WebJunction

Many librarians who receive business-oriented questions don't know where to start. A good starting place, and an excellent place to get a good handle on the wide range of business needs met with Federal Government infomation, is Business.gov, the official business link of the US Government. From supplying workplace posters and compliance forms and explaining how to do business with the government to offering help on international trade, providing industry research, and more, this site is a clearinghouse of federal (and state) information. It is managed by the SBA in partnership with 21 other federal agencies who share funding, as well as three non-funding partners.

Another good starting place is the Small Business Administration (SBA) itself, the KEY agency of the government supporting and developing small business, with planners, tools, local resources, and more. The agency and the site are designed to suppport businesses at every stage of development, from start-up to expansion, as well as businesses in critical junctures, such as when they require disaster assistance. The online courses are a great, free way that individuals can benefit from their tax dollars in learning new skills (creating business plans, etc.) that will support their business goals. The SBA's Office of Advocacy, www.sba.gov/advo/research/ is a one-stop shop for business statistics and an excellent jumping-off point to information about business performance and reports about the state of business.

GPO Access http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ This portal to Legislative, Executive, and Judicial resources is made available through the Government Printing Office, and is a place to find many laws and regulations, documents, and other government tools. You can also use it to locate Federal Depository Libraries (the GPO, whose motto is Keeping America Informed, is the parent of the Federal Depository Library System, ensuring that citizens receive government information and help through a network of libraries throughout the nation) or purchase government materials.

While these are great places to start, and while all are urged to examine these sites, you may wish to have a greater familiarity with business information as handled by the Federal Government. This module will share information for librarians who either want to better understand specific aspects of small business using the tremendous wealth of government information available at their fingertips, or who just need a quick place to go to find the correct resource for a question or a need that comes to them in their work.