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At the Portland Public Library we understand that the key to successful business management, sustained growth and healthy profit margins is speedy access to the best resources.  We invite you to visit and learn what the PPL can do for you! It is our goal to provide reference services and library resources to help Portland area businesses succeed.  We offer a variety of directories, financial publications, investment reports and statistical services in print and/or online.

ONLINE RESOURCES FOR  PPL PATRONS     

Morningstar Investment Research Center  Access this data-rich site for company, stock, mutual fund, ETF and market information from in the library or visit Morningstar at home with your library card number.

Value Line Provides independent investment information, analyzing over 1,700 stocks. The Rating & Reports section details the history, current status, and projected performance of individual stocks. Covers the current three months; updated weekly. Available in the library or at home with your library card number.

Reference USA Directory information for 14 million businesses or 89 million residents across the country.  Narrow your search by criteria such as number of employees, location, NAICS/SIC and sales.. Available in the library or at home with your library card number.

MARVEL! Business Databases  Maine's Virtual Library, include Academic Search Premier, Business and Company Resource Center, Business Source Premier, Econlit,  Regional Business News, Value Line Investment Survey and the Wall Street Journal. Available in the library or at home with your library card number.

 

Search the Portland Public Library Catalog for print business directories, handbooks and journals/periodicals. The PPL has small business & entrepreneurship print resources for business plans, economics and finance, home-based businesses, forming corporations and partnerships, starting & operating specific businesses, marketing, human resources, politics and law. Use our Government Documents page for links to statistics and other government information.  Search the  PPL's Maine News Index for articles from local periodicals, including MaineBiz.

SUGGESTED, FREE ONLINE RESOURCES

General Business 

 

Finance

Networking

Local Resources

  • Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development- a non-profit that assists entrepreneurs building scalable innovation based Maine businesses
  • Maine Technology Institute- a nonprofit corporation that offers assistance in the form of competitive grants, loans and equity investment for the research, development and application of technologies
  • Maine Women's Business Center at Coastal Enterprises Inc - offers counseling and training in a full range of business issues to new and existing women business owners throughout Maine
  • SBDC Maine -  Small Business Development Centers provide business management assistance, training and information through a network of professional, certified business counselors 
  • SCORE - Business counseling and training for southern Maine entrepreneurs
  • StartSmart - Microenterprise Development for Refugees and Immigrants at Coastal Enterprises Inc. 

Business News - Did you know you can access many business magazines and trade journals full-text, online for FREE with your PPL card? To find:  visit Marvel!, click on Find Journals  and either enter a journal title or Browse the Business and Economics subject heading.

International Business

  • Europages- The European B2B search engine
  • Eurostat- from the office of the European Union  statistics that enable comparisons between European countries and regions.
  • International Monetary Fund- research, country information, data, statistics, news and publications 
  • FAOStat - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 
  • Global EdgeIMF- created by the International Business Center at Michigan State University; a knowledge web-portal that connects  to a information, insights, and learning resources on global business activities
  • UNdata- search and download a variety of statistical resources of the United Nations
  • World Bank Business Data- links to Doing Business, Enterprise Surveys, Investing Across Borders, Subnational Doing Business, and Women, Business and the Law. 
  • World Public Opinion- an international collaborative project whose aim is to give voice to public opinion around the world on international issues

Non-profit Information

  • Charity Navigator- free charity ratings to enable donors to access relevant information before making a donation 
  • Guidestar - information on nonprofits, including Form 990s
  • Kids Count - tracks the well being of children in the U.S. with an excellent data center
  • NOZA- a database of charitable organizations with some information available for free

CAREER AND EMPLOYMENT RESOURCES

Job Listings To get started watch you may want to watch How to Navigate Job and Employment Websites or Uploading/Sending a Resume  (created by the Maine State Library, watch more) 

  • Career Builder - contains nationwide job listings searchable by industry, company, type and location. Allows resume posting
  • Craigslist - full of local employment opportunities, but beware of scams. Read site warnings and consider reading this article How to Use Craigslist Safely (eHow)
  • Indeed - job listings from job sites, newspapers, associations and company career pages.
  • JobsInME - local job listings 
  • MaineJobs - job listings from MaineToday
  • Monster.com - job listings, resume posting and career tips
  • Simply Hired - job listing site with the ability to create email alerts 

Career Exploration and Planning  In addition to visiting the websites listed below, watch career related video tutorials.

Search the Portland Public Library Catalog for print resources on career exploration, resumes, cover letters, online job search techniques and other career topics. 

  

                   For further information on how to utilize available business resources, contact Sonya Durney, Leader of our Business and Government Team at durney@portland.lib.me.us or 871-1700 x729

5 Monument Square, Portland Maine 04101    207 871-1700    email: reference@portland.lib.me.us