Morningstar - Security Certificate Error

A few pages in our Morningstar database are displaying a security certificate error. The vendor is working to resolve the issue. Thanks for your patience!

--Heather

ReferenceUSA slow for home users [RESOLVED]

This issue has been reported to the company and they are working to fix it. I will update this post when the issue is resolved.

--Heather

ReferenceUSA: Data Visualization

ReferenceUSA, one of St. Louis County Library’s business databases, has recently added data visualization capabilities to its list creation service.  Data visualization can help customers create pie charts, bar graphs and heat maps to represent the data they find through a ReferenceUSA Custom Search.  These charts, graphs, and maps can be useful for market research, inserted into presentations or used in marketing materials.  Job seekers can use data visualization to map the highest number of companies within a certain area. 

The pie charts and bar graphs can show sales volume, employee size, city and zip code.  Heat maps can be generated for number of employees, sales volume and location.  When looking at a heat map, areas of low concentration are green and areas of high concentration are red.  For example, a customer looking to open a pizza parlor can create a heat map that shows all of the pizza restaurants in a chosen area.  Areas with many pizza parlors will be red. 

Another data visualization tool is Map Based Search.  A map area, such as a metro area, can be divided into zip codes.  The zip code with the highest concentration of companies can be shown on the map.  Our pizza parlor customer could use Map Based Search to draw a map that shows which areas have the most, or least, number of pizza parlors. 

To launch a charting visualization, first use the Custom Search tab and create a list of companies.  From the Search Results page, you’ll soon see two new buttons:  “Chart,” and “Map.”  Click the button for the type of chart you want to create.  You will have links and sliders on the charting page to help you navigate and adjust your criteria.  The charts and heat maps can be printed and downloaded.  Clicking “Back to Results” will take you back to the results page. 

If you have any questions about ReferenceUSA’s data visualization capabilities please contact the Reference Department at extension 2050.  

--Paul S., Reference

The Resume Writing Blues

If you’re just looking for a summer job or plunging into the job market, the one thing you’ll need, and future employers expect, is a resume. This is often one of the most difficult parts of the process for people, distilling a lifetime of job skills or making the most of academic and volunteer experiences onto one page. Whenever I’ve sat down to create a resume, I fret about wording and formatting to the point where I could spend hours working on it, but most people don’t have that kind of time.

Optimal Resume is an online database that simplifies the resume writing process. After creating a personal account, you can import an existing resume, choose from a template based on occupation and skill level, or build one from the ground up. Optimal Resume goes a step further with help in crafting cover letters and uploading your resume to professional and social sites to connect you with potential employers. It also allows you to present materials online in your own professional website.

Happy job hunting!

--Anna H., Jamestown Bluffs

Change to eCourses

Starting today, you may notice a change to SLCL's eCourses. Our eCourses provider, ed2go, has created a separate product for public libraries called "Learn4Life." The classes and instructors will remain the same. The main difference is no more passcodes! Instead, you will use your library card number to register for a course. 

Reference Quick Tip: Science Online

--Tiffany D., Reference