 519 1417 875
Apr-07 227 519 1589 142
Total responses 4367 4157 10284 5100
a HooversPro based on the average, 0–30 days (393) and 60–90 (644) days from August 2, 2007.

courses, is adequately using our business databases. This fact drives decisions
on database retention. HooversPro is popular for the first-time searcher as
well as for librarians whose subject specialty is not Business. HooversPro
offers good basics and easy searching. For example, it shows competitive
landscape, which gives detailed analysis of the selected company and four to
five of its closest competitors. To obtain a comprehensive list of competitors
and a more detailed look at all the financials a student would need to
look at their company in Mergent. When demonstrating Mergent, the special
features are that it is more comprehensive than HooversPro, offers data
downloadable into Excel, offers a more comprehensive selection of time
periods and output of financials, for example, quarterly, annual, and so
on. The list of competitors and the financial data accompanying Mergent is
excellent. Business Source Premier, which is the most heavily used business
database at Stony Brook University, contains some unique features. The
Datamonitor reports which are available here, well written, and in PDF
format, have the useful feature of SWOT analysis for most of the companies
in the database. The SWOT analysis is presented in a concise box followed by
a narrative of each part of the SWOT analysis. In addition to this, Business
Source Premier has the full text of the Harvard Business Review which is
a very popular feature of the database, and it also offers the most peer
reviewed academic journals. Academic Universe from Lexis/Nexis is part of
the instruction because there are company profiles provided by Disclosure
that also has financial information downloadable into Excel. In addition to
this and the news articles available for each company, Lexis/Nexis now offers
Company Dossier, which like Mergent, profiles a detailed list of competitors
and their financials downloadable into Excel. When profiling Business &
Company Resource Center (with Investext) (BCRC), there are two features
that stand out for this cohort of students. The first one is that when the search
results for the company appear on the screen, the database has divided
the feature articles about this company into subject headings, for example,
240 S. P. Lieberthal

Operations & Technology which is one of the weekly topics students have
to study about their company for this class. The other very valuable feature
of BCRC is the ability to obtain information about the companies from the
Investment Reports which is one of the tabs on the top of the search screen
results. These investment reports, written by commercial investment firms,
offer ratings of the industry and of the particular company and include a
narrative with statistics and graphs.

DISCUSSION

Teaching library sessions for business courses is beneficial for librarians and
for the library. It provides librarians visibility on campus, enables them to
meet faculty and students, and to promote the resources and services we
offer. Assessing the actual use of databases based on these teaching sessions
is not always conclusive, although from the surveys the BUS110 students
filled out it is clear that they used the databases extensively. In addition,
assessing this particular cohort and the content of this class is not necessarily
typical of every subject that librarians teach. The most obvious difference is
that these students were studying public companies. With the proliferation
of the Web and good free financial Web sites, a much larger amount of
useful company information is available for free on the Web. In addition to
this, most public companies maintain very detailed Web sites. Even taking
into account that most companies only put positive news and events on
to their Web site, they are obligated to post their public U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings and that public information is the
same whether it comes from the Web site, the SEC’s Edgar database or the
financial information pages of various subscription databases. Companies do
add extensive descriptions of their products, percentage of the market for
various products, and other newsworthy information. The value-added data
available on the various commercial databases may be too comprehensive
and not necessary for students taking a first-level business course. However
with 41% of students using Yahoo! Finance and 57% of students using their
company’s Web site, librarians might need to show the added value of
subscription databases in a more convincing way. Despite the heavy use
of free financial Web sites, many students retained the knowledge about
the library’s subscription databases and had positive comments about them.
In the follow-up survey of those students commenting on how the library
had helped them with their research, 74% mentioned the databases as being
useful. Only 8% said that they had not used the databases or library services
(Table 3). In addition to this 11% commented that the librarian had helped
them. In fact in Table 5, 53% of students had used the databases a lot. The
students overall had used the databases extensively, which, considering how
much is available for free is very encouraging.
 Public Company Information and Library Resources 241

CONCLUSION

The hypotheses have been validated by the results of our surveys. Seventy-six
percent of students used the databases throughout the semester. The students
also indicated that they had used the library services. They did not use the
traditional services that we asked about in the first survey. However, knowing
how to use the databases and actually using them throughout the semester is
a sign that our library services are being used even if they do not include the
traditional visits to the library and consultations with librarians. The fact that
students also used the free Web and used their company’s Web site heavily
does not detract from the fact that they did use the subscription databases as
well. Teaching a single-session information literacy class like this is valuable
for many reasons. It gives librarians and faculty, including adjunct faculty,
the opportunity to meet each other. It demonstrates students’ willingness to
fill out online surveys. Embedding a survey in the CMS site of the course
is essential for obtaining follow-up information. The surveys help reinforce
the services and databases of the library, which enhances students’ research
assignments. Demonstrating the value and use of databases is useful, and
students retain this knowledge for the duration of the semester and hopefully
longer. This single-instruction session definitely made an impact on students’
use of subscription databases. Occasionally a student will express his or her
positive attitude to the information session better than anyone could hope
for. “The library (especially the library information session) informed me
of the various sources that were available to me at any given time and at
most given places. This not only provides me with opportunities to [use]
information in Bus 110 but for many classes in the present and in the future”
(Student comment, Survey 2).

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242 S. P. Lieberthal

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APPENDIX 1

www.stonybrook.edu/library

Business Databases for Company Information

Hoover’sPro

• Download financials to Excel

• Build customized report

Most features work, but we don’t subscribe to Downloading Company In-

formation feature. Link to SEC filings from results page.
 Public Company Information and Library Resources 243

Academic Universe–Lexis/Nexis
Click on Business then Company Financial Reports

• All full text

• Can use KWIC—keyword in context
• Company financials downloadable to Excel

Very extensive, up to date news from U.S. and international newspapers and
magazines.

Mergent
All results pages have link tabs running across the screen.

• International and U.S. companies

• Comparison reports of multiple companies
• Business ratios
• All financials downloadable to Excel
• Country reports
• NOTE: Good link to Edgar from home page

Business and Company Resource Center with Investext

Put in name or ticker symbol of company then follow tabs across top of
company page.

• Global database
• Box on left with articles about the company
• Investment reports for selected firms

Business Source Premier

Click on Company, then type in company name.

• Selected companies only

• Company profiles from Datamonitor
• SWOT analysis
• Country reports

Extensive journal collection including scholarly journals, Harvard Business

Review, etc.

Off-Campus Access to Databases

Click on selected database
244 S. P. Lieberthal

You will be prompted for NetID and NetID password

Books

Online Catalog
2 search boxes:

1. If you know title, author, ISBN etc. use upper box.

2. If you just know a keyword, use lower box.

To locate other interesting titles:

WorldCat
Check Quick Links Library drop down on left side of library home page.

• Results show books at SUNYSB and elsewhere

Interlibrary Loans
On home page under Services- ILL/Document Delivery

• For Books not in SUNYSB libraries

Other Library Services

Click this icon on library’s home page

Avoid Plagiarism

• Quote and cite any text you copy and paste.

• Example: “Brothers James and Edward Mead Johnson founded their med-
ical products company in 1885 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.”

MLA Style of Citation

“Johnson & Johnson.” Hoover’s Online. Stony
Brook University Libraries, Stony Brook, NY. 6 Sept. 2006. <http://premium.
hoovers.com/subscribe/co/history>.
APA Style of Citation
(2007). Johnson & Johnson: History. Retrieved February 5, 2007, from
Hoover’sPro database.
 Public Company Information and Library Resources 245

Tips for Searching

∗∗
Use Advanced Search
∗∗
Use quotes, for example, “case study”
∗∗
If not limiting to full text use button to locate full text articles in
other databases
Survey: http://tinyurl.com/28c4g6
[This handout is copied to make it 2 sided, then cut in half to provide a
half-page double-sided “bookmark”]

APPENDIX 2
SURVEY 1

This is an anonymous survey.

The number of people who took this survey by 7/18/2007 11:12:20 AM is:
167 Business 110 Instruction survey Spring 2007.final
Thank you for taking this survey. Your comments will help us improve future
sessions.
Business 110—Using Business Databases to Access Company Information

In this class you received a handout and Strongly Strongly

followed along with the librarian’s demo agree Agree Disagree disagree

1. The content of the session was presented ❍ [97] ❍ [57] ❍ [1] ❍ [5]
in an organized and logical manner
2. The hands-on activities conducted during ❍ [93] ❍ [57] ❍ [5] ❍ [5]
the class gave me a better understanding of
how to use different business databases
3. I learned something in this class that will ❍ [108] ❍ [45] ❍ [2] ❍ [4]
help me conduct research more efficiently
and effectively

4. What are the most important facts that you learned during the library
session? Check all that apply

[76] I learned about the library’s home page

[19] I figured out how to use my NetID and password

[136] I found out where to find databases in my subject area

[97] I realize there are many ways to search for items
5. The amount of time allotted for the session was:
❍ [61] More than enough
❍ [90] Just right
❍ [12] Not enough
6. The pace of the training was:
246 S. P. Lieberthal

❍ [26] Too fast

❍ [123] Just right
❍ [12] Too slow
7. The handout provided in this session was:
❍ [50] Excellent
❍ [45] Very good
❍ [50] Good
❍ [11] Fair
❍ [4] Poor
8. Please rate the overall quality of the session:
❍ [53] Excellent
❍ [68] Very good
❍ [32] Good
❍ [6] Fair
❍ [4] Poor
9. To get help from a librarian I would (Check all that apply):
❍ [64] Call the reference desk
❍ [65] E-mail the reference desk
❍ [44] Click on the Chat button from the library’s home page and chat
with a librarian
❍ [81] Go to the reference desk in the Central Reading Room of the
Melville Library
❍ [58] E-mail Susan Lieberthal, the Business Librarian
❍ [84] Use the library’s Web pages to try and find the answer
❍ [77] Ask a fellow student
10. What did you like most about the session?
[Student Comments removed]
11. How can this session be changed or improved?
[Student Comments removed]

APPENDIX 3
SURVEY 2

This is an anonymous survey.

The number of people who took this survey by 7/18/2007 11:13:38 AM is:
96
BUS110 follow-up survey Spring 2007
At the beginning of the Spring 2007 semester the librarians showed you how
to use the library and its databases. Please tell us how useful this was to you
this semester. Thank you from Susan Lieberthal, Business Librarian.
 Public Company Information and Library Resources 247

Which databases or Web sites were most helpful for your BUS110 assignments

Please rank your answers

with1 being the most-used DATABASES AND WEB SITES USED
database and 7 the
least-used database 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1. HooversPro ❍ [49] ❍ [9] ❍ [10] ❍ [10] ❍ [6] ❍ [4] ❍ [8]

2. MergentOnline ❍ [11] ❍ [9] ❍ [10] ❍ [16] ❍ [7] ❍ [12] ❍ [31]
3. YahooFinance ❍ [38] ❍ [11] ❍ [9] ❍ [9] ❍ [9] ❍ [2] ❍ [16]
4. My Company’s Web ❍ [60] ❍ [9] ❍ [5] ❍ [6] ❍ [5] ❍ [3] ❍ [7]
site
5. Business Source ❍ [14] ❍ [9] ❍ [11] ❍ [13] ❍ [9] ❍ [19] ❍ [18]
Premier
6. Lexis/Nexis Academic ❍ [19] ❍ [8] ❍ [11] ❍ [11] ❍ [10] ❍ [13] ❍ [22]
Universe
7. Business & Company ❍ [16] ❍ [7] ❍ [6] ❍ [12] ❍ [11] ❍ [14] ❍ [27]
Resource Center

For downloading financials on a company, which resources were the most useful

Please rank your answers

with1 being the most-used COMPANY FINANCIALS
database and 7 the
least-used database 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8. Lexis/Nexis ❍ [18] ❍ [7] ❍ [9] ❍ [15] ❍ [5] ❍ [12] ❍ [26]

Academic Universe
9. Yahoo ❍ [39] ❍ [16] ❍ [7] ❍ [5] ❍ [4] ❍ [6] ❍ [15]
10. My company’s Web ❍ [55] ❍ [15] ❍ [6] ❍ [3] ❍ [3] ❍ [2] ❍ [8]
site
11. CNN ❍ [10] ❍ [2] ❍ [9] ❍ [12] ❍ [9] ❍ [12] ❍ [36]
12. Forbes.com ❍ [11] ❍ [4] ❍ [10] ❍ [13] ❍ [10] ❍ [9] ❍ [33]
13. HooversPro ❍ [41] ❍ [17] ❍ [6] ❍ [9] ❍ [7] ❍ [6] ❍ [7]
14. Mergent ❍ [12] ❍ [7] ❍ [10] ❍ [9] ❍ [14] ❍ [11] ❍ [30]

15. Please check all that apply

[51] I used the databases a lot.

[27] I got all my information from the free Web.

[73] I used a combination of free web and databases.

[71] I went to the company home page for information.

[6] I went to the library for help.

[1] I checked out a book.

[1] I e-mailed a librarian.

[2] I used the Chat feature on the library’s Web page to get assistance.
16. How did the library help you with your research (databases, librarians,
handouts, etc.)
[Student Comments removed]
17. Please tell us what additional databases and services you would like to
have [Student Comments removed]