Moving Beyond 10Ks: Collecting and Providing Access to Historical Company Information in an Academic Business Library

Abstract

Business students, faculty, and other researchers have long made use of information relating to a company’s finances, but this is not the only kind of data they look for concerning companies. They also utilize current and historical information about a company’s subsidiaries, workforce size, its relationships with other companies, and its brands. Although current and historical corporate financial information is readily available, these other types of data are not. This presentation will address the issues surrounding business libraries’ efforts to collect, maintain, and provide access to this data, including: • The fact that business database vendors often work with not only academia but also the business community and the implications this has on the type of services they provide to academia.

• The tendency that a lot of this information is available in a business library’s print collection even when it is not available electronically and how this affects the library’s preservation policies and shared collection agreements.

• The process of working with business library patrons who request data that isn’t readily available, including “expectation management” and cost sharing. This presentation will be of interest to librarians who deal with vendors with different types of clients, continue to maintain print collections, and interact with patrons regardless of what type of library they work in.