Lq. Vaughan, INFORMATION SEARCH PATTERNS OF BUSINESS COMMUNITIES - A COMPARISON BETWEEN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES, REFERENCE & USER SERVICES QUARTERLY, 37(1), 1997, pp. 71-78
To identify the information search patterns of business communities, t
wo surveys were conducted, one aimed at small businesses and the other
at medium-sized businesses. Use of different information sources, esp
ecially the public library, for business purposes were examined. Resul
ts show that businesses obtain information more through informal sourc
es than formal ones. The customer is the most important business infor
mation source. Although less than 50 percent of the businesses surveye
d reported using public libraries for business purposes in the previou
s year, the majority of those who did use the library sought help from
library staff. Public libraries are more important for small business
es, especially those in their early stages of development, than for me
dium-sized businesses.