The library subscribes to a very powerful database called Reference USA Business that can help you research individual companies or create a list of businesses contacts in the area you would like to work.

You can use Reference USA at any Dayton Metro Library, or if you have a library card you can also use it from home. To access our databases from home, look for the link to "Research & Databases" in the menu on the left side of our website. From the "Research & Databases" screen, click on the link to "One Search and Research Databases." From the "One Search" screen, scroll down to the alphabetical list of databases that we subscribe to and click on "Reference USA Business." If you are outside the library, you will need to enter your library card number at this point. On the "Reference USA Available Databases" screen, click on "U.S. Businesses."

When you first enter the Reference USA Business database, you will be in the Quick Search tab. This quick search will allow you to search by a company name, or an executive's first and last name, and is helpful if you are researching a particular company in preparation for an interview. Try searching for Procter and Gamble in Ohio to see an example of a large company with many locations. You can click on the name of each individual location to see more information about it, such as a management directory, a business profile, and statistics such as number of employees and sales volume. You can also see the corporate tree for company if the location you have selected is part of a larger corporation.

In addition to the quick search, you can also conduct a custom search. At the main search screen you should see two tabs: one for Quick Search and one for Custom Search. Click on the Custom Search tab to create a search based oncriteria you specify. For example, you can build a search that will bring back a list of companies that perform computer service and repair in Montgomery and surrounding counties. The easiest way to do this is to find the SIC code for the type of business you want to search for, which in this case is computer service and repair. If you know the name of a company that is in the particular type of business you are wanting, you can search for that company in Reference USA and find their SIC code. To build your custom search, you can then choose the categories of Business Type: Keyword/SIC/NAICS and Geography: County. In the entry boxes that will appear in the middle of your screen, enter the SIC code 737801 and the counties of Montgomery, Clark, and Preble. When you click on "View Results" the database should bring back a list of companies for you.

Once you have a list of companies, you can download this information into a spreadsheet. From your list, click in the box next to each to choose the companies whose information you would like to download. Click on the "Download" button at the top. You can leave Step One in the Excel format, but you will want to change Step Two to Custom and choose the fields of information that you want to download into your spreadsheet. After you have chosen the fields you want, click on the "Download Records" button to download your list.

This is just a quick introduction to Reference USA to get you started, but if you have questions or need more information please feel free to call us or stop in at one of our branches and we will be glad to help.