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ReferenceUSA is an exciting new business directory and information database that provides detailed business information for over 12 million U.S. businesses. It is available in the library and may also be accessed from home through a link on the HPL website.

The default page is set up for a Quick Search. Search terms have been entered to demonstrate. IBM in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina is our target.

These are the results from the Quick Search query.

Select item of interest and click the Details button.

Detailed information about this IBM facility is returned.

Note the Map It, ZIP Code area Businesses, and the SIC Search options available from the detail page. Results from both the Map It and the 27709 ZIP Code businesses follow.

The results for area businesses (183) sharing the same ZIP Code (27709) as seen here default from the IBM reference point on the list.

Clicking on the SIC button brings up a page that permits searching by Yellow Pages categories and/or by SIC numbers.

A Yellow Page Heading search for Computers is keyed in below.

This page is retrieved. Select the matches of interest and click the Search Now button.

Notice the reminder that the radius search is active so when a SIC category is selected the returns will be tied to the IBM Cary, NC location. Selecting the Related Matches:5734-07 COMPUTER & EQUIPMENT DEALERSat the screen above moves that option to the Selected Choices box as illustrated here.

Clicking the Search Now button retrieves the two results shown here.

To see the Details button for more than one entry, simply check the boxes for the companies of interest.

The details for all fiveIBM companies in NC are retrieved and all shown in one record, of which a partial page is shown below.

The Linkage feature allows you to access both parent companies and subsidiaries of a company. Click on the circumscribed arrow in the “UP Column” to see the parent company of the IBM Corp. located in Raleigh, NC.

The result is seen here. Clicking on the circumscribed arrow in the “DOWN Column” retrieves all the subsidiaries of the parent company.

Now look at the Custom Search option. Select the TAB and bring up this page of multiple categories and options. One may search other categories besides business. A search for CatawbaCounty Offices requested below.

Clicking on the Create Search Form button retrieves a form page with options. In this

Search Form, Catawba County NC and county government have been selected.

Below is a sampling of the returns for our Catawba County Government. Selecting any entry will retrieve more detailed information.

Next, let's try an MSA and NAICS code search to determine how many businesses of a certain type are found in an area. To illustrate, we will search for hobby, toy, and game type stores in the Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NCMSA.

As seen here, the NAICS Code has been entered and North Carolina has been selected to gain access to the MSA of interest. Be sure to note the NAICS Headings and NAICSCode links for verification of entry data or to determine the correct headings and codes.

Click the Search Now button to enter the MSA. .

The Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC MSA has been selected from the pull-down menu.

The results indicate that there re are five hobby/toy stores in this MSA area with the same NAICS code. Such information is useful to someone thinking of starting a similarbusiness or for marketing related products.

This concludes the tutorial of this powerful and easy to use database. Remember that with the Yellow Pages feature you may search for churches, government offices, and organizations, etc. in addition to businesses, which is helpful for travel, joining a club and the like.