Business information: resources and services

Business startup

We stock a variety of updated guides and general reference works to help those looking to start up their own business, including Croner’s loose leaf series on employment law, the self employed and running a small business.

Careers information

A selection of books is available for reference and loan on different careers in the UK, as well as working and living in other countries. The majority of books from this collection are available for loan.

Companies products and markets

We hold a range of specific trade directories, along with a number of general company directories, covering the whole of the UK. Current editions of most of the leading company directories are taken including Kompass UK, Who Owns Whom and Dun & Bradstreet's Key British Enterprises. MINT, a web-based product containing extensive company and financial data, is also available. Pre-booking is recommended for this source.

Local company information is covered with more detailed sources such as Dun & Bradstreet's Business Register for Avon, Somerset and Dorset and Kompass Regional Sales Guide for the West.

The Cobra subscription website (formerly Cobweb) covers an almost endless range of topics related to starting up, running or supporting the development of small firms. It includes:

• hundreds of small business ideas and opportunity profiles
• practical how-to guides, reports, checklists and factsheets.
• practical small business development tools to help small business owners get to grips with crucial aspects of their business, including complying with regulations and red tape, finding new customers, business planning and so on.

Consumer advice

We hold Which? authoritative consumer reports on a range of products in paper format from 1957. There is also an online version available, please ask the staff for details. Pre-booking is recommended.

Electronic information

There is a selection of CD-ROMs and online subscription websites in the Learning Centre. Please ring first to check availability and to book a computer. Several of the 24 Hour Library - business, employment and careers can be accessed over the Internet with your library membership card.

Newspapers and periodicals

We hold a range of newspapers and periodicals, including the Financial Times, Investors Chronicle, and the Economist. More recent additions are available at the enquiry desk. On our newspapers and magazines page there are lists of current and older periodicals.

We also subscribe to Newsbank, a database of national and local newspapers with an archive back to 1998 - a treasure chest of company and market information. Find Newsbank on our 24 Hour Library - newspapers and current affairs page.

Patents

The Library stocks a range of resources which can be used to trace historical and more recent patents, including all the abstracts of British patents along with a historical file dating from 1855. Abstracts of world and european patents are also available.

Photocopying and fax

• A black and white and a colour copier are available.
• We provide a worldwide fax service for the public - pages can be sent and received.

Both of these services are subject to charges.

Telephone directories

We hold a complete set of residential telephone directories and Yellow Pages for the U.K.( Please note this does not include the Channel Islands). Information is also available on online search engines for international directories.