SLRC Treasures: Business, Science & Technology Department

Probably the greatest hidden treasure of the Business, Science, and Technology (BST) Department at Maryland's State Library Resource Center is the collection of old department store catalogs, including Sears (1897-1993), Wards (1922-1985), and Penney’s (1984-2002). These catalogs allow you to walk down memory lane and see the styles and prices of the old days. Sears used to sell just about everything from clothing and furniture to pure-bred dogs and houses.

BST also owns a fantastic collection of old car shop manuals that date from 1929-1988 and owner’s manuals that range from 1913-1984. These manuals are great for people trying to restore a classic car, and the cars they cover include the Model T, Studebaker, Edsel, Reo Speedwagon, as well as the more common makes and models.

If you’re interested in historical business information, BST has old business directories, such as the Thomas Register (1925-2005), Moody’s Manuals, which also give financial information, (1900-present), and Best’s Insurance Reports (1915-present). The department also carries Jane’s Fighting Ships (1898-present) and Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft (1915-present).

The most important treasure in BST, however, is its crack staff of librarians, who will find your answer!

Who are the People in Your State Library Resource Center

Meet John Damond!

Business, Science, and Technology

Department Manager

Enoch Pratt Free Library/

State Library Resource Center

What do you do?
I’m the manager of the Business, Science, and Technology Department at SLRC, and I’m also the measurement coordinator for the Library. The people who fund us have begun asking for different types of information on how we serve the public, and I am the person whose job it is to research, recommend, and coordinate the collection of new types of statistics.

How did you get here?

I worked in bookstores for many years before I decided to go to library school. I realized that I enjoyed helping people find information (many bookstore customers were using this giant chain store as a library), so becoming a librarian seemed like the ideal career move (though I’m still waiting for Bob Dylan to call me up and ask me to go on tour with him).

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

As a librarian, the most rewarding thing I do is give someone a GED study guide or finding information about a disease or disorder a customer has been diagnosed with. I like helping people in general, but cases like this are extra special. As a manager, I enjoy developing and implementing new ideas as well as assisting new staff grow and develop their library skills.

What’s a book that you didn’t expect to like – but did?
I can’t think of a specific title that fits this description. I did, however, have an experience when I read a book that I thought would be okay but turned out to be extraordinary. In 1992 I had the opportunity to go to Amsterdam, so I thought it would be neat to take a copy of Anne Frank’s diary to read on the plane to get me in the mood. Well, after reading the book and visiting her hiding place, I became totally obsessed with her story for several years, and I now have an entire shelf of books devoted just to Anne Frank and her family. Don’t start me talking about it, though, because I won’t shut up.

What is your favorite SLRC program, service, or training?

When I first started working at SLRC (in the late 1900s), one of my tasks as the New Guy in the department was answering reference questions from county libraries through MILO. It allowed me to explore all the nooks and crannies of this huge library collection, and it reminds me of the show The History Detectives on PBS. I still love getting difficult or weird questions and wading through all of our sources to find an answer.

What do you do when you’re not reading?
I’m a musician, so I play music a lot. I’m in an African drumming group, and I’m involved in a band with two other SLRC librarians (called the Footnotes), which plays concerts in library branches around Baltimore.

I keep having customers asking for grants for their business. What the best way to answer this question?

This is a popular and frequent question for everyone. The answer is there are no grants.

I’ve heard this from an Small Business Administration representative. Another source for information to help back up the answer of no money here is the following Web site from the SBDC/University of Southern Idaho put this page together and provides additional information:

Is There Really FREE Money to Start Your Own Business

However, loans may be available from other sources. More information can be found in the Finding the Funds: A Guide for the Entrepreneur How-to Guide.

I have a customer who wants to write a business plan. Where do I start?

Writing a business plan isn't as scary as it may seem at first. There are four areas where people need information for their business plan are:

• Industry Trends
• Competition
• Demographics
• Marketing

Business periodicals or article databases such as Proquest or EbscoHost are a good place to start for some broad information. Individuals writing a business plan can find articles covering industry trends and marketing using these souces. They may also want to considering searching for articles on the following topics:

• How-to tips/personal experiences
• Broad financial information (for example, industry sales grew from x to y in these years)
• How companies are responding to industry changes, demographic or marketing trends
• Statistics or other numbers for the industry
  
• Marketing information (for example, what other companies large and small may have done, what other companies have responded to)
• Industry information and trends
  

For demographic information, the United States Statistic Abstract can be very helpful, as can the U.S. Census Web site. The Economic Census can also provide a lot of useful information on industries on national, state, and local level.

There are also a lot of organizations that can help individuals with writing their business plan and small business start-up.

• Small Business Administration (SBA)
  
• Maryland Small Business Development Center
• SCORE: Counselors to America's Small Business
  
• Enoch Pratt Free Library's Small Business Corner
  
  

Customers have asked if they can copyright the name of their business. I'm not sure how to answer them.

Copyright law only applies to the expression of an idea in a tangible form. The expression of the idea could be recorded on paper, computer disk, clay tablet, or any other medium. The idea itself is not copyrightable. An example of this would be if you were to draw what you think a hybrid of a dog and bird would look like. The idea itself is not copyrightable, but the drawing of it is.

Copyright law does not apply to business names. However, if you are interested in protecting the name of your business then consider having it registered as a trademark.

A trademark is any company name, logo, brand, or symbol used to distinguish a service or product from its competition. Other identifying features of a business can be protected by what is called "trade dress," which is any arrangement of colors, shapes, etc. that distinguish a business from its competition. An example of "trade dress" is the choice of colors and their arrangement used by Kodak Film.

For more information on trademarks see:

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is where you can research trademarks in a database, get up-to-date information on current trademark policy and law, and obtain applications for registering a trademark.

For more information on copyrights see:

Copyright Office -- apply for copyright protection, find current information on copyright laws and other helpful information pertaining to copyright.

Copyright and Fair Use -- research copyright law and fair use.

A customer wants information on starting a small business. What is the best starting point to answer the question?

Though simply stated, this is a pretty broad question, and in order to find out where to start, you need a little more information. Otherwise, you may take her down the completely wrong path.

• Does the customer have an idea what kind of business to start, or is she still trying to figure that out?
• Is the customer already in the process but needs help writing a business plan?
• Does the customer need to know what kinds of licenses or permits are needed?

Looks like it’s time for a good old-fashioned reference interview with some open-ended questions. “Can you tell me a little more?” “Where in the process are you?”

If your customer is starting from square one and doesn’t even know what kind of business to start, there are a number of good books to recommend, such as Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash, Small Business Start-Up Kit, or Small Business Kit for Dummies. Your library probably has books like these if not the actual titles.

Also, the Small Business Administration Web site is full of information for people in every step of the small business process, from beginners to seasoned professionals.

Writing a business plan can be a pretty daunting task too. There are many general books on writing business plans, which your library may have, but an individual working on a plan will need specific information on industry trends, competition, and customer demographics that relate to her kind of business.

• Hoover’s Industry Overview offers free information on dozens of industry sectors.
• The Census Bureau has demographic information on people from the American Factfinder page and competition information from its Economic Census page.

The place to find license information is the Maryland Business License Information System, where you can type in the kind of business the customer wants to open and receive links to the appropriate state agencies that oversee possible permits they may need.

To find other useful information look at the Pratt Library’s Small Business Corner.

Essential Resources and Other Sources: Maryland

The Maryland Department of the State Library Resource Center focuses on all things Maryland.  From historical records to legal information to genealogical sources, the Maryland Department is the best source for all things Maryland.

Essential Resources

The Annotated Code of the Public General Laws of Maryland (the Code, not annotated, is also available online) is necessary in a public library for customers to check up-to-date laws in force.

Maryland, a Middle Temperament, 1634-1980 is the most comprehensive and best history of Maryland written in the past half century.

File for Divorce in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.  A plain language reference for complicated family law questions that includes copies of the forms that customers need.

Directory of Maryland Church Records identifies where records from churches around the state are held, including records that pre-date official genealogical records.

The Place Names of Maryland, Their Origin and Meaning is one of the few books that identifies where Maryland locations got their name.

Maryland Business Directory (online as Reference USA) has basic information on every individual establishment and is arranged geographically and by type of business.

An Index of the Source Records of Maryland, Genealogical, Biographical, Historical.
Originally printed in 1940, this book contains citations to identify where information on people and surnames can be found.  An indispensible resource and a last resort when other genealogical information cannot be located.

History of Maryland, From the Earliest Period to the Present Day is a 3 volume set, published in 1879 and simply the most comprehensive history of the state written up to the late nineteenth century.

The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy is the one book to turn to when you need to learn about any type of genealogical record or method.

Maryland Practice Forms is the most useful book of legal forms containing blank copies of subjects like power of attorney, adoption, name change and various motions.

Other Sources

Maryland Guide to Local, State and Federal Laws Governing Tenant-Landlord Relations: Including Laws Prohibiting Discrimination in Housing breaks down renter’s law into terms everyone can understand but also cites the appropriate sections of the Maryland code.

How to Start a Business in Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia an all-in-one guide for customers needing information on starting any form of business in the state.

Criss-Cross Directories are reverse telephone directories that are arranged by address rather than name.  They are invaluable for finding people and businesses in past years.

Black’s Law Dictionary is the most authoritative source when looking for definitions or synonyms for legal terms.  If you have law in your library, you must have Black’s. 

Motion Picture Exhibition in Baltimore: An Illustrated History and Directory of Theaters, 1895-2004 is an encyclopedic work on movie and stage theaters in the Baltimore area that provides historical information and photos.  There is a volume for the Washington area too.

International Building Code is a necessary reference as the state, counties and local jurisdictions are adopting these national standardized codes.

Maryland Operating Budget.  Aside from the obvious financial information the budget has information on personnel detail, salaries, departmental objectives and statistics.

West’s Maryland Law Encyclopedia: Based on Maryland Statutes, Case law, State and Federal; Attorney General Opinions and Law Reviews.  The savior for those who are not versed in the law, this encyclopedia has explanatory chapters for each area of the law and cites statutes in the Code as well as court precedents

What to Do About Personnel Problems in Maryland is an up-to-date digest of federal and state laws that relate to work and employment in Maryland. 

Maryland, a Guide to the Old Line State.  Published as part of the WPA state guide series in 1940, this is the definitive guide to places and historical locations in Maryland

Essential Resources and Other Sources: Business, Science and Technology

The Business, Science and Technology Department at the State Library Resource Center covers subject areas such as: business, science, technology, psychology, health and medicine, crafts, cooking, animals, computers, and military and naval sciences.


Essential Resources

Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science & Technology has concise biographical essays that span the entire history of science, from Imhotep (2980-2950 BCE) to Stephen Hawking (born 1942).

Consumer Drug Reference has information on more than 12,000 medicines, including vitamins, minerals and the newest drugs, full color identification chart of pills and tablets, drug precautions and side effects, and correct dosage information.

The Dictionary of Business Terms is a pocket-sized reference to some 7,500 terms used in banking, taxes, finance, and real estate.
   
Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary is a classic dictionary of medical terminology with numerous plates illustrating anatomy.

The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine has 1,750 entries covering diseases and conditions, common drugs, medical tests, treatments and procedures written on an easy reading level for consumers.

Hoover’s Handbook of American Business has profiles of 750 major U.S. companies that provide a brief overview and history, executives, contact information including Web site address, key competitors, and ten-year financials.

Johns Hopkins Symptoms and Remedies: The Complete Home Medical Reference  has two sections: the first includes over 200 charts of symptoms and commonly associated disorders, and the second section consists of one page articles on disorders.

The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology is written for people of high-school education and higher, and it contains more than 7,100 signed articles covering all areas of science and technology.

The Merck Manual of Medical Information is based upon the content of the professional Merck Manual and was rewritten using “easy-to-understand language” with illustrations added to assist the nonprofessional user. 

The Statistical Abstract of the United States is the authoritative summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. Sources of data include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other federal agencies and private organizations.

Other Sources

Published since 1937, Bowes & Church's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used provides authoritative information on the nutritional content of foods and beverages, including many brand name products.

The Business Plans Handbook is a compilation of successful business plans developed by actual small businesses, including a directory of Small Business Development Centers in the U.S., a glossary of small business terms, and a bibliography of additional resources.

Along with giving the basics of starting a business, How to Start a Business in Maryland has special sections relating to Maryland, incentives for doing business in Maryland, forms you'll need to get started, state and private agency contacts, and state loan programs.

The Joy of Cooking covers everything from healthy diets, entertaining, and ingredients, to beverages, appetizers, soups, breads, main dishes, and desserts and is a helpful source for all kinds of recipes, as well as history, nutritional content, and buying and storing food.

Using plain language, the Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business explains the main legal issues involved in starting and running a small business, including the advantages and drawbacks of various types of legal entities; obtaining licenses and permits; buying business insurance; hiring and managing employees; entering into contracts; and paying business taxes.   

Patent It Yourself takes users from the definitions of what a patent and a patentable invention are, through the application process, to post-patent issues such as maintenance and infringement.

The Patient’s Guide to Medical Tests provides information on the tests most commonly used by physicians. The entries include a definition, patient preparation, description of the procedure, normal values, and diseases associated with abnormal results.

The Physicians’ Desk Reference is a compilation for health professionals of drug information provided by the manufacturer. This book includes a drug’s description, clinical pharmacology, indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, adverse reactions, dosage and administration, how supplied, and references.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association gives readers all the information they need about the process of publication, from organizing, writing, keying, and submitting your manuscript to seeing the accepted manuscript through production and publication.

The Value Line Investment Survey is a popular investment advisory service that continuously analyzes and reports on 1,700 public companies. Reports are issued by industry with a one-page update and evaluation of conditions in the industry as a whole.